RELIGIONS: Arriving at a Common Meeting Ground

The Speaking Tree, Editorial, Sun 11.01.2015

Quite a bit of stir has been created in the nation today with the controversy over ‘ghar wapasi’ camps being held and more lately with a popular Hindi film, both generating animated discussions in drawing rooms and public spaces alike, forcing courts and state governments to step in.

If we were to say all religions are the same, it would be as foolish as saying all medicines are the same. Clearly no one is going to buy this unwise reasoning be they hardliner, moderate or liberal. While there are inter-religion similarities, the differences between them also cannot be negated. However, what emerges from this is that while the nature of every medicine may be different in terms of its curative aspect, fact is that every medicine is rendered to cure an ill. And this is the line i’m towing here. A common minimum program or meeting ground of religions and faiths. Here are some of them:

1.       That every religion is based either on a theistic or atheistic approach. It is based either on science, scientific investigation and proof or is based largely on a belief system. There are some phenomena which are beyond verification of today’s science and others which have been disproved by science conclusions of which should be respected. There is no room for further debate in this narrative. It is best left to real scholars to have a meaningful debate on it based on proper understanding of the subject.  

2.      That every human being by birth possesses basic good qualities such as human affection, right motivation, warm-heartedness, non-violence, intelligence, honesty, sense of involvement. The aim of every religion and religious teaching should be to simply strengthen these qualities to make the world we live in less harmful. It is true that higher ends paths towards nirvana, moksha and salvation are different, but that is beyond the scope of this piece.

3.      That every faith or religion needs to respect and peacefully tolerate the existence of the other is a no brainer. No one really has the right to impose his or her beliefs on the other. Each one as birthright has the liberty to explore the path of his/her choice. Proper understanding of this individual choice spontaneously lessens social nuisance it otherwise creates.

4.      That any form of fundamentalism or extremism, irrespective of which religion or faith it may be, needs to be abhorred. The fundamental aim of any religious or spiritual process is to look at equalizing society, infusing winds of equilibrium into it rather than raising storms that classify and de-stabilize it. All beings have a fundamental right to be happy – without infringing on the rights of others nor creating suffering for them - and there is no place for bullying or exploitation.

5.      That every religion or spiritual process is to be used as a tool for inner transformation of oneself. If this process manifests positively and has a positive impact on oneself and the surrounding s/he lives in, then it can be concluded that that path is working for the person. Otherwise not.

If these common meeting grounds are met, not only will meaningless public rant stop but the real meaning of ‘ghar wapasi’ will emerge: homecoming of the mind.