How to bring peace among religions?
By Brother Martin
The question was: How to bring peace among religions?
We need to distinguish between Religion and RELIGION.
Religion in general is a belief system which has a boundary. This boundary creates a need to protects its boundary and a possible ambition or a mission to expand its boundary and increase its numbers.
RELIGION literally means to re-link, to re- link with God.
Peace among religions is possible if religions grow into RELIGIONS.
That means RELIGIONS bring people to God. The focus is not on religion but It is on God. God is the goal or destiny and RELIGIONS are only means. They are only like transport vehicles, like a bus, a car, a train or an aeroplane. People do not live in a bus, in a car, in a train or in an aeroplane but use them to arrive at a destiny. Once they arrive they get down.
A Religion may have a need to protect its boundary and a possible ambition to expand its boundary and increase its numbers but A RELIGION has no need to protect its boundary and has no ambition or a mission to expand its boundary and increase its numbers because it has no boundary. Its only ambition or mission is to bring people to God. A RELIGION does not indulge in converting people from one religion to another religion but conversion is always oriented towards God.
We can bring peace and harmony among religions and thus in the world if individuals transform religious identities from essential to functional.
For example, I flew from Chennai to Paris by Emirate airways. If someone asks me how did you come to Paris, I say I flew by Emirate airways. I do not say I am Emirate airways. I do not become Emirate airways because I used it.
In the same I am using Christian path to come to God. If someone asks me how are you going to God, I say , I am flying to God by Christian airlines. I do not wish to say I am Christian airlines. I do not become Christian airlines because I am making my journey in it.
When I say I am a Christian I realise I am in a boundary. This boundary creates a need to protect my boundary and a possible mission to expand my boundary and increase my numbers. Where there is this need to protect and a mission to increase there is an inherent violence. This inherent violence may invite violence from outside. With this inner violence I cannot become an instrument of peace. If I say, I am using Christian airlines to come to God then I have no boundary to protect and I have no ambition to expand my boundary and increase my numbers. Then I have peace inside and contribute for peace in the world. I realised that when I say I am a Christian some how I am inherently violent. Hence if every person does not identify with his or her religion but transforms his or her religion as a vehicle to God then everyone contributes for peace in the world. That means people should not say:
I am a Christian,
I am a Hindu,
I am a Muslim,
I am a Buddhist,
I am a Sikh etc.
But
I am flying to God by Christian airlines,
I am flying to God by Hindu airlines,
I am flying to God by Islamic airlines,
I am flying to Nirvana by Buddhist airlines,
I am flying to God by Sikh airlines etc.
People do not become the means that they choose.
Then all people become pilgrims towards God. Pilgrims do not fight among themselves but help each other to reach the common destiny, which we call God, Truth, Moksha, Nirvana or Paradise.