"RELIGION KILLS" : A Wrong statement
-(GOD IS GREAT: Entry No.6)
“There is no greater RELIGION (‘Dharma’) than working for the benefit of others /or every one.”(Parhit Saris Dharma nahi Bhai), parpeeda sam nahi Adhmai’).
-Ramacharitmanas(Tulsiddas)
In his book “God is not Great “Christopher Hitchens begins his CHAPTER: 2, RELIGION Kills with a quotation of LUCERTIUS from DE RERUM NATURA -“Tetum religio potuit suadeere maloeorum(To such heights of evil are men driven by religion), which shows his wrong presumptions in this chapter and in whole book.
For this reason I have started this entry with a quotation from’ Ramayana ,(one of Hindu’s Greatest Scriptures-an epic poem on works of Lord(God) RAMA, Defining RELIGION or religious spirit so brilliantly and accurately.
It may be made clear that no religion or religious person can ever advocated killings. All the killings or in the book have been made in the name of Religions by people with a political or selfish motive or group madness. The blame for wrong doings of wicked men can not be put on GOD or any RELIGION for that matter. As such I will say to Christopher Hitchens not to put blame on God, by giving examples from warring people in Bosnia-Herzegovina , Beirut, Lebanon Belgrade, Bagdad, Bombay, Vakovar, Sarajivo, Croatia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azad Kashmir.
If the old hatreds are drilled in to the new generations of school children in madrsas or places of worship, shakas ,in terrorist training camps in the name of God or religions, its not the fault of Religions or God, but of people and their selfish and political or economic motives. One should not put blame on religions. Mix of Political , sectarian interests , economic interests of greedy multinationals , drug mafias, arms supplying agencies all are playing from behind the screens their own games in the name of religion( God) ,and national interests. Most people and writes like Christophers and various information media are in some instances are used an instruments or pawns/ chess pieces, by powerful in their power or money game with selfish cunning motives , while putting blame on GOD, Christianity, Islam or Hinduism , protestants and Catholics , Sikhs or Jews .
SaddamHusain, Genral Sharon, Tariq Aziz,Michel Afaq, Mr, General singh Bhindervala, Osama bin Laden ,Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Karzic Rato Maldic, genocidal government of Sudan ,Phalanx ,Fidayeen Saddam, Hamas, Litte, al-Qaeda, Hizbollah,Shivsena, Bajrang-dal,Mujahidins etc. are not true representatives of respective religions (Christians ,Hindus,muslims,Jews etc) but are politically or economically vested and motivated people, using religion or ignorant poor people of different sects in different countries for their own selfish motives. We can not put responsibility of these wrong peoples and their wrong doings on religions(or God) ,as we can not put blame of selfish and corrupt politicians or people on Democracy or Democratic system; or exploitative multinationals or business houses and people on Economics.
As also , the atrocities in old times on women, homosexuals and unbelievers or believers of different faiths were committed by people of vested interests and not the authentic religious people/Religions or GOD. Responsibility for crusades, jihads, fatwa’s, communal violence and killings lies on these people belonging to one or other religion by chance but not are true representatives of those religions or of GOD.It is not that religion has poisoned everything, but the greed, and cunnings of Man of today that is poisoning everything. Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan the philosher Prsident of India pointed to this fact when he said that:
“after learning to swim in water like a fish and flying in the sky like a bird, now the ‘MAN’ needs to learn walking like a ‘human being’ on the earth.”
Man has to mend his ways, if he wants to live happily and peacefully.Message of religious people like Ramakrishna Parmhansa, Aurobindo, Vivekananda, and J.krishnamurthy, who represent universal religious philosophies should form part of gospels in modern churches, mosques, temples, everywhere, leading to new religious consciousness. In the name of secularism, religion(GOD) should not be sacrificed or eliminated from educational or social system. But a more rational, scientific broad and open approach should we followed in matters of religion, both at political and social level taking into account the global realities with genuine humanitarian intentions.
I sum up at this point with quote of Ramakrishna Paramahansa:
“I see people who talk about religion constantly quarrelling with one another. Hindus, Mussulmans [Muslims], Chritians, Brahmos,Shaktas, Vaishnavas, Shaivas all quarrel with one another. They haven’t the intelligence to understand that He who is called Krishna is also Shiva and the Primal Shakti, and that it is He, again, who is called Jesus and Allah. There is only one God, and He has a thousand names”.
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Very beautiful entry, Arun. If only people would really believe that there is only one God, one God with a "thousand names" the war mongers and manipulators of humanity would have no more puppets to brainwash and carry out their evil plans. But hasn't it always been this way from the beginning of time or recorded history? I can't imagine that greed, avarice, lust for power, etc. will ever be absent in the universal scheme of things. It seems that there is propaganda everywhere, especially filtering in on the younger generations, attempting to beat religion, all religion, to a pulp and put "No God" or "Nothing" in its place. Can nothing take the place of God?
Dear Arun:
I find beauty and great truth in your post. "There is only one God, and He has a thousand names" -the mystics of all faith traditions have declared this great truth for many centuries. God speaks to everyone – in the way that each one of us needs to hear. I'm grateful that you are open, the Divine clearly has spoken to you and speaks clearly, through you Arun.
Love, Greg
Dear mscosmiccat
Loving Namste!
Glad that you liked it.Thanks for your postive response,
and genuine concerns about present ways of humanity.
If you read My blog series under -'GOD is Great"(Entries 1-6).
you will find several answers to questions raised by you in this regard.
God has destined us to spread this new consciousness to new generation in their new language and in their own ways,using all the resources of wisdome ,science and information technology to speedup the message and its range.Negative(evil) Forces will goaway in due course of time with refinement of human consciousness at global level.As God is Great! Ofcourse.!Have Faith and willingness to be 'his hand'.
with love and best wishes.
@run
Dear Greg
Loving Namaste!
My gratitude in appreciating restatement of the 'TRUTH' through me.
May his blessings and grace be with us always,and we can work as 'his hand' this way.
best wishes!
@run