The Significance of World Religions - Essay Example

The Significance of World Religions In a world that stresses on differences rather than similarities, there is an immediate requirement to clear the ambiguity that exists and to find the root cause of the differences. One needs to clear the madness that goes in the name of highlighting one’s identity in various aspects of daily life. Identity as a concept has several dimensions. Race, language, gender, region, religion, financial status and age are just some of the points in an ever-increasing list of factors shaping identity. The situation gets compounded when two or more of the above issues overlap. Religion is one such issue that is much misunderstood and raises passions to unexpected limits. Given the two sides to a coin, religion can be used constructively for the betterment of society or to serve the vested interests of a few. It is intriguing that intolerance in the name of religion has grown in spite of increased literacy and education on the one hand, and a better standard of living on the other. The fanaticism of today has its parallels in man’s hoary past. It is this past that communities repeatedly invoke to settle scores with those with a different outlook. It is in this backdrop that religious leaders the world over are endeavouring to facilitate dialogue not only among religions but also among the adherents of various religions. One such leader is His Holiness The Dalai Lama of Tibet who is a vocal advocate of religious harmony besides being a role model for Buddhists everywhere. Fisher opines that there is an inexplicable reality experienced by all cultures. The material world fails to provide answers to all our questions. It is this void that religion tries to fill. Man has overcome nature and is in a commanding position vis a vis nature many a time. It is questions that defy logic or are beyond his comprehension for which he turns to religion (12-13). Fisher mentions a set of human needs that religion fulfils. One of these is the question of the after life. Rational thinking cannot explain the journey of the self after death. Similarly, the aspect of perfection beyond the five senses is alien to human experience. Man strives to find the answer to perfection beyond sensory perception (14-15). Likewise, religion can give the true reason behind personal problems and how man overcomes these when there is no hope left. Apart from the physical self, man can also discover his true self, the soul, which cannot be easily described in a material setting. He sees the body as a cloak for the more important soul that is the reason for his existence. Moreover, the creation that man takes for granted brings forth an appreciation for everything that exists. When man becomes one with his surrounding, he becomes aware of the beauty that surrounds him and that he is but an insignificant part of the cosmos. He also perceives that he is truly alone in the universe and that there is something beyond the physical that he should achieve. Religion as a construct is manmade. It reflects the path traversed by man over the ages. Each religion represents and is represented by its adherents. Religions can be classified on various bases. Ward gives four methods of sub-dividing religions. Firstly, they can be classified from “certain preconceived assumptions or standards of authority based on philosophical or theological dogma” (546). Most religions start of at an egalitarian level. However, with the passage of time, there is an emphasis on dogma. Any dissenting voices are branded heretics and the adherents are brought under the complete control of an overarching authority (546). Secondly, external characteristics like objective features and beliefs form another basis. The concept of reincarnation among Dharmic religions is a case in point. The names of the religions, for example, the numerous new age religions which began as cults and could form into religions in the future, could also qualify for this sub-division. Thirdly, “the subjective side based on a psychology of the subject i.e. the internal characteristics” are take into consideration (546). On this point, most religions, small or large have aspects that they claim as their own. It is in the details, however insignificant, that most differences among religions crop up. Fourthly, racial and historical relationships shape religions. Region comes into play. A suitable example is the contrast between the Abrahamic religions of West Asia and Dharmic ones originating in the Indian subcontinent. Geography and time tend to influence and group certain religions into separate categories, irrespective of the differences among the members of a category (546). When we look at the major religions of the world, we see the differences between them. Apart from the apparent differences between groups of religions, there are differences within and among religions which belong to a category. The Semitic religions share many concepts. They believe in a single God, who has revealed these religions to man through a series of prophets. The prophecies of these pioneers promise salvation in the after life. Prayer and charity are other aspects that bind the western religions viz. Judaism, Christianity and Islam. However, there is no single leader in case of Judaism and Islam. The Pope is at the apex in case of the Roman Catholic Church. Bishops and other leaders guide the other denominations under Christianity. