Is it possible to stop religious violence in the world? Seems to be a herculean task. Today religious violence has become so common. We see people killing each other in the name of God. Why? Because some believe that “My God is the Only God, the Best God and other’s God is Not God.” There was an incident in Bangladesh where temples belonging to Hindus were attacked. Iskcon temple was also attacked and in an unfortunate incident a young devotee was brutally killed. All this happened because of a false rumor and most importantly in the name of religion.
Same God different name
Oxford dictionary defines religion as “the belief in the existence of a god or gods, and the activities that are connected with the worship of them, or in the teachings of a spiritual leader”
Religion entails spiritual practices which helps believers to connect to God. All the major religions of the world be it Hinduism, Christianity or Islam accept God as the supreme father. And they accept that God created all the living beings. People of different faith may call God with different names but there is only one God who is the creator, maintainer, and destroyer of the creation. Just like there is only one sun which illuminates the whole world, but people may call it differently in different places and in different languages. For example, in Sanskrit Sun is called Surya, in Arabic shams, in English sun, in Spanish El Sol and so on. Similarly, it is the same God which all are referring to with different names.
Violence in the name of God is a great sin
Now God, the Supreme father is one, so it means that you and me, in fact everyone in this world, are children of same God. So, if someone in the name of their God is killing other human beings then it means that they are killing God’s own children. Will any father of this world like to see his innocent children being savagely massacred?
Similarly, will the Supreme father be happy to see one of his children killing his another child? Will God who is all loving approve such heinous crime? The answer is obvious. Suffice to say that if someone is killing in the name of religion or in the name of their God then either their religion is not bona fide, or they have not understood their religion properly. Or it could be that some unscrupulous people have usurped the position of a religious leader and is misguiding the gullible masses.
In Bhagavad Gita 16.9, Krishna says that there are demoniac people in this world who have no intelligence, and they engage in horrible works which are meant to destroy the world.
The 200 strong mob who attacked the Iskcon temple in Noakhali, Bangladesh and killed an innocent 25-year-old devotee of Krishna, Partha das, were full of demoniac mentality. There act was not an act of bravery. It was a cowardly act. A cruel act. A demoniac act. An insane act.
No bona fide religion preaches violence. All the religious literatures of the world teach to love God. And when we love God, we love all. We won’t be violent towards any living creatures physically or verbally. Because a genuine devotee of Lord, sees the same God in the heart of each living being. paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.
So, he discriminates none and hates none.
Even butchers became devotee by chanting the names of Krishna
In fact, if one starts following the religious principles given in the scriptures one becomes free from all evil tendencies and develops godly qualities. If we turn the pages of scriptures, we see many such examples.
One such example is of Mrigari. He was a cruel hunter, so much ruthless that he would half kill animals because he would enjoy seeing them suffer in pain and die. But after becoming a devotee of God, Krishna, his heart got completely transformed. He gave up all kinds of violence and would show compassion to even ants.
Similarly, when Srila Prabhupada went to west to share the teachings of Bhagavad Gita and other Vedic literatures then it transformed the lives of so many people. There were hippies in the west who were indulging in many sinful activities. They were drunkards and meat eaters. But once they became devotee of Krishna, they gave up all impious activities. They gave up eating meat and stopped taking intoxicants. There were butchers who also got transformed and quickly gave up the profession of killing animals.
This is what a bona fide religion does. It completely removes all the evil and sinful proclivities from the heart of the practitioner. One gives up all types of violence. So, if someone claims to be a follower of a particular faith but has no compassion and love for other living beings, it means that their practice of spirituality is a sham.
Violence towards animals in the name of religion should end
For example, one cannot keep on killing innocent animals, who are also children of God, in slaughterhouses and claim that he is a religious person. In fact, cruelty towards animal leads to cruelty towards fellow human beings. If someone since his childhood days have seen humongous animals being slaughtered in their courtyard, in the slaughterhouses, on the streets then his heart will be full of violent images. He sees animals crying in pain while their neck is being slit. He sees gallons of blood oozing out of the animal neck and flooding the streets. What consciousness a child will develop seeing so much blood, so much violence? He later sees that the animal flesh is cooked, and everyone feast upon it.
When brutality is normalized in the society, children become brutal, hard -hearted. And when they grow up, they do not hesitate in indulging in cruel acts. For them, killing other living beings including men, women and children is as simple as plucking a guava from a tree. No feeling. No remorse.
Animal slaughter in Vedas
Slaughter of animals is prohibited in the Vedic scriptures. However, in Vedas we do find some instances of animal sacrifice. But it was done in a controlled way for a higher purpose. During Vedic times, learned priests chanted mantras during animal sacrifice. The animal, which was sacrificed would immediately get a new life, sometimes even a human life. It was not that in Vedic times there were slaughterhouses operating on the streets and animals would be brutally killed.
Srila Prabhupada explains, “The animal sacrifice is never meant for killing the animal, but for achieving the successful result of the sacrifice. The animal offered in the sacrificial fire is, so to speak, destroyed, but the next moment it is given a new life by dint of the Vedic hymns chanted by the expert priest. When such an expert priest is not available, the animal sacrifice in the fire of the sacrificial altar is forbidden.” Srimad Bhagavatam 2.6.23
Today such expert priests are not there who can give a new life to the animals. So animal sacrifice is strictly prohibited in this age of Kali yuga.
What government should do to stop religious violence?
If we want to stop religious violence, then we should stop all kinds of violence including violence towards animals in the name of religion. The government should be prompt in taking action against those who indulge in any kind of religious violence.
Most importantly the government should identify those religious leaders who are preaching violence and intolerance. They are the mastermind behind the violence in the name of God. The less intelligent common citizens many times get swayed away by the sermons of such evil and cunning preachers. These pseudo religious preachers incite violence and sow the seed of hatred in the society. Such preachers should be nabbed and put behind bars. It is also the duty of the government to see if people are following tenets of the religion as it is and are not deviating from the path.
Srila Prabhupada says, “There is educational inspector, school inspector. They go see that the students are properly being educated in that school. Similarly, government should have expert men in the government to see that the Hindus are acting like Hindu, Muslims are acting like Muslim, and Christians are acting like Christian. The government should not be callous about religion. They may be neutral, that “Whatever religion you profess, government has nothing to do. You do nicely.” But it is the government’s duty to see that you are doing nicely, you are not bluffing. That is government duty.” Room Conversation with Indian Ambassador, Sept. 5, 1973, Stockholm
Bona Fide Religion Brings Peace & Harmony
Violence in the name of religion is the greatest sin, an unpardonable crime. To stop religious violence, government should severely punish the perpetrators. It is also the responsibility of the people to not get misled by the fanatic religious preachers. When they hear any sermons or read any religious literature which advocate use of violence against non-believers then they should ask themselves that how by inflicting pain upon others they will be able to please their God who is glorified as all merciful. They should think before accepting any religious doctrines and should not be a blind follower.
It is also equally important that the genuine devotees of the Lord spread the message of sacred scriptures far and wide so that people understand the purpose of religion. The purpose of any bona fide religion is to establish peace and harmony. It is to let live and let others live. All types of religious violence will stop once people will come to know the sacred teachings of bona fide religion. This will help in creating a better world where everyone can live happily.
