Words and action - the religious dilemma

Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Words and action - the religious dilemma
Jesus said a tree is known by its fruits. However much merits one may see in a religious teaching, its impact on society at large cannot be assessed without taking into account the effect it has had on at least the best of its followers.

The best (actually, all) of Jesus followers eventually became members of one Church or the other and thereby became ?Churchians? rather than Christians. Where is the Jesus who said ?Let the dead bury the dead? and where is the Pope today who is ornamented in all regalia, stays in palaces, has retreats from where he offers his benediction to his congregation, and to top it all, is the political head of a minute country - not to forget that he lacks moral courage to call a spade a spade (if not a bloody spade) without taking recourse to quotations from 14th century monarchs and later retracting what he meant.

Mohammad was always in battles to defeat his enemies (not enemies within but enemies without, thereby setting an example of what is meant by Jihad) though Allah said if one man is killed, the entire mankind is killed. So the better a Muslim wants to become, the more Mohammad-like he needs to be. Is it any surprise, therefore, that Muslim communities at large want to more honour than condemn Islamic terrorists?

But the most pathetic state is that of the Hindus, the Hindus who have inherited the Vedantic legacy of Aham Brahmasmi and Vasudeva Kutumbakam but have compartmentalised themselves into innumerable castes and divided loyalties. Hindus have taken to materialism with greater gusto than others and thereby have become a corrupt lot. Any wonder we have been ruled by foreigners for long ages and still continue to be ruled by a foreigner to whom the Congress and the voters seem to have hypothecated themselves?

I would call upon the Hindus to awaken to their legacy and vibe to the vibrancy of Vedanta, as I would call upon the Christians to be Christ-like and not merely members of this body or that body. To the Muslims I would say, interpret the Quran so that the voice of Allah comes through it, not that of mere mortal mullahs.

P.S. I am not pompous enough to actually advise anybody anything. I am merely exercising the option of poetic licence to fling a few chosen words in the hope that they would sprout to be thoughts in a few like-minded folks? minds.

9:50:24 PM
Posted By VenuGopal Comment (0) Uncategorized