Should religions taking responsibility for the wars of religion?

Religions are now again in the news. This time, religions are accused for the wars and conflicts in the world. Almost every day, there is some blast in some part of the world that is caused by so called Religious Fundamentalists and the victims are none other than their own brothers and sisters. As a result religions, particularly Islam, is accused to be the inspiration can cause of the terrorist attacks and violence that has gripped the world in last one decade as most people involved in the violence happens to be Muslims, the followers of Islam.

However, the truth is only partly revealed by terming one religion as violent while calling other religions as peaceful. It is only few decades ago that Christians were fighting against each other in the two World Wars that killed almost 65 millions of people, mostly Christian and resulted of the execution of more than 7 millions Jews including children just because they belonged to a particular religion. It is impossible to imagine how the followers of Christ, the God of love, can engage in such brutalities against each other. A German Philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer has said sarcastically in 18th century

"The fruits of Christianity were religious wars, butcheries, crusades, inquisitions, extermination of the natives of America and the introduction of African slaves in their place"

It is easy to blame religion for the conflict, more so if the people committing violence do not belong to your religion. However, one dare to look in their own religion, they are bound to find out that their own religion had often been used and can be used for creating conflict and wars. The Biblical concept of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot" appears in Bible (Exodus 21:22-27) had been used not only by Jews but also by the Christians. Gita, the Holiest book for Hindus, teaches the concept of eternity of Soul and the need for war in the following words of Lord Krishna

Considering your specific duty as a warrior, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for hesitation. O Partha, happy are the warrior to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets. (Gita 2:31-32)

The fact is that religions had always been used for wars.

Yet how correct it would be to blame a religion for the wars?

What's Wrong with Religion

Let us first understand what we mean by religion? Religions are based on the Scriptures which contains the "revealed knowledge" of the Prophets or saints. The knowledge of the scriptures contains certain truths that are believed by the followers of the religion. As per one definition

"A religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth".

However, most people of any religion have never read their scriptures and never known these "revealed truths". They consider themselves as part of the religion simply because they were born from the parents following their religion. Therefore, while they call themselves religious or "theist", they hardly understand anything of their religion. They are often guided by their Priests, Monks and Imams to know their religions. These people provide the people only "little knowledge' which suits their vested interest and as always "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" and that danger is often manifested in the form of wars.

Not only religion, but every single piece of knowledge had been used constructively and destructively by human beings. The knowledge of relativity and mass-energy-equivalence discovered by Albert Einstein was not only responsible for the birth of "Modern Physics" and the modern development in the field of electronics but also responsible for the development of the nuclear bomb that killed millions of people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Can we call Einstein or the theory of relativity responsible for the nuclear weapon or the wars? Why should we not give Einstein the credit for the development of the modern science and technology and development of nuclear energy for the world?

Every single invention had been misused by the human race. "Dynamites" was not only used for breaking mountains to make roads but also used for making bombs that killed millions. Internet is not only being used for dissemination and communication of knowledge but also for pornography and a number of cyber crimes. The televisions and radios had been used not only for entertainments but also for propaganda.

Knowledge per-se is without any colour or attribute but people use the knowledge for pursuance of their own objective. The reveled knowledge of the scriptures is no exception.

Knowledge of God is as Immense as the Knowledge of Universe

The essence of all religion is spirituality i.e. a belief on a nonmaterial reality in this world that lies beyond the senses. This "Spirit" which permeates all creations of this universe is often called God. We know God as we too are part of God as God resides in all creations including each one of us. Thus the knowledge of God is "inherent" and as natural as the knowledge of the "self". It is for this reason that Hinduism does not distinguish between "Atman" (Soul) and Paramatman (God or Universal Soul) as there is no difference between a drop of ocean and ocean itself.

Thus the knowledge of God is extremely mysterious as one has to go "inside" the self to know God while all our sense organs only help us in seeing the outside world. Therefore, only with intuition and "Self-Enlightenment" one can know God.

There is no doubt that most of us are ignorant about God just like even the best scientists knows only a little about the universe. Even the father of science , Sir Isaac Newton admitted,

I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding of a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

The same is true with our knowledge of God or the nonmaterial reality of the universe. The scriptures provide immense knowledge about the spiritual world, yet there is lot to be known and discovered by personal effort.

