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| Sunday, 4 July 2004 |
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Religion, culture and conflict by P. Manoheran From pre-historic times man has been in search for Truth, Reality, or a source of super-human power, from which he could seek redress to all his distress, defeats, disappointments, dangers, and disillusionments. In this process there came into being prophets priests, peers, sages, seers, saints and rishis who preached and guided mankind in various ways to seek solace in Divinity. Different people from different walks of life, from different places, followed the holy men, followed their teaching, manners of worship and worshipped their gods. Thus different beliefs, faiths and religions came into existence. The great seers not only preached the rituals and the practice of worship, but also the values and virtues, vital to lead a good and righteous life. This is called philosophy. When religion is a way of life, Philosophy is a view of life. Every religion needs a philosophy. Practising religion without understanding its philosophy is superstition. Philosophy without religion is like a flower without colour or scent. Therefore it is essential that religion and its philosophy in the practice of worship of any faith leads to righteous goal. A way of life When religion is practised as way of life, it develops a culture. The rites and rituals, the customs and traditions, the practices of worship, the places of worship all foster a culture peculiar to the religion. The culture is also peculiar to the place of its origin, or to the places where the religion is popular. Christianity and Islam originated in the Middle Eastern countries; but the former which is popular in Western countries develop an occidental culture, while the latter develops those of the Muslim countries. Similarly Buddhism and Hinduism that originated in India have an orient culture. Today the conflicts between religions are not in the concepts of different religious beliefs, but it is a conflict of the different religious culture peculiar to each of them. When Swami Vivekananda addressed the Parliament of Religions in Chicago he was found to be a mystic and a Hindu fanatic propagating a mystic religion by many, because the man and the religion was alient to the people of that land. The methods of worship of Christians criticised to be western, would be equally applicable to Buddhism, if preached in USA as the latter would appear Sri Lankan. It is alleged today that material benefits, western music entertainments, and other western cultures induce youths and others to change from their religion to Christianity. It is natural or the modern trend for the Urban youth in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka to embrace Western music and culture in many ways. When a popular culture is associated with a religion there is a tendency for same to get absorbed in the religion. This is not non-ethical. The so called religious conflicts are in fact culture conflicts. Professor Huttington in his book "The Clash of Civilization" well illustrates the fact that future wars and terrorism will be due to infliction of one culture on another. Religions have been in conflict from times immemorial. In the early Christian era and Middle Ages, the war by the Crusade, the Spanish Inquisition, and other religious wars killed millions, and destroyed many countries in Europe. These wars were fought to spread Christianity, when the non-believers were considered heathens and pagans. In the nineteenth century and in the pre-independence era of Sri Lanka, our elites, so called patriots, and leaders of our nation aped the Western culture. Their demeanour was pro-British and mingled with the British, speaking fluent English. They donned Western clothes, ate their food in Western style and conducted social parties in occidental fashion. Anything native was considered, vernacular, uncivilized and local. Even our first prime minister wore tail coats and top hat at ceremonial occasions. They had British names, went to Church, and sent their children to Oxford and Cambridge. They were proud to receive titles of honour from His Majesty the King of England. When Independence dawned, the very same leaders somersaulted. They wore the national dress and professed Buddhism and orient culture. Religious conversions and cultural changes were like changing clothes. It was opportunistic to most politicians, and elite of this country. Growing feeling of unity Today, there is a growing feeling of unity among religions. The four main religions of the world have been together in this country for centuries. People of all faiths go to Katharagama, Sri Pada, St. Anthony's Catholic church, Naga Vihara and temple at Nagadeepa and Dalada Maligawa close to which there are Hindu Temples. In some Buddhist temples Lord Vishnu's images are found along with that of Lord Buddha. Followers of all faiths, visit Bhawan Sri Satya Sai Baba's abode, Prashanthy Nilayam at Puttapathi, India, Velankanni Catholic church in S. India. People of different faiths including Islam and Judaism pay their respects and homage to Nativity in Bethlehem the birth place of Lord Jesus. In the month of December, Christmas, though a Christian festival is enjoyed by persons of all faiths, mostly in urban cities. Even a Hindu farmers festival, the Thai Pongal is celebrated not only by Hindus, but also by Catholics. These are encouraging signs. All religions are equal and all men and women are equal in the eyes of god. There should be patience, tolerance, understanding and realisation in the minds of persons who see religious and cultural variances. Destroying or vandalising religious institutions cannot destroy religion. It can promote a victimised religion and harm the offensive. Let us foster religious ideas common to all religions. Let there be unity in diversity, and allow all religions to bloom in atmosphere of peace and harmony. It is in the hearts of individuals that faith resides. Conversion can only be done with the conviction of the heart. Cultures change in societies. External influences change cultures, but cultures are mostly associated with religions, and religions have each a philosophy. The integration of all these characteristics is vital for proper functioning of any religion. True religion never fails. Each religion must thrive and prosper in its own right, for this alone can establish the patent values of humanity. |
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