RELIGION DIVIDES OR UNITES

Religion has been one of the most potent forces of union and integration and also, unfortunately of conflict and disintegration. Apart from the history of religious persecution and wars which the world has seen through the centuries, the present national and international scene provides ample evidence of quarrels caused by religion.

It is not surprising, therefore, to find many sincere, thoughtful, intelligent, peace-loving and well-intentioned people, who prefer to remain aloof from religion, and become agnostics. Nor is it to be wondered that quasi religious movements with various names like secularism, Marxism, positivism, scientific humanism, nationalism etc. backed by strong ideological foundations and based on materialistic, non-religious values have sprung up and have spread all over the world.

In the socialist and communist countries religion has no place. In western capitalistic societies religion has only a marginal role, being simply allowed to exist as one of the many institutions of society. Except in purely Islamic countries religion is not expected to play any major role in social or national life.

Causes of Conflict

The secularists and non-religious humanists lay all the blame for the inter-faith conflicts on religion. They view religion as an unavoidable compulsion in man and scornfully consider it as a social evil, which unfortunately, cannot be eliminated. It is an illusory comfort for man in distress, they say, which must some how be accommodated shorn of its unhealthy tendencies like fundamentalism and militancy. These secularists, however, forget that they themselves have contributed no less to the present day uprising of fundamentalism. Men dealing with politics and economics are no less responsible for the problems for which they blame religion.

In a grossly inadequate social system where social injustice and gross economic imbalance prevail, divisive forces of religion are bound to erupt. The deprived and oppressed sections of society withdraw into the protective safety of pristine tradition, which is fundamentalism. When these social injustices prompt the faithful to unite and fight for their rights, the same urge becomes political. And these two, fundamentalism and politics, soon form an explosive combination.

This does not mean that religion is not to be blamed. Every ideology whether religious, political or socio-economic, howsoever noble when first conceived, invariably gets degenerated into rigid dogmatism and leads to mindless destruction. Secondly, when religious beliefs get institutionalized and become the collective property of a specific group, they degenerate into rigid doctrines, and become potentially dangerous. Vested interests keep alive socially irrelevant dogmas to maintain their hold on the masses. Ambition and lust for power of the leaders spoil the pious atmosphere of religion.

Religion as a Uniting Force

But there is another side of the picture too. If religion is said to have caused conflicts here and there, it has also promoted global peace. In fact, intensest love that humanity has ever experienced has been generated by religion. The noblest words of peace the world has ever heard have come from men who have been truly religious.

If religious motives have caused cruelty and bloodshed, they have also brought into existence many hospitals and asylums. Religion has inspired men to take care not only of human beings but even of the lowliest of animals. Nothing makes us so tender as religion. Religion is neither an escape for the masses nor the opium of the society. It represents essentially an ennobling urge, inherent in man, designated to fulfill higher purposes of human life. It is a tremendous force of personal and social integration.

In fact Dharma the Sanskrit word for religion means exactly that; the factor or force which is capable of uniting, integrating and harmonizing society.

Although religion is considered a unifying force, the only instance in Indian history when it was effectively used as such, was when Shankracharya achieved the remarkable feat of uniting all the various branches and shades of Hinduism. But in doing so, he had to defeat jains and Buddhists to Hinduism or the Vedic Sanatandharma. But now things have changed completely.

Van-quishing in debate or war or conversion by force is now impossible. Moreover, during Shankra’s period religion had much deeper roots and played a major role in the life of the individual and the society. In other words people were far more religious.There are a number of factors in society, which adversely affect the integrating function of religion, and unfortunately many of them are active in India.

Religion loses much of its integrating function:

1. In societies where more than one religion are practiced.

2. When the established expectations of a group are frustrated. Those who are frustrated become ‘more religious’ and use religion to express their sense of separation and as a weapon to fight for their rights.

3. When society is sharply divided into classes, which is felt as an oppressive fact.

4. When social change reduces appeal to rituals and belief systems.

5. When mobility from society to society is great.

6. When outside pressures split the society.

However there is another hopeful sociological phenomenon. In the face of these disintegrating influences there is a tendency in religion to recover or discover some unifying religious theme.

Various forces start working to give force to this unifying, integrating and harmonizing function of religion. The inter-religious conferences, debates and exchange of ideas, polarization of liberal religious forces, which we see in India, are a part of the same phenomenon. Let us, therefore, search for the unifying theme in this medley of disarray and disharmony of various religions.

Search for a Unifying Force

It is pointless to speculate on the possibility of one religion for all. Nor can a world religion emerge and become acceptable to all, from an agreement among a group of well-intentioned individuals. It is often suggested that what is common to the existing religions must be emphasized, rather than the differences. But in this attempt we cannot proceed very far.

There cannot be anything common so far as mythology and rituals are concerned, which differ widely and are related to the distinctive cultural traditions. Unity in the basic philosophical doctrines and spiritual message can be sought, but only upto a point, because there are irreducible differences in the doctrinal core of each religion. There may be a broadly similar ethical basis, but there is much more to religion than the ethical principles. It is primarily a question of faith, which may not shake hands with ethics or philosophy.