Religion in Theory

Religions had been used by people to achieve their political goals. They ignore all aspects of the religions which are beneficent to the humanity and use only such "words" of the religion that suits them to sow the seeds of hatred in the world and cause conflict and wars. How else a Christian can ignore these sermons of Christ and remember only "eye for eye",

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (Matthew 5:38-40)

The word "Islam" itself means "Submission to God." The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the will of the only true god worthy of worship, "Allah" (known as God "the Father" in Christianity). Anyone who does indeed submit to the will of Allah as required by Islam is termed a "Muslim," Islam teaches peace like any other religion as clearly stated in Quoran,

"And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humbleness, and when the ignorant address them, they say: Peace." (Quran 25.63 )

Religion in Practice

A truly religious person is one who follows the scripture or the words of God rather than "knows" the words of scripture by heart. A man becomes religious only if he follows the path shown in the scriptures. Thus to become Christian, it is needed to follow Christ and be become like Him. Yet people have found a way to defy everything that Christ said and yet claim that they are Christian.

In the same way, a true Muslim is one who follows the path shown by Prophet Mohammad. Still people call themselves Muslims despite of consuming alcohol and other intoxicants, accumulating wealth and following the path of violence forbidden in Islam.

Hinduism too pays lot of value on the practice and believes the principle of "Karma" which alone is considered virtuous in men. Yet many people engage in evil karma, corruption, adultery and yet call themselves Hindus.

Religion is the Knowledge of God

There seems to be nothing wrong with any religion nor does any religion preach violence and hatred. Religions are nothing but a practice and ritual to know and realize the non-material reality of the world which we call God. It is only by prayers, humbleness, service, love that we can realize God. Yet, the true knowledge of God requires deep introspection and search within to develop the intuitive eyes that alone can help a man know God. Without self-realization, the knowledge of God is not only incomplete but also wrong as God is beyond any description of words. There are many people who are clever to use such ignorant people to realize their political and material goals.

Life is a mystery which can not be explained either by science or by scriptures. Truth has a body and a soul which we call science and religion. Contrary to popular perception, they are not opposed to each other but complement each other like body and soul. In fact, they can not exist without each other.

I am the founding member of The Science of Soul Foundation in India which works for the synthesis of the diverse disciplines of knowledge like science, religion, philosophy and arts. The website of the foundation is http://www.scienceofsoul.com.

I am working for the creation of a synthesis between science and religion through my articles. I believe that everyone can understand this Truth by the use of intuition and reason. You can contact me at aksinghirs [a] yahoo.com if you wish to know more about the mystery which we call life.

Why Egyptians Should Demand Freedom of Religion in Their Constitution

Libertad de religión es la primera de las libertades mencionadas en la primera enmienda de la Constitución de los Estados Unidos. Los estadounidenses teníamos buenas razones para poner allí! Colonización europea de América del Norte fue en gran medida impulsada por la guerra religiosa. Es muy probable que la mayoría de los estadounidenses son descendientes de los pueblos que buscaban la libertad de religión. Sé que mis antepasados eran.

Mi antepasados Holanda izquierda en 1625 para convertirse en 5 de los primeros 200 pobladores de la isla de Manhattan, a continuación, en la colonia de Nueva Amsterdam. Querían nada más que para hacer una vida. En Holanda se encontraron en medio de los guerra (1568-1648), de 80 años en los ejércitos de España católica envió a Holanda cada verano para forzar a los cristianos calvinista (protestante) en la Iglesia Católica. La batalla podría derivarse a través de la principal temporada de crecimiento cada año y la caída de que los granjeros holandeses inundaría sus tierras, obligando a los españoles para volver a España soleado para el invierno.

Wolfert Gerritsen Van Couwenhoven, el Patriarca de todos los Conovers del mundo, tuvo la oportunidad de asentarse en la colonia holandesa de Nueva Amsterdam, hoy Nueva York y escapar de estas incesantes guerras religiosas. A continuación, en sus treintas finales, llevó a su esposa y tres hijos con él y fue instrumental en la Fundación de las ciudades de Manhattan, Brooklyn, Albany y Renssalaer. Despejaron la tierra en el área ahora conocida como Wall Street, que se convirtió en su primera granja. Wolfert todos quería hacer era cultivar y hacer una vida para su familia.

