Dr. JERNAIL SINGH ANAND
President, IAE
Religion is something which is very internal to mankind. Even when we are in the womb, our religion is decided. And when we come out of the womb, a religious person is called to name us. After that, nobody asks us what is our religion. Everyone knows we are born in which family. And it continues for generations onwards.
Simply put, Religion is a way of looking at things, a way of being and becoming, and a way of conduct with the outside world. And to establish a contract with the Almighty. Of course, different people in different geographic locations use different names for the same Entity.
Finally, it is a matter of believing in Good and Eschewing from Evil. Each religion defines them differently, and can be different in various ways. Yet, finally, it is all the Goodness of God and the Fallibility of Mankind, and Man’s Powers of Prayer, and through punishment, to get through to God’s Grace.
Difference makes no difference.
How we are born, how we live, and how we die, – these are ritualistic things attached to every religion, different in their form and essence too, words differ, meanings differ, yet, the man who is born and who dies is the same in every case. Again, difference makes no difference.
I wish to underline the idea that essentially man is a body, with a soul, which comes to life, and here, he has to conduct himself in a decent way, till the time he gets run out.
What he gathers as he enters this world: the ideas of good and evil that come to define him, and when he goes off, he is valued or ignored for the good or evil he had assimilated and delivered to the outside world.
THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT:
FIRST LAYER: The ordinary god-fearing people, who look up to scriptures for day to day conduct of their lives.
SECOND LAYER: The clerics who keep close to the shrines and take up the expansionist agenda of a religion.
THIRD LAYER: The military establishment loaded with the responsibility of protection and self-preservation.
The clerics are very small in number, but wield a lot of influence. And the military establishments are men at arms who are ready to protect the religion.
Somewhere in-between fall the politicians, who use religion for furthering their agenda, and maintaining their hold on the masses.
The ordinary people can be made to part with their wits if they are told their religion is in danger. And this bogey is created by clever politicians so that the get votes and stay in power.
Religion is a great force for welfare of mankind, but, it is a pity, it is being used to spread fear and terror, which often leads to massacre.
ETHICS AND RELIGION
The subject of my talk is the ordinary people. How they are to conduct themselves in a world which is ruled by political maniacs.
Your religion is sacred. And religion preaches love for God’s creation.
But as and when you stop loving others, and start hating them, or fearing them on the provocation of some leaders, you are stepping into the realm of the irreligious and the unethical.
If you think your religion is greater than other religions, or only your religion is true, and all other religions are half-truths, it is not only untenable, but UNETHICAL as well.
If you think you follow a particular religion, and you cannot make any mistake, you are in the danger of stepping into Wrong.
If you think what your leaders say is ultimate truth,
remember, they are human beings first, and a human being is recognized by his ABILITY TO ERR. When people err, it is tolerable. But when leaders make errors, they jeopardize civilizations.
Never believe anything as absolute truth. Truth keeps changing. Those who do not change with times, are soon left behind in the race of time, and are then overtaken by smart races.
Religious practices often keep you occupied. Spending the whole day in the contemplation of God or gods leaves no time for you to act out your duties as human beings.
God has sent you on the earth for a particular work. You must try to recognize what is the God’s errand for you.
Avoid visiting those gatherings where people are spewing fire and hatred for other communities.
Do you want your family, your country to go forward in progress? Then, learn to make a distinction between what draws you backward and what pulls you forward. You must have this discrimination about religious pursuits.
If you want your family, your country to go back into the past, and medieviality, spend most of your time in the shrines and listening to religious speakers. You will have less time to work for yourself, and do something for the world. But if you don’t do your duty, how will you get Peace? I wonder.
Religions need to be respected. Sikh religion, for example, never teaches any harm to anybody. Rather the militant Sikhs are meant to protect those in danger. They never attack anybody. Being militant for protectionist purpose is not offensive. Sikhism has one more good aspect. It spread far and wide, but this expansion never took place on the nose of the sword. People converted to Sikhism because of their love for the values Sikhism stood for. Christianity too has spread by its powers of persuasion.
Such a philosophy of persuasion is best in matters religious. Coercion, force, fear, terror – I wonder if any religion preaches such practices.
Ethics of Life demands that:
There has to be no coercion.
There has to be no hatred.
There has to be Only Love for Creation.
All religions are equal.
Let us all believe in one God.
And in One Creation.
All belonging to Each Other.
Difference makes no Difference.
Author:
Dr. Jernail Singh Anand is Founder Chairperson of The Ethical Universe, the International Academy of Ethics, a think-tank of Poets, Philosophers, Thinkers, Scientists and Social Scientists. He is Professor Emeritus with the European Institute of the Roma Studies, Belgrade and Honorary Member of the Serbian Writers Association. Dr. Anand has authored 150 books which include 9 epics which are considered world classics. He has innovated the theory of Bio-text in critical theory. The Univ. of Neyshabur, Iran has conducted a Research Project on his Poetry comparing it with Iranian Poets, under Dr. Roghayeh Farsi. His works have been translated into 20 world languages.