The leaders in the religious and the political field, who control the wealth gathered in the name of God, play politics with the people’s faith
- Religion is a personal affair which has been politicized so that the leaders could get political power and rule over the masses who believe in their God
Dr. Jernail S. Anand
RELIGION is a set of beliefs, followed by a few people which sets out to tell about God. The religion builds up a structure of holy ideas and images, and then, wants others to follow it. Basically, it is an organized set of principles which relates man to God. There are some religions in the world, which lay down their own doctrines, and discuss what is God and how he can be attained. This is finally and finely everything about religion. But on the way, they pick up quarrels among themselves and with other journeymen who too have a different set of principles, clothes, and languages, and even how to describe that one God who is the creator.
I was born in a family which believed in Sikhism. So, I became a Sikh even without my knowing it. Some people who do not like being in a particular religion, often make parallel shifts. Sometimes this shift is voluntary, but, if we look back into the past, it was done forcibly and it was called conversion. Religion which is a matter of man’s personal relationship with God turns into coercion when religion hires political agencies for its spread. The spiritual element in religion decreases and the empirical goes on increasing, so that a time comes, when religions practice politics, and religion is reduced to a blind faith in an invisible name. They make people close their eyes, so that they can play with the offerings received in millions.
From Here to Hereafter
It goes to the credit of millions of people, the laity who repose their faith in the revelatory potential of religion, and, by being good, they can one day, attain salvation. It happened around five decades back. People were worried more about the hereafter, and they never minded whether they lived in poverty and scarcity, still they never let their mind distract, nor envy the wealth of others. Poverty was a virtue because they were never tempted into grabbing the wealth of others, and living in cosy comfort. Our scriptures also relate hundreds of stories of men who lived in poverty, but who lived in comparative bliss. I can refer to Bheelani whose ‘berries’ Lord Rama came to eat. Guru Nanak Dev also rejected the offer of a rich landlord and opted for a poor woodcrafter. It shows people in the past believed in the religion’s essential appeal which promised them a place in Heaven.
Loss of Faith in Heaven & Fear of Hell
But, now, when religious men are seen conspiring with political godmen, ordinary people too have lost all hope in the hereafter. They have also come to realize that this is the life that matters. Do not worry about what happens after death. I fear people now cannot be frightened with Milton’s scenes of Hell, and Purgatory. If you put these paintings in a Museum, or Exhibition, they will give scholarly comments and may hold seminars and invite international personalities to talk on these issues, but, the fact remains, Milton and his Satan have lost their power to frighten our man next door.
I feel happy and satisfied to think of millions of people living in villages who still visit the shrines morning and evening, and listen to the nonstop recitation of religious hymns. They are nice people who believe in learning good, thinking good, and being good. At the farthest corner of their mind, they have a lurking fear of Death. They also never forget Malk-ul-Maut [The Angel of Death]. Thereafter, they know their good and bad actions [karma] will be assessed by ‘Dharmraja’, and they will be allotted Hell or Heaven according to their deeds.
I am talking of poor people who are working hard day and night, and coming to religious shrines, for a personal sitting with their Guru, their God. These are people who organize community kitchens, and make huge offerings also in the name of their Lord. There is another layer of humanity, the superior ones, who sit in judgement over these poor people. These leaders in the religious and the political field, who control the wealth gathered in the name of God, play politics with their faith. They force these people to side with this group or that – all of whom are after political power. Once in the saddle, they have nothing to do with religion except visiting holy places and getting photographed for TV channels.
Religion is, thus, a personal affair which has been politicized so that the leaders could get political power, and rule over the masses who believe in their God. Don’t believe them if they tell you any truth about yourself. Only Love your God, pray to him, and never believe Men who try to stand between you and your God. All these agents try to distract you from the right path.
The greatest religion: Humanity [The Take Away]
The greatest religion of humanity is humanity itself. If you love this earth, and do not destroy its purity, if you love this sky, and do not violate its winds and its peace, if you love the waters, and do not pollute its waters, if you love birds, and do not shoot them for pleasure, if you love animals, buffaloes, cows, hens, – because they give you sweet milk – if you love the people walking in the streets, simply because they too are men like you, in need of love, respect and compassion – if you do not find any problem whether the person next door has brown colour or white, or even if black, and what language he speaks, – if you have no issue with such things, – take it for granted from me – you are the most religious man, the Lord loves you, and in return for all that you are doing, he will grant you peace of mind, happiness in your life and on the basis of good deeds, you will surely be destined for Heaven.
Read: THE DEATH OF THE IDEAL
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Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, President of the International Academy of Ethics, is author of 167 books in English poetry, fiction, non-fiction, philosophy and spirituality. He was awarded Charter of Morava, the great Award by Serbian Writers Association, Belgrade and his name was engraved on the Poets’ Rock in Serbia. The Academy of Arts and philosophical Sciences of Bari [Italy] honoured him with the award of an Honourable Academic. Recently, he was awarded Doctor of Philosophy [Honoris Causa] by the University of Engineering and Management, Jaipur. Recently, he organized an International Conference on Contemporary Ethics at Chandigarh. His most phenomenal book is Lustus: The Prince of Darkness [first epic of the Mahkaal Trilogy]. Email: anandjs55@yahoo.com
Link Bibliography:
https://sites.google.com/view/bibliography-dr-jernal-singh/home
