Religion as a humanising force

Text of a lecture delivered by Associate Editor of the "Daily News" Lynn Ockersz, under the title: 'The humanising effect of contemporary religions on society with special emphasis on Christianity', on the invitation of the Theosophical Society of Sri Lanka at its headquarters in Colombo 6 on March 5. The proceedings were chaired by C.V. Wigneswaran, Rtd. Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

First, let me place on record my heartfelt thanks to the Theosophical Society of Sri Lanka for providing me with this opportunity of saying a few words on 'The humanizing effect of contemporary religions on society with special emphasis on Christianity'.

As is well-known, the Theosophical Society is committed to exploring what may be called the Perennial Wisdom of the Ages, to which gamut of insight and knowledge the greatest religions of the world have contributed substantially and I feel privileged to be granted this opening to contribute my mite on illuminating how Christianity in particular is fertilising this terrain of timeless wisdom, which could be truly considered the Truth.

It is my conviction that the Theosophical Society of Sri Lanka is playing a crucial role in the post-independence history of Sri Lanka by thus furthering the dialogue among the country's religions and by helping to establish the vital role played by each such religion in the pursuit of the Truth, which spelt with a capital T, is in striking contrast and of a different dimension to the more mundane "truths" of the empirical sciences and the cognitive knowledge which is loosely described as common sense.

"The Truth shall make us free", says Christianity and this alone proves that the Truth contained in the wisdom of the ages, which is the main concern of the Theosophical Society, has a profoundly transformative and liberative impact on the human consciousness.

Since the Truth cannot be contained within the parameters set for forming the knowledge which the natural and human sciences offer us, one could point to the vast qualitative difference between the 'Truth' of Theosophy and the 'truths' of the sciences, by referring to the transformative impact the Truth of religion has had on who may be considered exceptional women and men of our times.

One of these is Mother Theresa of India, who, as we all know, slaved selflessly for the rejected, the marginalised and powerless of India and those outside its borders. It is by its fruit that one would know the quality of a tree.

Thus, Mother Theresa is an exceptional fruit of the tree of Christianity. She has borne witness, among several others down the ages, to the ennobling and humanising impact of the value system which Christianity proclaims to the world.

In the Sri Lanka of today, it requires exceptional courage and breadth of vision, to establish the vitality of what are considered minority religions.

The Theosophical Society of Sri Lanka has, among other functions, taken on this task, for which it needs to be commended. My hope is that the Society would continue to be a bridge builder among Sri Lanka's religious communities and cultures.

It would be a misnomer to state that the species of strife or tensions we have been having in Sri Lanka in recent times are of a religious nature.

True, destructive violence has been unleashed against some institutional manifestations of Christianity in this country - such as churches and shrines - by groups professing to safeguard the interests of those who may be considered majority religionists. But it would be misleading to see in this violent campaign a religious dimension.

In fact it may have nothing to do with religion. On the contrary, such violence relates more to the ultra nationalistic politics of our times which are all about power and its pursuit by one cultural group, which considers itself predominant, at the expense of others.

As we know, such murderous violence is not sanctioned by the teachings of any religion in this land, and in fact, stands condemned by these religions and should be seen as an unsettling fallout from the efforts of one cultural group to exercise dominance over others, although emotive religious slogans may be used in the process.

Accordingly, such violence should not be considered as originating in the hearts and minds of the people at large but in the power calculations of those groups which are seeking hegemonic control over the State and society.

This is what religious extremism is all about. Such groups could be numerically small and could in no way be seen as representing the majority community which in fact may be tolerant and accommodative of other faiths and beliefs.

The Theosophical Society of Sri Lanka could play a catalytic role in strengthening harmony and tolerance in our land by helping to highlight the essential humanity in each of our major religions.

Through fora, such as the present one, which play a crucial role in strengthening inter-religious dialogue, the Society could be a bridge builder among Lanka's communities.

As for Christianity, one of its main messages is the love of God for man. It is the love of God for man which compelled God - the creator of the universe - to send his only beloved Son - Jesus Christ - into the world, to enable the whole of humanity which tainted itself with sin, to be liberated from its bondage to sin and be reunited with God - who is considered also as the Father of all.

So, the Father is all loving and forgiving and this exalting love for mankind the Father expresses through the life, death and Resurrection of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who could be considered the spokesman of God the Father, among us.

Man moved away from God and his supreme holiness - through sin - after the whole of material creation was left in his charge by his creator - and Jesus Christ is the principal means through which man could get back to God and be reunited with him. In other words, by leading lives which are centred in Jesus Christ, we obtain our spiritual salvation.

As is known, Jesus' way is the Way of the Cross. The Cross in Christianity symbolises the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, who was expected by God the Father to pay the supreme price for the liberation of mankind from sin. Jesus had to pay with his life on the Cross so that the rest of mankind could earn eternal life or life with God the Father in heaven, after one's death.

It needs to be pointed out that the central fact about the life of Jesus Christ is not so much his suffering and death but his Resurrection from the dead.

Through his Resurrection he conquered sin and death and eternal life in God will be our's too if we follow Jesus Christ.

And what Christ Jesus had to tell mankind is contained in the Gospels of the New Testament of the Holy Bible, which, put briefly, describes the history of God's relations with man over the ages.

