Eternal Religion

“A man must be born in a church but he must not die in a Church"
                                                                                     – Swami Vivekananda

God is one and indivisible.  All the theological battles arise when we insist that externals of religion be kept forever. All great religions are divided into 3 parts:  a ritual, mythology, philosophy. Rituals and mythology form the external of religion while the philosophy forms the basis of any religion. There can never be uniformity in rituals or mythologies as they are the abstract ideas of philosophy constructed for the grasp of ordinary minds. They should be given up when the soul through its purity and discipline is able to comprehend the essence of the religion. All philosophies teach us 2 things: the fundamental truth of existence and the truth of life. 

There can never be my religion or your religion or even a national religion. There is only one eternal religion and all the religions of the world are manifestations of it to suit different temperaments. If one religion is true then all religions are equally true as all religions are efficacious in all respects as suited to the diverse conditions of the minds.

Men quarrel about religions because they emphasize on the words, personalities and explanations but never go to the fountainhead. Different religions are different forces of God and all are necessary to maintain equilibrium of the world and enhance the richness of creation. They are not antagonistic but complementary. All the ancient great religions of the world are justified in their existence and the attitude towards any religion should be not of tolerance but of acceptance. Tolerance implies viewing another faith as inferior than one’s own. All religions are revelation of God in different aspects to satisfy the demands of human minds. God is but one and indivisible. The different Gods of religious mythology are different aspects of the absolute as comprehended by the finite human minds. The task of religion is to educate the world and make man go the way of tolerance and peace. Each religion must contribute its portion to that divine event towards which the whole of creation moves. All religions are simply an attempt to unveil ourselves and to explain our Self.

Not for the sake of the child is the child dear,

the child is dear for the sake of the self.

Not for the sake of the wife is the wife dear

not for the sake of the husband is the husband dear,

the wife is dear for the sake of the Self – so also the husband.

This is the Truth.

(Excerpts taken from "Voice of Babaji")