Hoy nosotros pensamos como estadounidense, no neerlandés-estadounidense, parcialmente porque los americanos nos hemos se casaron tanto. Mis abuelos eran holandeses, alemanes, galés y sueco, y tres de nuestros nietos apuntará a abuelos de ascendencia coreana. Estas diferencias de religión, cultura y herencia han hecho América fuerte y pragmático.

Hoy muchos de mis amigos son católicos. No se sabe incluso de la triste historia de los guerra de 80 años, pero para mí ellos contando la historia sobre bebidas. Ellos probablemente pensaría me excéntrico para hacerlo. Somos americanos y tomar poco aviso de cómo honrar a Dios. Dependiendo de la secta de la cristiandad, podríamos creer que no vamos a ver nuestro amigo en el cielo, pero esto es ahora y que será entonces. Pero que será el problema de quien cree el camino equivocado y preocupación de Dios y no una cuestión que nos debe inquietar mucho en nuestras vidas cotidianas. ¿Por qué debemos cuidar si tienen ideas tontos?

Todas las religiones han dividido y subdividido a lo largo de la historia. Aunque la mayoría de los estadounidenses ve a Egipto como un país musulmán, normalmente no sabemos de las muchas divisiones dentro del Islam. Muy pocos estadounidenses saben algo acerca de los cristianos coptos, que representan el 10% de la población egipcia.

Los egipcios tratando de construir una nueva sociedad harían bien en tomar nota de las historias del Islam, cristianismo y judaísmo y demanda que libertad de religión se escribe en la piedra angular de su nueva Constitución. No hacerlo puede invitar a los conflictos, la animosidad y la pugna dentro de su sociedad y retener como nación.

Presidente George w. Bush cometió el error triste de pensar que si él derrocó a un dictador, democracia y la paz que reinó Supremo en Irak. Subestimó las larga celebradas animosidades entre las facciones sunitas y chiítas del Islam en Irak, y este error costó cientos de miles de paz amante a iraquíes sus vidas en una guerra civil entre sí.

Las interacciones violentas entre sunitas y chiítas siguen jugando todo el mundo musulmán este mismo día. Ellos se detendrán cuando líderes deciden detenerlos y vivir en paz. Eso sólo puede suceder si la libertad de religión se convierte en el cimiento de la nueva Constitución egipcia muy.

Skip Conover es un ejecutivo internacional, autor y artista. Ha escrito una novela, un libro publicado de asuntos actuales y un diario publicado. Convirtió su interés desde hace tiempo en arquetipo jungiano en el arquetipo de organización de la acción, y desarrolló su sitio web en http://archetypeinaction.org

Why has changed my opinion - should build is the Islamic Center of the community?

When the controversy first arose over the "Ground Zero" mosque, had the basic view that should have the legal right to be built, and that the groups protesting by him were worsening the situation; However, I thought that it would be probably better for them to move to a different location. However, as the situation as it progressed, my opinion on the subject has changed for a number of different reasons: the importance not to let that misinformation and mistruths influence decisions, position and ideas of the magnet wants to built the community downtown, not giving to hatred and rage, and eventually which would mean for Islamic and Christian relations around the world.

First of all, we have seen how this whole situation has been performed with a lot of half truths or lies. The full name "Ground zero mosque" is misleading because it really is more than one Community Center and is not visible even from scratch. There has also been a lot of lies about how this is going to be used by radical Islam and how the people building the Center supports terrorism, which is simply false. We have seen how the media lies can cause harmful decisions (the most recent situation with Sharron Sherrod and Fox News is a good example), and this sets a dangerous precedent. If we allow that you outlets like Fox News to make significant social changes pushing lies and truths, we will be encouraging them to do more of the same.

Secondly, the Imam who wants to build the Community Center has been a supporter of the peace franco and an opponent of terrorism and extremism. It is part of the Sufi sect of Islam, which is the branch of Islam more meditative. In fact, his sect (which traditionally has always been the most peaceful) it has actually been attacked, and people were killed by members of radical Islam. It is really building downtown to have a place for people to go, especially young people, in New York. If the building was being built by a radical fundamentalist would be much more skeptical, but when is it is being built by a Sufi who is trying to lead the followers of their religion away from extremism is a different story.