The Gospels written by the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, three of whom were Christ's disciples, provide life accounts and contain the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Since it is the Christian belief that God spoke to man through Jesus Christ, these gospels should be considered an essential and important part of the Word of God.

And what is most expected of the Christian or the follower of Jesus Christ? In the words of Jesus Himself it is this: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and Love your neighbour as you love yourself. (Luke 10:27).

This is God's greatest injunction to mankind and on this basis will all those who claim loyalty to him be judged.

The Bible, as already mentioned, is all about God's relationship with man over the ages and God's overwhelming love for man is the principal element in this relationship. God's tolerance of mankind - with all his wayward, sinful ways - has been so great that he sacrificed his son for our sakes and for our salvation.

This undying love of God for man is revealed through the Gospel accounts of the self-sacrificial love and death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

He not only suffered and died on the Cross in complete obedience to God the Father but also out of a selfless love for us, the creations of God who went our own separate ways and defied God's commandment to the effect that we live in obedience to Him and offer our lives to Him only. To win a pardon for mankind from God the creator, Jesus, His son, therefore, sacrificed himself on the Cross.

So in Jesus, there are two kinds of love: love for God and love for man. In fact it is these two loves that are symbolised by the Cross - the principal symbol of Christianity. The vertical beam in the Cross which rises upwards or heavenwards, symbolises the Christians' love for God while the horizontal beam, stands for his love for man.

In the exemplary Christians these dimensions meet - that is, the love of God and the love of man which are two sides of the same coin, so to speak. Therefore, those who claim loyalty to Christ cannot only love God and neglect mankind and vice versa.

It is this ideal which has inspired service to mankind on the part of Christians and the Church, down the ages. An exemplary Christian life is impossible without service to the rest of mankind and as taught by Christ Jesus this love has to be selfless and forgiving.

The quality of this love is brought out in the beautiful parable or story of the Good Samaritan - a story told by Jesus to explain in simple terms who should be considered one's 'neighbour'. When questioned by a lawyer on who should be considered one's 'neighbour', Jesus said:

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

(Luke 10:30-37, authorised King James version of The Bible)

This ideal of service to mankind is a central element in the teachings of other major religions of the world too and we wouldn't be witnessing the current effort on the part of the clergy and committed laymen of most religions of this land to bring relief to the victims of the tidal wave disaster of last December, if love and compassion for one's fellow beings was not considered a cardinal virtue by these religions.

A fact worth noting is that the humble village Buddhist temple is playing a key role at present in bringing relief to the suffering in this tragedy, irrespective of race, religion and social status. The same is true of many Hindu kovils and Muslim mosques.

It is important to remember that the realisation that mankind is one, prompted Lord Buddha to denounce caste oppression and all forms of self-centred thinking and practice. To Him ahimsa was a principal means of resolving conflicts.

It is also relevant to observe that without the humanising impact of Hinduism we wouldn't have had a Mahatma Gandhi; who was a universalist and acknowledged his openness to the salubrious influences of other faiths.

In fact one is compelled to take up the position that an Indian secular state, which accords equality to all religions, wouldn't have been possible without the universalism inherent in Hinduism which sees the whole of the universe as proceeding from Brahma, who is all pervading.

Another fact which should provoke some thought is the strong espousal of a 'Dialogue among Civilisations', as a way of decreasing global tensions, by Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, who could be said to be a rare combination of Muslim theologian and statesman.

In fact, he is the only statesman to take up this position and is in striking contrast to world leaders who see military aggression and incursions as answers to the problems of our times.

It is relevant to remember that it is his Islamic background which has induced in President Khatami this confidence in 'Civilisational Dialogue' - or the coming together of minds from different civilisations - as a means of defusing world tensions.

Coming back to Christianity, it could be said that the true follower of Jesus Christ, ought to be always guided by the Cross, and all that it signifies, if they are to be true witnesses to God, in this world.

That is, love for God and love for man.

The ideal of love for man should compel the Christian to take note of the conditions on earth which dehumanise human beings - such as wars, conflicts, poverty, oppression of all kinds and even political repression.

It is this realisation that produced the school of Christian theology a few decades ago, which called itself 'Liberation Theology'.

In sum, the liberation theologian considered the alleviation of these conditions which dehumanise man as part of the task of testifying to one's faith or witnessing to Christ. However, this love of one's neighbour, should combine with the love of God if the Christian is to lead a Christ-filled life.

There are organisations within the Catholic Church, for instance, today, which strive silently to reach this ideal. To take just a few examples, there are the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Theresa, who work for the destitute and disabled of Sri Lanka, there are the Good Shepherd Sisters who work towards the rehabilitation of destitute women and single mothers, there are the De Lasalle Brothers, who are very active in providing vocational training for job-seeking boys and the Brothers of Charity whose focus is the helping of the mentally retarded.

These are just a few religious orders within the Catholic Church who could be said to be performing a silent service for mankind.

They are part of the proof we have that religion could indeed humanise the world and testify to the essential goodness of man.

Lastly, let me wish the Theosophical Society of Sri Lanka many future years of fruitful bridge-building among the religions of Sri Lanka.