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| Friday, 12 March 2004 |
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Religion - conversion or conviction? Point of view by Prof. Bertram Bastiampillai Southern Sri Lanka, has been frequently assailed by anti-Christian attacks directed against churches. Earlier in the South, riots from 1956 to 1983, damaged Hindu places of worship. This despicable trait in human conduct has manifested itself malevolently in 'Dhammadipa', the island said to have been thrice blessed by visits of the Great Master, Lord Buddha. The island prides itself after this mission of conversion undertaken by Mahinda during Devanampiya Tissa's rule to be the hallowed home of Theravada Buddhism. If any belief can be singled out for its unmitigated spirit of tolerance one can choose without hesitation Buddhism. The spirit of consideration, or patience, liberalism or impartiality that motivates Buddhism is its inalienable, unique and cardinal virtue of tolerance. Buddhism allows, permits, authorises and condones differences. It eschews bias, prejudice, intolerance or bigotry. Buddhism certainly cannot be corrupted so as to incite followers to engage in destruction of what is holy to others. The inevitable cause for this recent sacrilegious behaviour stems from man alone being degenerately vile and unBuddhistic, monopolist in faith. Other factors too have unfortunately miserably sullied human attitudes towards religions other than what one professes as one's own. For instance, recently two eminent religious dignitaries of a faith that had followed on the heels of the first conquest of the maritime parts of the island, instead of deriding any religious intolerance of any other belief and exhorting vandals and desecrators to desist from harmful practices like destroying centres of worship, satisfied only themselves in safeguarding their faith alone, by declaring we do not engage in questionable conversions which some new elements or sects branching from their selfsame mother faith do. Selfish All intolerance should be unreservedly condemned and one has to be allergically sensitive to it even if violence is perpetrated on another's religious edifice. No not I is no Christian attitude. It is selfish. Of course, none can permit unscrupulous conversion of those young and immature, and those who had not attained the age of reason. Nor can one allow the practice of any belief that provides for human sacrifice or other obnoxious deplorable practices. In Sri Lanka, as all faiths are transparently practised it is easy to ensure that nothing which is despicable is practised. Those who believe in and wish to follow a faith after reaching the age of understanding and reason should not be forcibly prevented from subscribing to a faith chosen freely and with no compulsion. One should be free to follow a chosen faith. Converted The island's king Devanampiya Tissa was converted to Buddhism by a royal emissary from the neighbouring sub-continent. Since then other too have followed the royal personage. The Muslims have come in later, resided in the island, built mosques, and followed their religion and its prescriptions. During British rule in 1915, a riot between Buddhists and Muslims occurred, and occasionally since independence differences and localised troubles have occurred in parts of the land but always peace and tolerance ultimately prevailed. When Roman Catholicism was introduced after 1505 by the Portuguese along Sri Lanka's coast, force, pressure, pain had been freely deployed at times to convert Hindus or Buddhists. Hinduism had infiltrated the island a long time ago along with Indian immigrants, some as soldiers and traders, and others as mere settler immigrants. Roman Catholicism also offered education, employment and a more egalitarian "caste devoid" community to win over followers. But some do recall the destruction of places sacred to others by the Portuguese and as practitioners of intolerance in spreading their faith which was also, as some believed, buttressed by an authoritarian hierarchical force. To their credit, Roman Catholics however survived as a vibrant community despite subsequent, intolerable treatment by the Dutch Reformed Church followers and later other handicaps suffered under Dutch and then British Protestantism. Intolerance No doubt, the Catholic and Protestant protagonists did display intolerance of religions other than their own faith, yet in time they grew enlightened, civilised and began to practise tolerance towards other co-existing religions. An occasion where a riot between Buddhists and Catholics erupted was in the early 1880s in Kotahena. Fortunately it subsided and was not allowed to fester further. It is a sad comment that in 'Dhammadipa', which should be an island of loving compassion, tolerance and peace, now there is a terrifying peril of religious discord and violence against Christian sects blowing into another deadly malaise. Sects as the Assembly of God and the Pentecost or the Seventh Day Adventists have been in the country for long. The coming in of newly founded sects as "born again Christians" are not any phenomenon to be feared, despised or worse still, to be attacked. None of the older religions in the country are really threatened. Buddhism indeed on the contrary, waxes strong as do the other traditional religions too. Indeed Buddhism now spreads its teachings in the UK (a Thera has been made an MBE), in the USA, and likewise in several other exotic lands. So why should Buddhism fear the existence of other religions or their introduction into Sri Lanka? Noble practices A religion, be it any faith, survives on the merits of its teachings and its noble practices. Despite appeal or allurement even a microscopic minority has not really easily deserted their avowed religion. The egalitarianism preached in Buddhism, if properly followed can entice so many followers like the Hindus in India who have been drawn towards the precepts and practices of the Noble Master. A good religion which offers solace to believers should not be obliged to a civil Government or political state to exist. Religions should rely on their intrinsic virtues and values. Religions should not be subject to vicissitudes and vagaries of governments. Recently when a ministry for a particular form of religion was established there arose doubts whether the ministry included and excluded some other branches of that religion such as Protestantism. This feeling was exacerbated perhaps unwittingly by some unclear statement of dignitaries and an absence of some other on the occasion to represent other Christian sects. Beating Above all, Sri Lanka has received many a beating since independence in 1948. There had followed problems over citizenship and enfranchisement, discrimination on grounds of language and in admission to higher education. Let not religion too be made into an ineradicable problem owing to intolerance and discrimination by a few. The country cannot afford to pay any more prices. Patience and prudence should wean citizens away from the disaster of bigotry particularly in an island dedicated, it is reiterated, to loving kindness, tolerance and accommodation which flows from Buddhism and other faiths, old and relatively new. Reach out Religion rests on conviction. If one abandons one's faith for another then there is something deficient in the faith deserted and something more appealing in the newly chosen faith. Monotheism embedded in a theocracy can only spell danger in a community that is pluralist in the faiths it contains. And above all, if we wish to spread our teachings elsewhere then such action should be tolerant of reciprocity and allow other faiths too be preached. To consolidate and build one's faith and not to lose followers makes it more fascinating and captivating. |
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