Why do conflicts happen, and why is there cruelty in the world? These two things show us what religion means to regular people.
For ordinary folks, religion is just a bunch of stories and beliefs. I have my own story, and you have yours. I can believe whatever I want, and you can believe something else. I can think my god is like this, and you can think your prophet is the one. But when everyone sticks to their beliefs, conflicts happen because everyone thinks they’re right. As long as religion means faith, belief, or a set of beliefs, conflicts will never stop because our beliefs are personal and different.
There’s an ongoing fight between Islam and Judaism, which both belong to the Abrahamic religion group. They share the same prophets, but they still fight because they have some faith differences. Even the places they consider holy are close to each other, but they fight over them. Jerusalem is sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and it’s a big source of conflict because their beliefs don’t match.
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The Israel-Hamas conflict might seem like a big war from the outside, but at its core, it’s like kids arguing about comic books. These conflicts come from the nature of beliefs.
You asked why there’s so much cruelty. Cruel things are happening. Israel said they would stop attacking Gaza, but Hamas keeps firing rockets, over 5,000 of them. They’re also infiltrating into Israel and attacking homes and hospitals. In many places, they’re hurting little children and anyone they come across. Why is there so much cruelty?
When someone questions your religion, it feels like a personal attack. When you feel your life is at risk, you might harm someone else. Your religious beliefs are personal, based on emotions and not facts. When these emotional religious beliefs are hurt, you become very angry and mean. It’s like an attack on the core of who you are.
So, when your faith in religious beliefs is shaken, it’s like your life is falling apart. You become angry, mean, and vengeful. Religion should be about questioning, searching, and exploring. It should respect individuality and not be like a cult. Religion should be a personal journey that inspires you to look within and speak your truth. You should have the freedom to question everything, even revered figures in religion. Real religion is about self-discovery. Without self-realization, there’s no true religion. Everything else is just stories, traditions, beliefs, and superstitions. Religion should be filled with insight, curiosity, and questions. There should be a dialogue.
Human beings are basically animals, driven by ignorance. What we fundamentally need is a religion that awakens us. Those whose religion has gone off track have ruined their lives. Those who’ve turned religion into a comic book won’t find peace in life.
(The Writer is Acharya Prashant, teacher of Vedanta, an author, and the founder of the PrashantAdvait Foundation.)
