Religions have caused more harm and destruction to humanity than all the natural calamities down the centuries put together. In fact, it would be quite wrong to attribute a lion's share of violence and bloodshed to "religion" as it is meant to be. But what is originally meant to be religion - a way of life - has become the battleground for political parties and vested interests to parley and display quite unashamedly their show of strength! It is no wonder that ever since fierce battles came to be fought in the name of religion (killing a member of opposite religion assured a seat in heaven!) during the Middle Ages, many sincere men and women of good will have bidden adieu to the cultic, formal religions.
Religion is meant to be the cementing factor between people and the ultimate, and union of hearts and minds among people of all walks of life. No god will ever tolerate if blood is shed in his name - however bloodthirsty he be! What is happening in different parts of the world today is - religion is used as a means by a handful of powerful people in order to wield hegemony over the weak, and the downtrodden. Every religious fight or conflict is in fact an attempt to over power the awakening group - using the time-tested techniques of arousing fear and panic. Most of the major religions had done this, and it is not the time for us to dwell on who's donneit! But to look beyond what history has taught us - to go beyond the narrow confines of religions.
But it is time for us to return to our sources! From the events and incidents that shake and shape our world, it is obvious that most of us believers in organized religions do not read our Holy Scriptures. If at all we do, then we do it mechanically, or do it selectively, harkening only the passages that suit our purpose. Because no religion, worth its salt, can ever teach its followers to shed the blood of the neighbour. Just because the weaker party is not able to retaliate, the mighty and the powerful might continue their reign of terror. They may win over the battle according to worldly standards, but it may not take too long for events to take a 180 degree around.
In many religions we have the custom of branding the people who had died in order to protect the religious faith as martyrs. A crown of glory is given to them, and they are considered revered persons. Today I would like to pause for a while and ask myself - which is more important : to give one's life for the facile, divisive faith or to lay one's life for the welfare of the neighbour. Unfortunately most of the religions have taken the liberty to twist the basic tenets of religions for their own benefit and advantage. Adn therefore I would like to go back to the sources, to the Sacred Scriptures to re-discover God as he/she truly is. Once I begin to recognise His/Her true nature and identity, then my attitude to other faiths too will change.
It is time for me to look at every person I come in contact with as my brother and sister. Unless I drop the labels of religion, caste, creed and nationality, I would be enslaving myself to structures that would distance me far away from my union with the Ultimate, and through him/her to the humanity, each of them reflection of the Maker! Once I encounter the God of my heart in my brother and sister, then the religious layers collapse, and I maybe able to see God as he/she is in every creature around me! Such is the family of gods, living in harmony with one another, and that truly is vasudeiva kutumbakam!
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