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism have in common the concept of liberation from rebirth. However, the internal details of the manner of liberation are fairly different. Same is the case with Dharma. A Hindu understands his duty under the term. Righteousness and conduct are what comes to the mind of a Jain when he hears the word ‘Dharma’. On the other hand, a Buddhist explains Dharma as the Buddha’s teachings. Similarly, Taoism and Confucianism share similar ideas about man and his surroundings, given the over 2000 years of interaction between the two religions and a common geographic space viz. China. However, Confucianism occupies itself with social issues, whereas Taoism tries to search for the actual meaning behind everything. The differences between religions are in reality only at a superficial level. Various factors like time and place, as mentioned earlier, have shaped them and brought them to the present state they are in. If all religions were the same, the concept of religion as a formal construct would not exist. At least the word ‘religion’ would have had the connotation that ‘culture’, for instance, has. As Newton purports, religion was made for the human. It has been shaped based on man throughout the ages. Religion develops institutions of varying structures and complexities to implement its intent. Worship, in its myriad forms, is the tool that religion uses to connect mere mortals with a higher and greater entity. Finally, the purpose of religion is to give man a better life, one that is part and parcel of creation(545-546) . The history of man is a celebration of diversity. Neither man nor the creation he is a part of, are stereotypical. Both are dynamic concepts, which highlight variety. Man had co-existed all along with creation by becoming a part of it rather than staying aloof from it. However, modernity and materialism have snatched his essence from him and made him indifferent to the purpose of his existence. The initial function of religion to bind mankind has now been lost. Religion is now a tool in the hands of demagogues to highlight identity. A false sense of pride and security are inculcated in the adherents of religion. The major culprits are ghettoisation of religion and the consequent lack of dialogue among and within religions. Man is loathe accepting the other and finds comfort in his fellow beings that follow his faith. No effort whatsoever is made to come out of the morass. Materialism and fundamentalism in religion are twin enemies of religion. They form a deadly concoction that defames not only the religion but places a stigma on its adherents. The incidents of 9/11 are proof enough about the manner in which a particular religion is portrayed in the West. The burden of proving one’s innocence rests solely on the adherent. However, one does not try to go the mile required to understand a different viewpoint. Prejudices about alien religions place a mind block in perceiving alternative forms of faith. The West in general is infamous for its materialistic approach to life. Hence, religions like Christianity beget a materialistic colour in stark contrast to the Eastern religions. Similarly, Islam has been branded a fundamentalist religion which is regressive by nature. On the other end of the spectrum, superstition and inequality are seen as the hallmark of a religion such as Hinduism. No effort whatsoever is made on the part of man to see the common thread that passes through each and every religion. Religions, advanced or primitive, eastern or western all have the betterment of society as the central idea. Each religion reflects the virtues of man viz. love, affection, compassion and so on. It is a surprising that man has forgotten to live and to let live. Universal qualities of man like love transcend barriers like race, gender, age, region, and, of course, religion. He has taken up violence to prove a point which was never his in the first place. In this context, the words of HH The Dalai Lama are pertinent. He exhorts man not to lose his composure. He explains the idea of self-control that man should inculcate in life. He explains the cause-effect principle by showing that every action has a consequence for which we have to own responsibility (The Dalai Lama’s Lecture on The Significance of Religions). He also speaks of humility. It is important that man remains grounded if he is to be compassionate to others. He once again stresses the virtues of love and compassion. He asks man to follow faith in the true spirit and not to get attached to it. For world peace, he provides four ways to reconcile the differences among the world’s religions. Firstly, he asks scholars from different faiths to meet and discuss one another’s differences. It is only through dialogue that man can understand divergent thoughts. Secondly, he asks practitioners to share experiences. Whatever be the path taken, the goal remains the same for everyone. The practitioners alone can guide mankind on the true path and show that differences are inconsequential. Thirdly, he asks the spiritual leaders to speak about spirituality and peace from a common platform. When mankind sees that opinion makers from different faiths can come together, one understands that spirituality leads to peace (The Dalai Lama’s Lecture on The Significance of Religions). Fourthly, he asks man to go on pilgrimages to holy places of every faith. A holy place radiates energy by the positive currents flowing from the devout. In total, everyone irrespective of faith have a right to contribute to and benefit from such spiritual energy. One can conclude that the best way is to become one with the universe and understand that universal values like love and compassion etc. can bring one closer to the higher objective of man’s existence. Works Cited Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions: An Encyclopaedia of the World’s Faiths. I.B.Tauris, 1997. Print. “The Dalai Lama’s Lecture on The Significance of Religions”. Web 1 July 2013 http://online4.fiu.edu/SA4/Flash/Pfeiffer/REL3380/Dalhi_Prelude_Concert_CC/DalhiPrelude_Concert_CC.html Newton, R. Heber. “Religion and Religions”. The North American Review, (Apr., 1904). 178 (569): 545-557. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25119553 Ward, Durin J. H. “The Classification of Religions”. The Monist, (Oct. 1908): 544-575. Web 1 July 2013 http://www.jstor.org/stable/27900135 Read More