Due to the recent (last 100 years, perhaps) backlash against religion in general, a lot of interesting philosophical ideas get ignored or rejected just because they are explained in terms of religious beliefs.
In my mind a religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of your existence that helps you define your way of life. We all have our beliefs and we make that a part of the life we lead. As the beliefs get shared and adopted by more and more people, then that religion starts becoming popular and slowly gets formalized into rituals and commandments. However, unless it appeals to your rational intellect in some way or form (faith / fear / logical reasoning / scientific reasoning, etc.), you will struggle to make it a part of your life.
Most religions have a philosophical base and the ideas are expressed using simpler terminologies and contexts that people can easily relate to. The philosophical ideas themselves can be quite complex, interesting and "rational" but the expressions could get totally "irrational" over time. Some of the customs or belief systems that were popular thousands of years ago may seem quite absurd to our generation, triggering a rejection of the basic ideology itself.
Say a mountaineer happens to experience the beauty of a full moon across a lake from atop a cliff and spreads the word on this soul calming view. People with SUVs able to handle the treacherous climb start checking it out and find it to be a good relief from the pressures of their daily lives. As the cliff turns into an attraction, the story morphs into "Your worries will disappear if you drive your SUV up the mountain, park in the North facing parking lot and enjoy the views!". Though it may get popular, most rational people will tend to disregard such a ritual. Now, does it mean that they should reject the beauty of the full-moon because they are green or can't afford to drive a Hummer up a mountain? Does it take anything away from the beauty of the sight of the full moon across a lake? Based on the core idea that a full moon is a pleasant sight, you do what your rational intellect and the situation allows you to, even if it's a quick peek at the moon out of your living room window during the television commercial break.
The ability to see through delivery mechanism can expose you to some interesting ideas that have withstood the test of time. Some of these ideas that form the basis of a religion could really be interesting and intellectually stimulating and can perhaps help you refine your way of life. The shortcomings of the delivery mechanism simply mean that you need to define it in your own terms, in terms of what seems rational to you, for your own life.
Religion itself has to grow with time. The great saints and prophets explained the philosophies in a manner befitting the society of their time in order for people to be able to easily understand and accept them. Some of the concepts were presented as opinions and suggestions and some in terms of rituals and commandments. These suggestions have to evolve with time; otherwise the evolving society will reject it.
As responsible individuals, it is upon us to understand the core values of the religion(s) along with the philosophies behind them rather than blindly following it or rebelling. And it is upon us to think and contemplate, for accepting or rejecting the ideas at face value without contemplating upon them brings about fundamentalism.
I will, in this blog, try and put forth some of the ideas I have understood from the ancient Indian Advaita Vedanta philosophy in a way that appeals to my intellect and liking. I am in no way saying that this is the right way to look at it; this is just an explanation that helps me understand it better...
Advaita Vedanta
Essence of Advaita Vedanta
Maya
Drishti-Srishti Vada and Schrödinger’s Cat
Concept of God
Bhakti
The cycle of life and death
Destiny
Super-consciousness
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