The Face of religion

http://yield2me.com/-59055.htm

The religions don't teach anything, it is the interpreters who give a twist and end up propagating the other religion is false. That is a fact. Some time back when I was the project director in the tribal belt of Thane district, I happened to attend a Christian prayer meeting. I just went out of curiosity to see what was happening, as a large number of food packets were to be distributed to the tribals. These were arranged by the local Church.

I was surprised when the priest a handsome man in the mid thirties got up announced that the packets were sent by Jesus Christ and this showed that Christ loved the tribals. He went on to add ' Do your Gods send you these food packets ? They don't because they are false gods and Jesus is the true savior..'

I later called the Priest and admonished him. But what struck me was the fact that Jesus nowhere said anything that the priest was talking about, It was the zealous propagator of the faith who was spreading this canard. I am afraid this is not confined to the followers of the Christian religion alone and followers and preachers of all other religions at some point of time indulge in this rhetoric.

No religious philosophy decries any other religion. But the men who consider themselves guardians of the faith or the 'true believers' are the ones who have to say that the other religion is bad. Perhaps that is the only way they can justify their existence to themselves and their followers. Perhaps its one method of keeping the flock together. Decry the other religion so no one leaves you and you can feel smug in numbers. This is one of the reasons that in Muslim countries no other religious congregation is allowed or open worship permitted. This is an insular attitude and brings out the insecurity that stalks the so called ' believers'.

The world is changing , but the hold of religion has not waned. Karl Marx had spoken and written "religion is the opium of the masses'. Though his economic theory was all nuts, this statement of his certainly has some truth in it. Religion at present does not unite, but divides. It is a divisive force.

Coming down to brass tacks, the fact is that the over zealous preachers and self styled defenders like Imams, and priests of all religions cannot survive as leaders of their flock if they did not decry the other religion. It is the 21st century and I don't see it going away in this century at all.