ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY ARE IN GREAT CRISIS WITHOUT ANY SOLUTION

ISLAM AND CHRISTANITY IN CRISIS:

UNRESOLVED QUESTIONSAND NEW TRENDS

For the first time, in the entire history of Islam and Christianity, they are encountering with the problem of the emergence of Thinking, Empowered and Demanding Youth and Women all over the world.

The Arab Spring and the Occupy Movements are just an indication of the deeper crisis and the coming revolutions that are going to rewrite the entire history of the humanity, organizational structure and working styles of religions and rebalancing power equations of nations and regions..

Over and above the boundaries of race, religion and nationality, young men and women and even old mothers all over the world are getting united on the realization that their problems and solutions are one and the same. Realities made them believe that nobody will come to save them, but they have to fight and solve their own problems.

Challenging the myth of fate or destiny and hegemony of religions and rulers or political parties, corporate houses and economic or business power centers and inhuman developmental strategies and state crafts, they are on the way for their long march and fight to create a New Global Social Order.

04/12/23Islam and Christianity in Crisis: Unresolved Questions and New Trends. By Dr. Raju M. Mathew

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The Arab Spring is not only an out burst against the rulers but also a protest against Islam as a socio-economic system and its total failure in addressing the basic problem of the youth and women in the Arab and Islamic World. Islam has wasted long years for fighting each other or for silly issues that had no relevance in the life of its youth and women.

In the coming days, Islam can no longer silence or marginalize the empowered youth and women who lost their fears. It was fear that had made them silent in the past. Now they are getting aware of the incompatibility of the Islamic Socio-Economic System in the modern world and its failure in solving the basic human issues in the Islamic world. They want to have a solidarity with the rest of the humanity, rather than keeping themselves isolated in the closed societies of the past.


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The Occupy Movement is just an indication of the violent ongoing revolutions against the corporatism, concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few and increasing misery and marginalization of the common people. If the majority is under misery, then what is the meaning of development, high ratings of share prices or currency and the other positive indexes? Without people no system can survive.

Christianity or Democracy could not do anything in reducing the misery and sufferings of the millions of men, youth, women and children who are getting marginalized in everyday. In stead of doing or acting, Christianity has been remaining silent witness and preaching irrelevant matters in the onslaught of Corporatism and unethical fundraising of the political parties. All these have made the youth and women in the west on a war path.


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Over 80% of the world population belongs to Islam and Christianity. At the same time, nearly 95% of the humanity lives in misery and worries without enjoying even the available simple pleasures and happiness. Here the basic question is how to make their life more beautiful and enjoyable and ensure peace?

Islam and Christianity have to adopt new ways and approaches so that the life of millions of Muslims and Christians can be made more Happy and Joyous. They have responsibilities to the entire world and take care of others, in stead of converting them to their folds.

They can learn a lot from the wisdom of Sanadhana Dharma which is built upon the edifice of ‘The One and the Only Supreme God’. Its basic message is ‘Let the entire worlds live in happiness‘ (loko samstha sugino bavathu).


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Humanity from the very beginning has been in search for the pleasures of the body and mind and the happiness of the soul or the inner self and the means of their gratifications. They are the reason for the human existence and development.

Islam and Christianity have been struggling in vain to deny pleasures to men and women using the whip or stick of ‘Sins’, ‘Hell’ ‘Fate’ and displeasure of the God or Allah. They could not prescribe the means of attaining happiness when one is alive, other than telling about heaven or paradise and hell after death. They have been demanding devotions, prayers , fasting, pilgrimage and reading the Bible or Koran in which the youth and women are getting disinterested.

While Islam suffers from a total absence of Spirituality, the problem with the Christianity is a total confusion in understanding the depth of Spirituality, including the Kingdom of God or the concept of Heavenly Father and the humanity in the teaching of Jesus. As a result, they don’t have to play any proactive role for the development of humanity other than engaging in construction and tourist or pilgrimage business and making some disputes.


