The Simplest Guide To Religion - Book Review

  

Book Title: The Simplest Guide to Religion

Author: Tomichan Matheikal

Number of pages: 147

Genre: Spiritual/ Religious

  

 

I did not know what to expect when I began reading this book. Mr. Tomichan Matheikal, an educator and writer known for his frank and forthright views, suggested I read the book because I’m of a spiritual bent of mind, and hence I read the book, and I'm glad I did so. A lot has been packed into the 147 pages. It is by no means a light read. 

Here are my thoughts:

Despite the title, the book is not a guide on how you must pray or when you must pray, nor is it a preachy kind of book on religion.

Rather, it seeks to examine how religion emerged, evolved, and has endured through the ages. Mr Maitheikal examines religion as a deeply human experience that is used to find comfort in a chaotic world. It dwells extensively on what we believe and why we believe it. He presents well-researched thoughts, facts, and opinions to the reader.

From Animism and Totemism to Polytheism and Monotheism, the book is quite an education on all things religious and spiritual without overwhelming the reader or trying to convert him.  

One of the book’s greatest strengths is that complex thoughts and ideas from history, philosophy, psychology, and even anthropology have been presented clearly, in a very structured manner and in simple English which is easily understood. No bombastic vocabulary here.

Mr Matheikal also shares views of renowned philosophers and scientists, enriching this comprehensive narrative on religion.  

Reading the book has been quite an education for me. Much of what I’ve read has fascinated me and is new to me. I particularly found intriguing the chapter ‘Ancestor Worship and the Cult of the Dead,’ the narratives on the sacred and profane; the shaman; the living dead of Tana Toraja and Kangaroo Dreaming, among others.

If you’re looking to expand your horizons or are curious about exploring other faiths or understanding how religion has shaped civilisations, do read The Simplest Guide To Religion.

 

A few of my favourite lines

Even modern nations unconsciously reproduce totemic behaviour. Flags, emblems, national animals, and political symbols can function psychologically like totems. People may be ready to die or kill for them.

Human beings created rituals for the dead because love itself resisted extinction.

The modern distinction between ‘natural' and 'supernatural' scarcely existed. Nature itself was sacred.

Those who perform these acts may not know their meaning at all. They may not even have belief in any personal God.

The profane is the world of ordinary existence: routine, survival, labour, eating, sleeping, buying, selling and the endless flow of daily life. The sacred offers orientation within the chaos.

Geertz described religion as a cultural system. A network of symbols, stories, rituals and meaning through which people understood reality.

 

Every reader will bring his own thoughts and reflections to the book, but what worked for me was the clarity and the absence of any prejudice towards any religion. I closed the book feeling so much more knowledgeable about a subject I hold in great regard. 

If you’re looking to expand your horizons or are curious about exploring other faiths or understanding how religion has shaped civilisations, do read The Simplest Guide To Religion.

 

https://www.amazon.in/Simplest-Guide-Religion-Understanding-Humanitys-ebook/dp