Saturday, February 25, 2012

STAIRWAYS TO HEAVEN

Some people have doubts whether God exists. I prefer to presume that my readers do not doubt the existence of a Creator who has created the entire universe and everything in it. It has taken human beings thousands of years to understand limited parts of this creation. This universe - so complex and yet so well ordered - cannot have come into existence without a Creator. 

How does He look like? Where does He live? What language does He speak? What religion does He prefer? Many questions come to the innocent mind. By definition, God is omnipotent, omnipresent etc. Therefore to confine Him in any manner would be preposterous. As all creation is His handiwork, all beings and all schools of thought also have its origin from Him. So, whether you consider Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism or any of the thousands of religions that abound in the world, these are all but paths that lead to Him. All religions are, in a way, the stairways to heaven.

So, if different religions are different routes to reach the same goal and we are all traversing in search of the same objective, why do we look down upon other religions? Why is it that some of us are so keen in convincing others into travel in our path? Why is it that we do not bow down to the same Lord who is present and is sought in different places of worship?

Being secular is the right way of life - when we worship the Lord in ways that makes sense to us and allow others to follow their own ways without having a sense of superiority over others. More than tolerance, we need to have acceptance of different approaches. Lord Krishna Himself declares in the Holy Gita that He accepts worship in any form. It is not the language, the words, the names or the methods that matter but the heart full of love and devotion that matters to Him.

“True religion is the life we lead, not the creed we profess.”- Louis Nizer

“The fundamental truth of the Manifestations is peace. This underlies all religion, all justice.” - Abdul-Baha  

                             COURTESY:VALUES FOR LIFE

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