Question

"You cannot believe in god until you believe in yourself". Justify the statement.

Answer 1

The quotation of Swami Vivekananda is misconstrued and must be read in the light of Indian philosophy. The essence of Vedic wisdom is that the God and the Self are the same. Belief in Self is imperative to the belief in God. This does not necessarily translate to "Those who do not believe in God lack belief in the Self." Perhaps a similar incident from the life of another sage would help us understand this better.