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The Moving Finger by Lionel Wijesiri

Hindus throughout the country will observe Thai Pongal tomorrow. It is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month "Thai" when Sun enters the House of Capricorn in the Hindu astrology. The word "pongal" means rice cooked in milk and jaggery. Thai Pongal is the celebration of the harvest season.

Thai Pongal is also a festival of peace, unity and compassion. On this auspicious occasion it may be a good idea to focus on the subject of religious harmony and its potential for a greater good - bringing Sri Lanka' s major religious communities together. Today, all major religions in our country are facing three kinds of dangers: danger from within, danger from fundamentalist forces and danger from the so- called western ideology, which does not accommodate traditional thoughts and beliefs. That is why a creative mobilisation of different religious communities under a national umbrella organisation has become an absolute necessity.

We are a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society where all individuals are given free reign to practice the religion of their choice. Since independence, we have also managed to achieve harmonious relations among various religious groups. Yet, we have reasons to be vigilant since religious strife is alive globally. We must always be on the lookout for tensions that threaten to tear our multicultural social fabric apart.

How do we maintain our current status of religious harmony? More importantly, how do we enhance our current religious relations, and pass these values on to the next generation so that such harmonious ties will survive intact?.

Addressing a group of intellectuals recently, a senior government official said," Sri Lanka with its wide array of religious orders cannot let intolerance divide the country. We have to work with the Government to stop atrocities on various ethnic or religious communities.".

For as long as I can remember, I never agreed with the phrases 'racial tolerance' & 'religious tolerance'. To exercise tolerance towards different ethnic and religious groups imply that these were issues one had to endure.

Are other races & religions so abhorrent that we feel compelled to 'put up' with them? I think not. Perhaps, when we dwell on the issue of religion, a better term would be 'harmony'. For a society to enjoy religious harmony, it means that different religious groups should interact in full and perfect agreement with one another. There should be a sense of complete rapport, where individuals not only share common values with the rest of society, but also actively cultivate their own religious heritage.

One of the biggest hurdles encountered when trying to achieve religious harmony is a lack of interaction among religious groups. Ignorance and isolation are some reasons why the seeds of suspicion and prejudice are allowed to flourish. If we are encouraged, from a young age, to regard people of other religions as being 'alien' or 'different', we are predisposed to harbouring preconceived notions.

One practical step to mend the current situation is to introduce systematic studies of all religions at the secondary level of the schools. The idea is to make use of the existing school structures to impart all students with basic, but nevertheless authentic, knowledge of all religions.

We must also set aside a special day every year as Religious Harmony Day.

The celebrations on that day could consist of various activities that help students appreciate the customs and cultures of other religions.

Another misunderstanding that some of us are prone to is the "sports team mentality" towards religion. We identify with one sports team or religion and then, putting it side by side with another, think that what we have selected has to be the best. We put down other religions in an attempt to prove to ourselves that ours is supreme. This is a useless pursuit, one that leads to disharmony and even violence in society, and is contrary to the real intent of all religions. Born from fear, it is an activity that does not solve our insecurity but instead worsens it.

All religions are for the purpose of human happiness. They all teach ethics and compassion and stress harmony among people. Philosophically there are differences, and while recognizing those, we can still appreciate the similarities. As long as a person endeavours to live ethically and harmoniously, which religion he or she follows is irrelevant.

We must go beyond just tolerating others because tolerance is rather shallow. We must take a step further and have a better appreciation of other people's beliefs and religions. We must cherish this harmony. In that sense, we deepen our understanding of one another and strengthen our social cohesion. These ties will bind us in good times and bad.

It is about time that our religious leaders, scholars and eminent statesmen joined hands to form a National Forum aimed at facilitating interaction and dialogue among different religions around the country. Words without action are useless; we have to pledge to work towards creating a national community, which is not divided by the pseudo walls of religion.

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