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For its glorification of Moses and Abraham and their God and Wars, Islam has not dealt pleasures and happiness of the common people. People are made to fight for their tribe or king or faiths and Pleasure is a matter only in the Paradise, that too after death.

Paradise has been projected as a material world with all the pleasures of life, including special wine and virgins, reserved for the dearest ones of Allah, especially the martyrs and the executors of ‘the Enemies’ and ‘the Unfaithful’ of Allah or Islam.

Enjoying pleasures before death is a matter of fate as every thing is predetermined by the destiny and man cannot change his fate, already decided by Allah. Some are chosen by Allah to enjoy all the pleasures of life while the majority are not at all called for enjoying the pleasures on earth. Their life is always be in misery and designed for serving the rulers or the rich and living as slaves. As a result, autocrats and dictators have exploited Islam for sustaining their political agenda or suppressing the people.


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For the historical and geographical reasons of its origin, that too in the context of the extreme desert conditions and infighting tribes and warlords, Islam has been designed for the extreme desert region in a regimented frame work.

Everybody has to observe the time and frequency of prayer or fasting or sleep as has been structured in a military set up for the drill, food, fight and rest. Designated elders alone are allowed to take decisions and others have to follow them.

In such a system, women have been barred from playing any major role, other than confining within the boundaries of tents, families or court yards. Since every thing is structured and move according to the pre-determined destiny , there is no provision for any change.

Even the dress code of the Muslims has been prescribed in accordance with the requirements of the extreme hot or cold desert conditions, including sand storms and dryness. This has created dilemma for the thinking Muslim women in the non-desert or non-Arab regions.


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There is no room for any questioning but obeying in Islam as it is built up in a regimented way . If anybody refuses to obey the order, he will be punished ruthlessly. Privacy and right or dignity of the individual do not have any relevance in such systems.

Just like a military treats other forces as enemies or doubting others, Muslim Fundamentalists treat all others as their enemies or the enemies of their God to be wiped out, as had proclaimed by Moses on his march towards ‘The Promised Land’, that too on the basis of the orders of his God or Lord.

The first eight Books of the Old Testament have given the accounts of the crimes, terror, loots, rapes and brutalities committed by the People of Moses or Abraham, the ‘Chosen People of the God’ for the ‘Promised Land’. These books can be considered as the best ‘Handbook of War or Terrorism’ that had inspired Machiavelli and also Adolf Hitler.


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The concepts of ‘ enemies’ and ‘unfaithful’ can be applied in the case of kings or rulers or men who need fighters or warriors to punish their enemies. It is impossible for any mortal human being to be the enemy of or unfaithful to the ‘Immortal, Omnipresent and Almighty God or Allah’. An effective enemy should an have equal power compared to the other. Everybody is silly before the God who knows everything. Then how can men or women can be the enemies of the God?

In the absence of spirituality and perverted view of the God, some body may be branded as ‘enemies of the God’ and others as ‘fighters of the God’ This is nothing but materialism and above all Machiavellianism designed to take revenge upon somebody or eliminating him or her. No True God has any enemy or unfaithful and no God needs any warrior or fighter. It is not men but Angels fight for the God.

04/12/23

Islam and Christianity in Crisis: Unresolved Questions and New Trends. By Dr. Raju M. Mathew

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Jesus Christ had told or revealed the ways of Happiness and the importance of meditation for attaining them. For the over dominance of Moses, Jacob, David and Abraham or the Old Testament in the mind of the early followers of Jesus Christ, they could not grasp what Jesus was telling.

Such confusions have been persisting in the teaching of Christianity with regard to Pleasures, Happiness, Heaven or Kingdom of God- whether it is in the hearts of the living or a place set apart for the dead, Paradise with pleasures and good things or Hell with pain, fire, poverty, curses and other physical hardships.