Instead of searching for common points among religions therefore, we must try to seek unity in diversity i.e., to accept diversity itself as the essential ingredient of unity. Just as no two individuals can be similar in constitution and temperament and can yet live harmoniously together, so also all these religions with their sects and sub-sects can be accepted as so many valid means of reaching the same goal, serving the same individual or social function. We must learn that the truth can be expressed in different ways, just as the sun seen from countless different angles and distances can appear differently.

Another way in which unity may be sought is by considering these religions not as contradictory but complementary.

Each religion has its own specialty, a peculiarity not found in another religion. Each religion takes up as it were a part of the great universal truth and works it up. Thus they are not contradictory, but complementary. It is addition and not exclusion. Each religion with its peculiarity satisfies the minds of a different group of individuals. All these systems are different forces in the economy of God, working for the good of mankind.

Our watchword must be acceptance, not merely tolerance.Unfortunately these rationalizations to arrive at a harmony between various religions cannot go deep into the highly emotive roots of religion, embedded in the unconscious, except that they may create better understanding at the higher levels of society. It is doubtful whether intellectual understanding and even propagation of ideals relating to religious harmony through the mass media of communication percolate down to the masses.

Practical aspect of Religion

Religion is not politics or economics, which may grow or spread through symposia or conferences, lectures and articles. It is life, it is realization, it is being and becoming. If anything, it is practical living. It moves and spreads with conduct and example. Hence far more important is to set examples of ennobling religious values in actual life. Spiritual realization radiates faith and goodwill in ever widening circles. That is the way to strike at the root of strife and achieve unity.

Now this living the religious life must be done at two levels: the inclusive and the intensive. Inter-faith unity sarva dharma samabhava have two words; sarva which points to man to man relationship, the social dimension, the welfare of the world, the love for the neighbor the jaga-hitaya aspect, while the dharma or the faith aspect stresses man to God relationship, the love of God, one’s own salvation or atmano mokshartha part of the matter. Both are inter-related and interdependent.

Our personal spiritual life must be made deeper with the help of prayer, meditation and other spiritual exercises. At the same time it must be widened with the help of service, charity, compassion, and giving of what little we can to our neighbor. This is how we can truly become religious.

Now, the question is, can we make religion more dynamic, make it play a greater role, in the day-to-day life of the average citizen? This is what almost each of the galaxies of great religious reformers born in India has tried to do. And if we want religion to play a major role in uniting the nation – which it must do, because it is the only lasting and deeper way of achieving it – then what we need today are not religio - political or religio - social leaders, but real saints, the religio - spiritual leaders.

1. There is a great need today for a theoretical or ideological research within each religion to discover and highlight the universal aspects, relevant to the present times. Even re-defining and re-interpreting the fundamentals of one’s own religion is needed.

Swami Vivekananda gave an entirely new and non-sectarian definition of religion: “Manifestation of the potential divinity of the soul”. He classified the means and the methods on a more acceptable psychological basis into four yogas : Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga. A similar thing may be tried, say, in Jainism. The word Jina is a non sectarian word meaning, one who has conquered his baser passions etc. and the follower of such a person is a Jain.

According to this definition, therefore, the followers of Jesus Christ, the Buddha, Ramakrishna are also Jains because these great men too were the great conquerors of their internal foe. Even the words used for the five adorable ones mentioned in the navkar mantra of Jains viz. arihanta, siddha, acharya, upadhyaya and sadhu are non – sectarian.

2. Our attempts to increase and promote inter-religious understanding through seminars, publication of books and articles must be continued.

3. We must also get acquainted with the scriptures, the spiritual literature and traditions of religions other than our own in a spirit of sympathy and acceptance.

4. The need for spiritual growth with the help of one’s sadhana cannot be over-emphasized. We must see to it that the spiritual foundations of the nation do not get eroded or weakened by the onslaughts of secular and material forces. This is especially important because the disharmony and unrest, which we find today, is more due to non-religious, materialistic forces than religion.

The secularists believe that religion should be abolished or at least delegated to a minor place in society, and all social problems can be solved purely on a non-religious basis. But they forget that any peace or harmony, unity or integration achieved without the religious roots would always be shallow especially in a religious country like India.

Today even socialist countries have started recognizing the force of religion, and psychologists have accepted that religion is a potent means of achieving mental peace, and integration of personality. What is of prime importance today, therefore, is the living of a truly religious life. The conflict to day is not inter-religious, but between religion and irreligion, between the secular and the sacred. And the sacred cannot win unless it manifests through actual living.

5. Last but not the least, we cannot and must not neglect our duty to our fellow beings, our neighbors, the gods moving around us in the sick, the poor and the deprived.

They are not strangers. None is a stranger. Everyone is our own, be he a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian. Let us make them all our own by giving help, love, sympathy, and what little we can, irrespective of caste, creed, race or religion.