Understanding the Diversity of Religions

Different religions teach different belief system and therefore result in different practices. It is important that these differences are acknowledged and given due space to one another. Unless this acknowledgement comes about, it is quite possible that different religious believers quarrel over trivial matters. There may be certain matters where people of different religious persuasion fail to arrive at a common point. Yet if sufficient mutual understanding has been built in the first place, then differences at certain level may not really result in a conflict. Let me illustrate what I have been trying to say. 

Christianity is a monotheistic religion. This is to say that though Christians will acknowledge the existence of gods, she will insist that there is only one true and an all powerful God; the rest are not really powerful enough to deserve worship though divine in nature. So since religious culture and socio-cultural expressions are closely intertwined in India, there will be certain practices that a Christian may participate when her Hindu friends celebrate, but then refrain from certain other celebrations. This means that  a Christian may smear colour on others during Holi, but not participate in the puja; or she may burn crackers but not light a diya in front of goddess Lakhsmi during Diwali. To insist that a Christian too participate in offering prayer in a Temple or sing certain hymns will entail insisting her to give up her Christian belief for that moment.

A Hindu does not have constraints like a Christian or a Muslim would have. Since Hindus are polytheists in general, to offer worship to any deity is not a problem. So he can worship Jesus Christ in a Church, or Allah in a Mosque or Shiva in Shiv Mandir or Ram in a Ram Temple. And for someone with such a background, to find a Christian or a Muslim not willing to light diya in front of the statue of goddess Lakshmi during Diwali may come as a surprise. But if one is to understand that Christian believes in just only one deity, and to offer worship or prayer to any other deity is considered idolatry this should not come as a surprise. 

This differences in belief also result in another important aspect, which is the issue of conversion. Conversion changes the social set up of a community, and therefore this has wider implication. A Christian or a Muslim will share his or her belief with the intent that the other person will be persuaded to convert. But this is difficult for a Hindu to appreciate because he thinks that all the deities are just the same.  This, I think, is an area that will be difficult to sort out. One side will consider that not sharing her conviction with the intent of seeing the other person convert is not being faithful to her religious belief, and therefore she will proselytize; whereas the other side may perceive this act as a scheme to subvert the social structure. Though this tension may continue, I think, if each side understands the belief system better the possibility of each side being sensitive to the opinion of the other side persists. This thus raises the importance of inter-religious dialogue.