"As soon as we lose the moral basis, we cease to be religious. There is no such thing as religion over-riding morality. Man, for instance, cannot be untruthful, cruel or incontinent and claim to have God on his side."
~Mahatma Gandhi
On the Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, it is worth pondering on a few questions-
Can a terrorist ever know the religion of his victim?
Is it possible to worship in a temple built on the foundation of bloodshed?
Will burning a religious book bring back the people who died in a terrorist attack?
Does any religion condone the killing of innocents?
Can an entire community be blamed for the sins of a few?
Has violence ever achieved anything, except inflicting harm?
Is it so very difficult to live together as one?
Let there be Peace. Let there be Love.
_____
22 comments:
Beautiful, and very true.
Sadly, the idea of "innocence" varies greatly from religion to religion and from culture to culture. There are countries where a woman can be sentenced for being in a room with a man. (Oh boy, I'd be so dead by now.)
I agree wholeheartedly with you!
We must be the change we want to see in the world, as Gandhi once said.
Very good questions! Why can't we live as one?? Why is it that so many want their belief system to the the top one...?? Oh what a world it could be if we could all be at peace and deal from a position of love??!!
Hugs
SueAnn
If only there could be Peace, Love and understanding.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
OH! I LOVE your questions!! So important to recognize all of these. I love the way you think.
I am going to tackle some of these very gently in my next YA book which will involve a romance within conflicting faiths.
Rayna - Thank you for giving us these important questions to ponder. So senseless and unnecessary deaths happen because of intolerance and hatred. Meanwhile, the problems we could turn ourselves to (poverty, education, medicine) don't get solved. Thank you for a powerful reminder.
Wonderful post! My mind is moving too fast to write.
Thank you, Rayna
I agree with his words - I don't think spirituality and a relationship with God can co-exist with immorality.
@ Diandra- the condition of women in some countries is really pathetic - we would not survive a day in those countries.
@ Fiona - that is perhaps the most powerful thing he said.
@ SueAnn- you raise a very important point. Not just peace, but peace from a position of love- it should not be difficult
@ Mason- maybe if enough people want it, it will be
@ PK Hrezo- I do look forward to reading your next book in that case.
@ Margot- precisely. There are so many real problems to be tackled- why do we waste our time with the things that don't matter?
@ Mary- thank you, Mary
@ Karen- the man was highly religious himself, but he did not force it on anyone else- that is the sign of the truely religious, I think
@ Diane- precisely. The first are intrinsically pure, the other intrinsically not
Deep questions today, Rayna! Had we not fallen from grace, maybe we would all get along.
Fantastic points.
Why, oh why can we not learn from our past.
The the non-violent approach that Gandhi developed achieved so much. Violence and hate simply continue in an unending cycle.
Gandhi's vision and words are incredible. Such an amazing heart.
Those are really important questions and sadly although people know the answers to many of the questions, many don't care. Why don't people care more!?
CD
Amen!
It's hard to see how violence can be justified by any moral character who feels strongly about the Divinity of human life.
Thanks for sharing, Rayna!
@ Alex- shouldn't have been too hard, I hope.
@ Al- and how and when can and will the vicious cycle be broken?
@ Jemi- he is an amazing man, isn't he?
@ Clarissa- I wish we knew!
@ Jackee- precisely. After all, what is greater than life - yours or another person's
Great questions to ponder.
@ Pamela Jo - the only problem is that the people who would be willing to ponder are not really the ones that need it.
So very true. Sadly, Gandhiji's truths are rarely followed:(
Nice to have you back, Dipali. And the ultimate irony is people using the currency notes with Gandhi-ji's picture for larger bribes.
Came to your blog through some other blog. I also want to know the answers to your questions. I can't understand why we should have such questions in the first place. How we try hard to rid ourselves of this dirt , but still find some dirt still sticking on us.Why can't we be like the non- stick vessel to which nothing sticks, so that we all can live in a healthy world?
@ Rama - a non-stick vessel. What a great analogy.
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