Relevance of religion

Relevance of Religion in Promoting Values for Communal Harmony


Religions are many and diverse, but reason and goodness are one. As a child, I used to hear a line which says that a religion always preaches us to be good. I wonder if this line is still relevant in the present scenario.


Religion is the most commonly misunderstood word today. People use this word to fulfil their own selfish motives. Hindus use their religion to encourage untouchability and caste discrimination. Muslims use Islam to spread violence in the name of Jehad. Sikhs had separatist tendencies while Christians always tried to prove themselves as a superior race. Whatever may be the reason, religion always emerges to be the loser. No religion supports violence. Those who resort to violence in the name of religion are doing a disservice to their faith and humanity at large.

Guru Nanakji once said in one of his sacred books, “There is but one God. His name is Truth. He is the creator, He fears none. He is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realized by kindness of the true guru. He was true in the beginning, He was true when the ages commenced and has ever been true. He is also true now.”

Religion and communal harmony go hand in hand. Religion is needed in the formation of character. The idea of communal harmony is not possible in the absence of an organized religious way of life. Modern life has multiplied our desires. And when desires are multiplied without the corrective sense of spiritual values, they lead to greed and lust. Lust for power, money and fame. It finds fresh tools for evil and facilitates greater indulgence in all forms of greed. The only thing that fortifies men against temptation is the religious sense. It is religion that fixes good and sound habits of thought and of external activity. Morals, like empty bags, cannot stand on their own feet unless they are based on religion. And all religions of the world are great as all of them have a message of love and humanism.

When it comes to communal harmony, India has always set an example for the world. Communal harmony, therefore, is the basic building block of our country. Swami Vivekananda’s views during a summit on “Parliament of Religions" in 1893 were thought provoking. He proved to the world that holiness, purity and charity were not the exclusive possessions of any church or mosque in the world and that every system had produced men and women of the most exalted character. His address before the parliament was broad as the heavens above us, embracing the best in all religions and the ultimate universal religion was charity to all mankind and good works for the love of God, not for fear of punishment.

The theme of Gandhiji’s teachings was also similar. He wanted the individual to rise above fear, jealousy and hate. When such individuals combine themselves into a community, the problem of communal jealousy and discord will disappear.

Guru Nanak in his first statement after his prophetic communion with God said, “There is no Hindu or any Mussalman.” If God was to be found, he would be found in the inner chambers of human heart. If a man is intoxicated enough with the name, memory and thought of God, he would experience him in his own self. For Nanakji, such a person was a true yogi and not the one who wore orange robes for appearance sake.

Although India has been a confluence of religious plurality for over two millenniums, we are still far away from developing an inter-religious spirituality in the minds of our people. The rise of communalism is a major threat to our spirituality. The spirit of negativity dominates and shapes our religious attitudes. It is this that leads us to mistake our neighbours to be the enemies of our faith. Though all religions recommend values such as generosity, selflessness and charity, increasingly people resort to religion only to secure limitless and unmerited advantages in this world and the next.

The time has come for us to work earnestly towards evolving a shared spirituality keeping pace with the demands of a secular democracy. The need of the hour is the spiritual renewal and reform of all the religions. The practitioners of a religion have to develop adequate sensitivity and due respect for the religious practices and sentiments of others. We cease to grow when we blindly adopt a religion with all its dogmas. Rather than glorifying ourselves to be superior over others, we need to handle our spiritual heritage with humility and compassion. There is an urgent need to evolve an inter-religious code through mutual consultation. It should accommodate the genius of each religion and minimize the offence of what is unique and different.

We need to set an example of religious tolerance and communal harmony again. Our ancestors have been known to enlighten the world from time to time. It is time for us to depict hope to the world.

“When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.”
And that should be the spirit.