By Dr. J. Das
Although religion is universal in that it deals with the basic inner nature of human beings, it has taken on various outward appearances depending upon the place, time, circumstances and other conditions and developments of the people involved. Since basic human nature is the same, it is easy to conceive that religion should permeate the lives of all people. The great personalities after whom religions of various kinds have been formed over the ages, have used different languages, metaphors, value systems, exhortations, criticisms, illustrations and various other means of communicating religious ideals and feelings to the common people.
Duren J.H. Ward, a great German scholar, saw that there existed a connection between race and religion. He states: “…religion gets its character from the people or race who develop or adopt it. …the same influences, forces and isolated circumstances which developed a special race developed at the same time a special religion which is a necessary constituent element or part of a race….”
Hegel, a German philosopher, viewed the whole of human history as a vast movement towards freedom. He stated: “The reality of history is spirit and the story of religion is the process by which spirit… comes to full consciousness of itself. Individual religions thus represent stages in a process of evolution-progressive steps in the unfoldment of spirit – directed toward the great goal at which all history aims.”
Max Muller, who is often called the father of the history of religions, states: “Particularly in the early history of the human intellect, there exists the most intimate relationship between language, religion and nationality.” Through his studies he found that Asia and Europe had three great races called Turanians, Semites and Aryans. They later divided and spread to various areas, and their language differed.
Through their languages, mythologies and literatures he found similarities in the names of the deities, common mytholgoies and common important religious terms, and similar religious ideas and intuitions.
A few further quotations from different sources will suffice to illustrate that religion is really universal, and that basically the same teachings are taught by all of them, once the external garb of each is removed.
No man liveth unto himself…we are all parts of one another…God hath made of one blood all nations that dwell upon the face of the earth. (Bible)
All creatures are members of the one family of God. (Koran.)
Human beings, all, are as head, arms, trunk and legs one unto another. (Vedas)
Invocation to the one Supreme Spirit of Unity: AUM used by the Hindus: AMIN used by the Muslims: AMEN used by the Christians. (Bhagwandas)
Esoteric philosophy reconciles all religions, strips everyone of its outward human garments and shows the root of each to be identical with that of every other great religion. (Madame Blavatsky)
- Das is the President: Global Clergy Association and Member of Surrey Interfaith Council. He can be reached at [email protected].
