Disturbing Thought

“You must acknowledge Jesus Christ and believe in Him. You must follow in his footsteps or you will go to hell. Every thing else is rubbish.” This was a statement that one of my very good friends made to me in a casual discussion we were having on religion and beliefs. I am not that much of a believer but I was genuinely surprised to hear these words coming out of an educated and otherwise sensible person working in a respectable IT Services company.

Is it correct to make such a statement? Can and should any person preach the word of God in this way? How much of a problem can such an irresponsible statement cause in a country like India? This might seem like a small incident that happened over coffee at work. But essential it is a problem that is not given the attention it deserves and which I feel is of immense importance in a country like ours. My arguments in support of my statement will hopefully convince you as to why this is an issue that has to be addressed cautiously and with a lot of tact.

India is a country which is home to almost every major religion that is practiced in the world today. To be fair to all Indians, we have lived peacefully for hundreds of years. But is the peace and brotherhood just a display to show people that we can coexist in a diverse environment? Or is it peace and brotherhood in the true sense of the phrase? Are we truly secular? How would you define secular?

Right from the time a child learns to speak, he/she is taught to pray to God. Even before that, he/she is told stories at bed time of Lord Ram’s righteous and virtuous life; or how one man, Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for the betterment of mankind; or about Prophet Mohamed and his teachings. Bed time stories at one time which transform into strong beliefs and devotion when young boys and girls transform into the so called sensible “men and women”.

The Indian community consists of millions of people coming from varied backgrounds and religious communities. So I ask you, is it right to make a statement similar to the one in the first few lines of this article? Add a hint of extremism to this and then imagine what the consequences could be? Does it not become a recipe for disaster? Let me re-phrase the question I put to you earlier. Under these circumstances, can and should a sensible and educated person make remarks like that? A statement like that challenges centuries of beliefs. A statement like that could trigger the violent side of an otherwise calm and composed individual.

The point I am trying to make is this – Preaching one particular line of thought at the expense of the other or questioning a belief that has been nurtured through time immemorial can have disastrous effects on a nation, especially a secular one like ours. You may ask how is all this relevant to us. We have numerous religious communities in India each trying to win over that part of the population that is still not under their control. The war of religions is constantly being waged to win over more and more believers. The means employed, I feel, are not necessarily honest. If this constant war is being waged then how can we call ourselves Secular? After all doesn’t secularism, at a very basic level, mean religious tolerance? Doesn’t it also mean that religion is practiced only inside the four walls of a person’s house?

These last few lines may make more sense to you than the entire article -
Why should a person challenge the credibility of Religion A in order propagate his Religion B? Why can’t you just lay the facts on the ground and let every person decide what he/she wants to believe? If you want to preach, please, by all means!! But preach about your beliefs and do not question the credibility of the beliefs of others.

I may have touched upon a very small aspect of this issue but I have definitely opened up a very meaningful debate. Mind you, this debate is not to be fought here but within yourself, until a time when you can respect and acknowledge the beliefs and sentiments of the people around you. And the day when every single individual understands this, we can call ourselves Secular. And from that day forward, we can truly establish ourselves on the path of progress.

The ball is in your court now!!


PS: A Muslim is still not welcome with open hands in most traditional Hindu families. A Jain claims that the Buddhist is constantly conspiring against him. A Christian wants to spread his teachings across the radius of the country but doesn’t always employ the honest means. Everybody reacts strongly to religious issues; almost everybody talks ill of the other believers and yet everybody decides to put their differences aside when it comes to getting their work done. It is high time we put an end to all this hypocrisy around us. It is time for every single one of us to grow up and act responsibly.