The Seers of the Vedas said about the secret of human bonding: “We are the birds of the same nest”. A few verses from the Vedas are quoted below: We are birds of the same nest We may wear different skins We may speak in different tongues We may believe in different cultures Yet we share the same home - Our Earth. Born on the same planet, Covered by the same skies Gazing at the same stars Breathing the same air We must learn to happily progress together Or miserably perish together For man can only live individually But can only survive collectively: ‘When you walk across the fields with your mind pure and holy, then from all the stones and all growing things, and all animals, the sparks of their soul come out and cling to you, and then they are purified and become a holy fire for you’ (Martin Buber). The Covid-19 Spiritual Lessons We notice the resurrection of spiritual values in different cultures when we pass through adverse circumstances. In the Indian culture, truth, beauty and order (sathyam, sivam sunderam) are the noble virtues for the joy of living. The lockdown period all over the world has taught us several values for an authentic existence. We have been able to reduce all kinds of pollution around us. It is widely held that the lockdown period has turned our homes as places of worship. The online worship services and preaching have helped us to search for alternatives in our religious observances. The Webinars have become part of our interpersonal relationships and communications. The silent periods in our homes has also strengthened family bonds in different ways. It is true that youths and old people had to bear with several psychological problems. May God help them.
BEYOND RELIGION: Imaging A New Humanity. By Valson Thampu This book is like no other that Revd Dr. Valson Thampu has written over the last 35 years. The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to shake our dependence on economic security so also the dangers arising from the environmental crisis as explicitly revealed at the COP-26 meeting at Glasgow in November 2-14, 2021. We also noticed the tragic events in Afghanistan as a result of religious fanaticism. The Hinduvata ideology in India is shaking the foundations of the Indian democracy based on secularism, human decency and common good. We have also noticed the death of two significant national leaders, Sawmi Agnivesh and Fr. Stan Swamy during this period who lived and worked for wider ecumenism, human rights and preserving the rights of backward communities in India. The destiny of Indian democracy hinges on the religious question, given that Hindutva and Hinduism have been merged into one, though they are polar opposites. So, it is not religion, but a communal caricature of it, that is feeding the current wave of majoritarian self-assertion. The book is written against this background. There is a need, hence, to initiate a spiritually wellfounded national, indeed international, debate on what religion is, and should be. Beyond Religion captures the riches of the author’s decades-long research, reflection as well as vast experiences as a socio-religious activist in making a case for such a debate. He emphasizes the urgent need for a shift from religiosity to spirituality.
Let me conclude with the words of Rabindranath Tagore: “My Lord, this is my prayer: Help me to root out all pride and arrogance from my heart. Help me to continue the pilgrimage of life gladly in the midst of joy and sorrow. Give me the power from above to translate my love into fruitful service for humanity” (“Gitangali-36-a free rendering).
We commend this work to our esteemed readers in the FOCUS family of spiritual thinkers and seekers. It would be nice if such a debate could be initiated in FOCUS itself.
NOTE: The article has been published in the book under the title, MISSION OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN POSTPANDEMIC INDIA, edited by Acharya Catherine Prabhujiyothi, (DharmaBharathiAshram, Mulanthuruthy, Kochi), published by ISPCK, Delhi,2021). Pages 84-99.
https://pipparannbooks.com/product/beyond-religionimaging-a-new-humanity/
The book is published by Pippa Rann Books and Media, UK. It can be ordered using the link-
For the Editorial Board, FOCUS
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