Another important reason I changed my opinion on this issue is because the danger to fear, anger and hatred even. If this Community Center is not allowed to be built, people will think if they can be angry and hateful enough can stop any other legal (political or religious) project who are opposed to. We cannot leave our democracy and freedoms refused because there are enough uniformed and angry people shouting. This is not a democracy; It is anarchy. Sets a horrible precedent that could have long-term effects.

Finally, this mosque move due to misinformation and the anger would be terrible for Christian and Islamic relations in the world. He has already reported that Al - Qaida is using this event in their recruitment. It would be a signal to the rest of the world that there are still some kind of "Holy war" between Islam and Christianity. Even though there are serious differences and objectives among religions, this type of conflict does no good for anyone and gives people the impression of hatred, intolerance and injustice.

On the other hand, this could be an opportunity for forgiveness and mutual understanding between Islamic and Christian groups in the nation and the world. People that are building the Community Center had nothing to do with 9/11, and should have every right and support to build its own Center of religion. As a Christian who firmly believes in the freedom of religion and expression, which is based on the United States, there can be no alternative to supporting the rights of these people.

This article was written by William McCorkle. He writes a blog about progressive social action and the quest to find the true essence of faith Christian in http://www.essencerestored.com. If you are interested in contact with the author, you can contact him at wdmccorkle@gmail.com.

The Five Pillars of Islam Which Every Muslim Should Obey in the Lifetime

Religions are made to make the people systematic and organized. There are millions of people in the world and everyone has got own entity and belief that makes then different and distinct from others. Therefore there are numerous religions existing in the world. The human being is normally free to accept the belief that suits the thoughts or that can guide the person to the spiritual and external growth as well. One of such most popular religion in the world is Islam.

The people who are following the Islam religion are called Muslims and they are having widest numbers of followers in the world. Right now, Islam is the second most followed religion of the world after Christian. The way every religion is having their own commandments and orders that construct the constitution of the religion, Muslims are also having the same. The way Christians are having the "Ten Commandments", the Hindus are having "Five Veds" and the Jains are having "Panch Mahaavrats", Islam is also having five basic rules that should be followed by the Muslim who is born in the family of Islam follower. Here the five Pillars explained.

* The Shahadah

Shahadah is the statement which states and spreads the philosophy of monotheism and is convincing every Muslims to believe that Muhammad is the real messenger of God and he is the only messenger in the world. This is the basic ground of belief for every Muslims and should be followed strictly by everyone.

* The Salah

Salah is the synonymous of the daily payer that is compulsory for every Muslims to perform. There are five prayers for the Islam believers, the Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha'a. These five names indicated the different time of prayer. The Fajr means the Dawn prayer, the Duhr is the noon prayer, the Asr is the afternoon prayer, the Maghrib is the sunset prayer and Isha is the late evening prayer. These prayers are having different meanings and beliefs and are quite important for the followers especially in the holy month of Ramadan. These prayers are done in the direction of Mecca. Imam Hussein Karbala is the holiest and pivotal pilgrimage center for the Muslims which is located near Mecca.

* The Zakat

This is one of the charities offering process for the Muslims who are capable of doing so. This rule is obligatory for everyone who are having the abilities to offer something to their brothers from the money they have accumulated for their lives. This is not the mandatory worship and is totally relied on the persona; approach as it is the personal responsibility to make the brother and sisters of same religion to get the most affiliated helps from others. There are four principles that are making this ritual better and smarter.

* The Sawm (Siyam)

Sawm is one of the holiest acts for the Muslims. Normally they keep fasts in the month if Ramadan and break their fasts ay Kuwait City which is the most respected place for all the Muslims of the world. The fasting is classified in three different types as the Ritual Fasting, compensating fasting for the repentance and ascetic fasting which makes them more pure fro the soul and lives.

* The Hajj

The dream of every Muslim is to have a visit to Kaaba which is located in Mecca. This pilgrimage is considered as the ultimate ritual of the follower. This pilgrimage can not be dome anytime as they are having the specific month and time in which the pilgrims make their spirit holy by praying and touching the Holy Mecca Spot. The dress code and many more conditions at this place reveals that the nonviolence principle of Islam. The basic of Islam is quite emphasizing the factor of Brotherhood and peace.

There are some of the most popular mosques and pilgrimage centers for Muslims among which the Al-Aqsa Mosque Jerusalem is the post visited.

These are the Five Pillars of Islam. Get better growth of humanity and make the world peaceful according to the orders of Holy angel of the world Muhammad.

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