When we look at someone of a different religion and instant hate springs to our mind, it is usually NOT because they worship a different god. It is for reasons that are far more mundane. You hate: The fact that they pray to different religious symbols. The way they flaunt their religious symbols on their bodies. Their clothing because it is too much or too less. The fact that they eat meat while you don't, or the other way round. The fact that their religion is not 'Indian' while yours is. Why are we killing each other for relative reasons?
Transcript
When we look at someone of a different religion and instant hate springs to our mind, it is usually NOT because they worship a different god.
It is for reasons that are far more mundane. You hate:
The fact that they pray to different religious symbols.
The way they flaunt their religious symbols on their bodies.
Their clothing because it is too much or too less.
The fact that they eat meat while you don't, or the other way round.
The fact that their religion is not 'Indian' while yours is.
Why are we killing each otherfor relative reasons?
The Hindus and Christians say : I hate Muslims because they are over-dressed.The Muslim says : I hate Hindus and Christians because they are under-dressed.The Onge (in the Andamans) says : The whole lot are over-dressed.
The fact : Vast numbers of Hindus wear veils, vast numbers of Muslims don't. People of all religions dress mostly according to the local climate and culture.
There is no absolute 'over-dressed' or 'under-dressed'. It's all relative.
'Over-dressed' and 'Under-dressed'
The Hindu says : Hinduism is the original Indian religion. Islam and Christianity are imported.
The fact : Hinduism too is imported. Hinduism originated in the Vedic religion which came with migrants from the present Iran. In fact THE original religion, ANYWHERE in the world , is Animism (praying to spirits in the form of animals, trees, rocks, etc., like the Onges do.)
There's no absolute Indian religion. It's all relative.
Indian vs. Imported
The Hindu says : I hate Muslims and Christians because they eat meat.
The fact : The majority of Hindus (65 %) are meat eaters – ranging from 30 % in Gujarat to 90 % in Kerala. Even vegetarian Hindus use footwear or handbags made of dead animals, or eat medicines derived from them.
There's no absolute vegetarianism. It's all relative.
Meat eating
The Hindu says : Hinduism is the oldest religion, and therefore the greatest.
There's no absolute oldest religion. It's all relative.
Oldest religion
Ages of religions in India
Animism 80000 years (still exists in our tribal areas)
Hindusim 4000 years
Jainism 2500 years
Buddhism 2500 years
Islam 1300 years
Christianity 2000 years
Zoroastrianism 1000 years
Sikhism 500 years
The Muslim and the Christian says : I hate Hindus because they are idol worshippers.
The fact : People of every religion need a symbol to pray to. Some face an idol of their god, some face the direction of a holy stone in a holy city, some pray to a holy fire.
There is no absolute 'idol worship'. It's all relative.
Idol worship
Everybody says : Those people wear their religion on their sleeve. Why do they have to flaunt their religion all the time ?
The fact : People of every religion wear visible religious symbols. We tend to ignore the symbols of our own religion, and get irritated by those of others.
There's no absolute in displaying religious symbols. It's all relative.
Religious symbols
There's no absolute truth in anything to do with our religions.
We are killing ourselves for relative, inconsequential and stupid reasons.
MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) is an acronym that originated in nuclear warfare. It means that in a war between two nuclear armed nations, if one drops nuclear bombs on the other, the other will in turn retaliate with nuclear bombs. This will escalate till both are totally wiped out.
Religious intolerance too leads to MAD. A bunch of Hindus kills a bunch of Muslims, the Muslims retaliate by killing twice the number of Hindus, who in turn kill twice the number of Muslims....
Religious intolerance will lead to MAD, and IS mad.
The fact
When you see a person of another religion the next time, think
That person worships a different god, and NOTThat person is godless, or a non-believer.
That person worships different symbols, and NOTThat person is an idol worshipper.
That person's religion is newer than mine, and NOTThat person belongs to a new religion.
That person's religion came to India after mine, and NOTThat person's religion is not Indian.
That person wears more (or less) clothing than me, and NOTThat person is overclothed (or underclothed).
That person eats animals in food, while I eat them in medicines or use their skin for my footwear, and NOTThat person eats meat.
