18 September, 2006

Not in God's name...

Many people have, in the course of history, committed heinous crimes in God's name and continue to do so - most of us are just too lazy or ignorant to challenge their distortions and lies.

Does any religion teach imperialism, greed and aggression? Or are the teachings of religions being twisted by the power hungry for material gains?

Jesus (peace be upon him) taught that you should turn the other cheek when someone hits you, and that you should love your enemies. Why don't the war-mongers draw inspiration from this? Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that killing one innocent human being is like killing all humanity. He prayed for those who stoned him till he bled from head to toe. Why don't the terrorists emulate this? I am sure Buddha, Sri Rama, Zarasthura must have taught tolerance and forgiveness too. Why aren't these teachings ever quoted by politicians and terrorists and war-mongers and the hate brigade? Because it does not profit their own selfish agendas.

Do religions support imperialism and political conquests? Should we take our modern day conquerors, politicians and terrorists as God's spokespersons or should we go back to words and examples of those who taught by example?

Jesus (peace be upon him) did not have a roof over his head when he walked on this earth. Moses (peace be upon him) wandered homeless with his people for ages. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) left Makkah, his home city, fleeing the persecution of polytheists. His household used to starve for months on end, and they did not even have enough means to light a lamp the day he passed away. Sri Rama from India lived for 14 years in a forest, giving up his kingdom for his principles. Buddha was a prosperous prince who renounced his riches in search of the truth.

If we lived like these people, taking little, giving much, would we dropping bombs on each other, occupying foreign lands for greed, destroying each other? I don't think so.

To people who say that religion is a cause of conflict, I say it is not. The ignorance of religion is.

farrukh
Who Wrote That

8 comments:

Seabee said...

So very true and beautifully expressed Farrukh.

Religion is just the excuse. If religions didn't exist, the lunatics would find another flag to gather under to commit their crimes.

archer14 said...

Ignorance of religion?

Irrespective of our religions, there is one 'religion' that has to be followed, the ignorance of which cannot be condoned.

Humanity.

Ignorance of it will lead to anarchy, and we are all headed towards it.

Lirun said...

dude.. i think i agree with you.. blaming religion for evil is stupid.. religion is not an object of will but rather a subject of hearts and souls..

its not the religion that counts but rather what people do with it..

religion is more like a channel for people to connect and centre themselves.. people that choose to use it to send themselves out of whack are likely to be out of whack to begin with..

wishing peace to us all..

lirun
telaviv
www.emspeace.blogspot.com

Lirun said...

ps

in hebrew naeem means pleasant

Anonymous said...

Very well written and very true. In this chaotic world our thoughts are manipulated by "Selfish Interests" (with stone hearts). Hope someday in the near future, inhabitants of planet Earth will be able to think independently and discern Right and Wrong!

Farrukh Naeem said...

Seabee: Right you are. Lunatics find the strangest excuses for their crimes.

Balushi: True, we need to do something about those scumbags.

Archer14: Yes, we all are human first before we are anything else.

Lirun: It's good to hear from Tel Aviv on uaecommunity. You said it so well - it is what one does with religion that matters. 'Naeem' means delight in Arabic - close to the Hebrew meaning - both languages I believe have the same roots. Shalom/salam to you, my brother.

Lirun said...

thanks man

back at you

; )

Anonymous said...

I agree that religion is not to be blamed for darker aspects of human nature. However, sometimes faith can amplify certain traits, or give strength and power of conviction in combat.

balushi,

>as long as human scumbags exists this planet will continue to suffer!

So interesting :) . Please tell me, dear friend, how many people are you prepared to kill to rid the planet of suffering ;) .

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