This is with respect to the recent news in the Times Of India newspaper that India has been irked by few comments made by the Pope on conversions and racial discriminations. Please check the link (click on the title of the post).
Will share a small incident that happened when I was in architecture college. We were a group of 4-5, in our last year of college, who had stayed over at a friend's place to study and complete our projects together. My friend's mom is a teacher at a school for mentally challenged kids and so everyone knew her in the neighbourhood. One afternoon, a Jesuit nun, accompanied by a small child, paid us a visit. Of course, my friend’s mom asked her in and was chatting up with her... we girls happened to be in the living room and taking a break from our hectic routine. In the course of the chat, the lady starts condemning the Hindu religion and begins preaching about the positives of being what she is.
Will share a small incident that happened when I was in architecture college. We were a group of 4-5, in our last year of college, who had stayed over at a friend's place to study and complete our projects together. My friend's mom is a teacher at a school for mentally challenged kids and so everyone knew her in the neighbourhood. One afternoon, a Jesuit nun, accompanied by a small child, paid us a visit. Of course, my friend’s mom asked her in and was chatting up with her... we girls happened to be in the living room and taking a break from our hectic routine. In the course of the chat, the lady starts condemning the Hindu religion and begins preaching about the positives of being what she is.
We were taken aback at first, but in a while could not taken it anymore. And asked her to leave. She began speaking more aggressively and telling us that we will suffer as we are not following the true god. To which we replied that we have tremendous respect for all religions and all gods, and there is no god in any religion who says that a person be forced to believe in him...esp. as all religions preach and practice love and tolerance. And not only that, we also happen to visit the temple, dargah, gurudwara and church with equal fervour. And celebrate Christmas, Diwali , Eid, Navroze and Vaisakhi together…we have never made friends on the basis of who is what and why. On which the lady really took off and said how is that possible and how can we compare all other religions to Christianity.
So we then literally had to force her out. But before leaving, we asked her few (rhetorical) questions (of course she didn’t reply)- Why not let people be what they are and follow whatever they want to? And is this what you are trying to teach this young child (who was with her) and our generation next- to thus discriminate between people?
I also believe no other country is as religiously tolerant as India. I mean, c'mon, where else do we have separate laws for people based on their religious tendencies!? On top most of the people have lived with each other for centuries now...happily too! And the only religious madness we have in the country is politically motivated, and does not in anyway stem from it's people. We also have public holidays for each festival of every religion- which other country has that?
No offense meant to anyone, but this is one issue that really irritates the hell out of me! Why don’t people just let others be? And also leave India to its own battles and not make it a religious issue every time? Not only the world, our own politicians need to be told the same- leave religious sentiments aside- that is personal- and I’m sure no one likes their personal preferences be made into a world war.
And India is a land of converts-in fact why just India, the whole world is. Converts of: land, faith, religion, sexual preferences, gender, principles, human nature, physical appearance, economical and social stratas, educational and professional backgrounds, love and friendship and also enemity.... of life itself. Are we going to stop the whole world from being the way they are?
In the midst of tsunamis, earthquakes, global warming and more, should we really spend time on keeping a check on someone else's faith and tendencies thereof?
And to what end? Isn’t death the only inevitability?
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7 comments:
Very well written! I agree, religion is such a personal thing, how can someone push something like that, at best there can be a guiding light, not moral coercion.
i feel, religions have been failed by the followers themselves.where religious teachings should have broaden our views, there, we still stand , discriminating between caste, creed etc. due to our parochial view.
all religions if analysed do give a scientific basis.......
the need is just to analyse their preachings, and not to follow the path blindfolded.
yes, politicians do use this as a tool, to create riots and secure votes, but this is not happening anymore with the intellectual lot.i dare not say, that this is not happening at all, it is there, with the not so educated ones.....
but, india is waking up......
unfortunately we in India try to push away all our inadequacies under the cloak of either religion or culture....
very well written..
only if we would have much more sensible people like u...glad that we have people like you arund..honestly:)
Attachment to any one religion is only a means to develop the faith in the heavenly powers. All religions, when looked objectively, lead to one and the same thing. However, the way the religious leaders have spread these religions has crippled the real authenticity behind them, and many of the practices followed by these people are actually against the religious principles.
Many people try to make some meaning out of a religious principle, and others make different meanings. This is only because the principles are abstract, and so anything can be interpreted. But people forget that the only purpose of religion is to have a faith in god, and all other things are just means of keeping up this faith.
* Ice: Kool!
* Menagerie: I agree... for me religion is more a habit of thoughts and a way of living than a doctrine I need to follow...
* Adi: a lot of things that we take as superstitious (for example vastu) is actually scientific and not religious... and as far as the 'intellectual lot' not being involved- I beg to differ...either they are very much in or are completely indifferent... in fact there is a wrong tendency to proclaim that being educated or intellectual is being 'wise' or 'humane'. Urbanisation is not Development always...
But yes India is waking up... to what, only Time can tell or our generation can mould.
* Dewaker: Thanks!:) (blush! am not very good at handling compliments)
* Gaurav : COmpletely agree!!!
Bravo!! Well writ.
Lack of faith and terrible insecurity drives all these people to convert others. As it is all religions are man made. The need to dominate and be dominated remains one of the most perverse inflictions in the psyche.
* Magpie: Hey! Haven't seen you in a while... :)
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