THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN THE UNITY AND HARMONY OF THE NATION
Keywords:
Religion, Unity, HarmonyAbstract
There is a sense in which it is presumptious to speak about the role of religions in the unity and harmony of the nation. There are many who would see religion as one of the most divisive forces in society and would look at harmony between religions as itself an essential prerequisite for national unity. "Traditional religions have been" writes Stanley J. Samartha, "moats of separation rather than bridges of understanding between peoples. Recognizing this, how can men and women, committed to different faiths, live together in multi-religious societies? In a world that is becoming a smaller and smaller neighbourhood, what are the alternatives between shallow friendliness and intolerant fanaticism ?
References
S.J. Samartha, "Religious Pluralism and the Quest for Human Community" in No Man is Alien. Essays on the Unity of Mankind, edited by J. R. Nelson, (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1971). p. 129.
Aloysius Pieris, "Western Christianity and Asian Buddhism: ATheological Reading of Historical Encounters", Dialogue, New Series, Vol. VIT, No.2. (1980), p. 49.
S. Wesly Ariarajah, "New Forms of Religious Conciousness and
Rise of Fundamentalism" in: W.S.C.F. Joumal, December 1986. p. 7.
K.L. Seshagiri Rao, "Human Community and Religious Pluralism: A Hindu Perspetive'" in: C.D. Jathanna (Ed.), Dialogue in Community, The Karnataka Theological Research Institute, Mangalore, 1982,p. 162.
