| Q. |
Why
are there so many religions? |
| A. |
There
are different religions, just as there are different
forms of cuisine, dress, deportment, manners, customs
and rituals. These have been created to cater to
different tastes. There is a great joy in diversity.
We should celebrate diversity, rather than denigrate
it. |
|
|
| Q. |
Why
has religion been such a potent source of conflict? |
| A. |
It
is a mistake to think that religion has been a source
of conflict. Conflicts have arisen because of greed
and passion. They have been wars because of political,
economic, social, racial, cultural and other factors.
Religion has also been exploited to justify conflict. |
|
|
| Q. |
If
spirituality is the same for all human beings, why
are there so many differences among religions? |
| A. |
The
differences are superficial. The uniformity is enormous.
The apparent differences are because the same fundamental
truths have been enunciated by different people
in different languages at different point of time
in different places having different cultures. If
we go behind the rites and rituals, we come to the
core of spirituality, which is a science. |
| |
|
| Q. |
What
are the common elements on which religions agree? |
| A. |
There
are the five fundamental human values of Truth,
Love, Righteous Conduct,
Non-Violence and Peace. |
| |
|
| Q. |
What
are the implications of Dharma? |
| A. |
Dharma
is Righteous Conduct. When you do what you say,
and say what you think., and think with your heart
rather than your head, whatever you do will be right. |
| |
|
| Q. |
Is
there any difference in the ethics advocated by
various faiths? |
| A. |
None
what so ever. All faiths promote the five basic
human values and thus propagate the same ethics. |
| |
|
| Q. |
But
are religions not opposed to science? |
| A. |
That
used to be a concept before the world discovered
quantum physics. Now all the findings of the mystics
have been corroborated by the latest results of
modern scientific disciplines. It is becoming increasingly
apparent that the Theory of Everything can only
be a joint discovery of Science and Religion. |
| |
|
| Q. |
What
is the gist of all the systems of religion, philosophy
and ethics in the world ? |
| A. |
Help
ever, hurt never. |
| |
|
| Q. |
Is
there life after death? |
| A. |
Most
religions are based on the premise that there is
a permanent entity called soul, which survives the
dissolution of the body. It is the soul that reincarnates
into fresh bodies in some religions or receives
he reward of heaven and the punishment of hell after
death or on the Judgment Day.
Modern experiments have shown that some children
carry the memories of their previous lives and para-psychologists
have verified these. Their experiences are mysteriously
similar and invariably involve the experiences of
an entity that survives death. |