Christian theologians, molded by the Greek Philosophers could not understand the essence of the teaching of Jesus on Happiness or Spirituality and even the Kingdom of God that have been dealt in the Gospel of St. John and others. It can be understood only with a deep knowledge of Sanadhana Dharma or Indian spirituality.


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Jesus had even lamented that his followers could not understand him and his messages. Of the four gospels, it is the gospel of St. John that sheds some light on the teaching of Jesus drifting away from Abraham or Moses and giving importance to Spirituality and Universal God, the Heavenly Father who is no way comparable to their Lord or Yahweh. The essence of Sanadhana Dharma can be found in the teaching of Jesus in a most beautiful and precise way.

The teaching of Jesus were a clear deviation from the beliefs, ideologies and practices of Moses, David and Abraham for they could not present a Universal God, an ideology based on human element of love, mercy and forgiveness and above all spirituality in their words or deeds.

Jesus had even refused to consider himself as the son of David and declared that the Age of Laws (of Moses) and Prophets had already been over and he had propounded The New Laws or Testament based on Love, mercy and forgiveness.

God- Man relationship for Jesus is based on Love and as such, there is no need for any prophet. This has made the Old Testament totally irrelevant, other than historical purposes. However, Christianity has been giving importance to the Old Testament, some times more than the New Testament.


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Christianity is in confusion in the teaching of Jesus with regard to considering all human beings as the Sons (Daughters) of the Heavenly Father and considering Jesus as the Son of God. The confusion is more evident in its teaching about Jesus as the ‘Only Son of God’ and at the same time addressing the same God, ‘Our Father…’.

If all human beings are the children of the God, then how can Jesus be considered as His Only Son. If Jesus is the Only Son of the God, how can his followers address the same God as ‘Our Father in Heaven..” as had been taught by the Jesus. He had specified the condition to become the son or daughter of the God: “love, not fear, your God” and “love your enemy”.

It was unimaginable and unacceptable and more than a blasphemy for the Jews to consider Jesus as ‘the son of the God’ and God as his ‘Father’ and his oneness with God, for their total ignorance of spirituality and its absence in their religion.

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It is high time for Islam and Christianity to get into realities and understand the agony, misery and aspirations of their own followers, especially the newly emerging youth and women who constitute over 80% of their fold. Unless Islam and Christianity are ready to learn, change and adopt new approaches, their relevance will be lost for ever, leaving their huge churches and mosques empty or reducing as mere tourist and entertainment centres.

God will take care of the life after death, but we have to take care of the life before death. The Almighty God does not want us to fight for Him or quarrel each other. He can destroy anything or anybody within a fraction of a second. His Angeles will do every thing for Him without the support of any man or woman, Muslim or Hindu or Christian. Let us learn to live and enjoy life on the basis of an understanding of the God, The Nature and the Humanity, that is the only Way for Happiness. Islam and Christianity must learn to bring Peace, Happiness and Development for all men on earth.


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The answers and clarifications for the above noted questions and confusions of both Islam and Christianity can be found in the wisdom, philosophy and way of life of the people of ancient India, originated before Sanskrit and Hinduism. It is called Sanadhana Dharma based on the worship of the One and the Only One Supreme God. It is not Hinduism or Brahmanism or Caste System or Cow worshipping or Worshipping Thousands of gods and god men or god women and marketing spirituality.

Sanadhana Dharma prescribes the means for the perfect integration of the physical, intellectual and spiritual life or world of man, irrespective of religion or nationality or race. Its universality can be adopted in Islam and Christianity so as to ensure Peace, Development and Understanding for the Humanity.

Every human being is the result of an integration of the body, mind and soul and also an integration with the Nature, the Cosmic and the Humanity. Such a realization and leading a life balancing all these aspects are the basis of happiness and enjoying the pleasures of life. These issues have been discussed in my earlier presentations on ‘Sanadhana Dharma’ and ‘Happiness and Enjoying the Pleasures of Life – the India Way’.


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ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY ARE IN GREAT CRISIS WITHOUT ANY SOLUTION

Spiritual

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