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The other day, I attended a wedding. “Oh, is it? What is special about that?” You may wonder. Well, actually nothing. Not really; perhaps two aspects stood out. Firstly, it was the wedding of a relative. Secondly, he was marrying a French girl. “Ah! What is new about that?”
Nothing again; except that it set me thinking.
The very term belief is often anathema to the intellect. A belief is something we accept as true because it has been handed down over generations or affirmed by someone we trust. If we knew a belief to be true, it would cease to be a belief. Constantly seeking truth is essential for any progressive society. When societies stop questioning inherited beliefs, they risk exploitation by vested interests.
Consider this: saying, “I have faith in my lawyer to get me out of this,” is different from saying, “I know he will get me out of this.” The latter is far more reassuring. Faith rests on hope; knowledge rests on certainty.
These thoughts occupied my mind as I watched a South Indian Brahmin groom marry a French Catholic bride in a traditional Iyer ceremony. The rituals unfolded with solemn precision. The bride followed the proceedings carefully, though it was evident she was unfamiliar with their deeper meaning. I suspect, perhaps unfairly, that even the groom might not have fully understood many of them.
Was that faith? Probably not.
Neither of them was performing the rituals solely because they believed divine blessings depended upon them. More likely, they were doing it for families, for tradition, and perhaps for a society that insists ceremonies must follow prescribed forms. Elders often say, “If we do not follow tradition, what will people think?” rarely realising that people seldom care deeply, except to gather material for polite gossip.
Yet, occasions like these remind us that humanity constantly negotiates between tradition and change. Rituals survive not merely because they are understood, but because they create continuity, belonging, and identity even when their original meaning fades.
I have repeatedly argued that the essence of faith or spirituality lies not in method but in value. The form of prayer, the posture, the language, the timing, or even the place of worship are merely vehicles. They are cultural expressions, not universal truths.
What one wears while praying does not determine devotion. How one prays or when one prays does not determine sincerity. These are inherited practices shaped by geography, climate, history, and social conditioning. Over time, societies often begin to mistake these external expressions for the essence of faith itself.
Values, however, transcend method. Compassion, integrity, humility, gratitude, and respect for life remain constant across cultures and civilisations. When rituals reinforce these values, they enrich society. When rituals become ends in themselves, they risk overshadowing the very values they were meant to preserve.
The wedding I witnessed seemed to reflect this contradiction. The ceremony was elaborate, precise, and culturally rich, yet it raised a silent question: were the participants engaging with the meaning behind the rituals, or merely ensuring that tradition was visibly upheld? Perhaps the ceremony was less about invoking divine blessings and more about reassuring social expectations.
This is not a criticism of rituals. Societies need symbols and ceremonies. They provide continuity and identity. But symbols must remain signposts, not destinations. When societies begin to defend methods more fiercely than values, tradition hardens into conformity. Then methods actually shackle the body and spirit.
Faith, if it is to remain meaningful, must evolve from imitation to understanding. The moment values are internalised, the method becomes redundant as personal expression and dons the mantle of social compulsion.
Col KL Viswanathan
(The author is an Indian Army veteran and a contemporary affairs commentator. The views are personal. He can be reached at kl.viswanathan@gmail.com )
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