Diversity of Religions and Human Values

Diversity of Religions and Human Values

Dr M. D. Thomas

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‘Diversity’ is the most central reality of the creation. It is the most vital endowment of the Creator, too. Bereft of diversity, life in the world may perhaps never be imagined. Without diversity, life would make no sense at all, as well.

Diversity has two elements in it – ‘to be more than one’ and ‘to be different’. The world is plural in its essence. The items of the world are specific in the way they are and they exist. Both these elements together make sense out of life as well as of diversity.

‘To be more than one’ would mean ‘being plural’ or ‘many’. The planetary system, the vegetation, the animal kingdom and the human species – all of them are multifarious in their character. The items of the world defy being counted. They are countless, indeed so.

‘To be different’ is the essence of any being, of human beings in particular. Being distinct makes one unique and second to none in this world.To be different is to have something that the other does not have or lack something that the other has. That underlines the value and dignity of every person and item. The very idea of difference gives glory to the greatness of the Creator, even without his or her direct intervention, every time.

‘Difference’ is not a negative factor. It is basically a positive element. It is the source of enrichment. It is a creative component, too. The idea of male-female is a case in point. But for the distinctiveness of every being, life would have been so insipid, barren and boring. No doubt, the individuality of every being and human being deserves being duly honoured.

‘All the arenas of human life’ are characterized by diversity. Ethnic traits, genders, languages and ideologies are diverse.Caste, class, creed and culture are varied, too. Food habits, dress patterns and other social customs and traditions are different, as well. The entire life is a question of celebrating diversity.

Further, ‘diversity of religions’ is one of the most significant areas of human civilization. Seers and prophets of exceptional human and divine calibre, accomplishments and stature, at different places and times of human history, served the foundation for the diverse traditions of religion.

The ‘God-men and women’ lived an elevated as well as a revolutionary life that was sound with spiritual consciousness and human values. Their life styles became examples, beyond compare, and par excellence. They initiated new traditions, like springs that burst out as powerful flowsof water in the form of streams and rivers.

The seers presented to the world an ‘ethical fibre’ that is morally, socially and spiritually edifying and acceptable. So are the diverse religious traditions that guide the humans to their eternal destination. The traditions developed as a system of stories, myths, theological abstractions, rituals and devotions. The best part of their contribution to the human world is aprecise albumof human values. 

Furthermore, ‘human values’ are the core content of the religious traditions, sacred scriptures, too. Human values are principles, ideals and values that elevate human beings to social and spiritual heights, yes, to the larger and higher consciousness of life. Human values are the meeting point of human beings, of divine and human realms, as well.

‘Individual religious traditions’ are definitely diverse reservoirs of human values. Individually, that is to say, independent of other religious traditions, they are good enough asa set ofhuman values, enough for fairly a meaningful life. Most people satisfy themselves with human values that are within the religious system they have inherited or are born into.

But, when ‘traditions of different religions are pooled together’there is a larger volume of human values. The quality of human values is intensified and multiplied, when various traditions of religions are brought together. It is like when the parts are put together, it becomes the ‘whole’, that would facilitate a ‘collective consciousness’.  Therefore, all believers have to learn from all religious traditions, in view of all around and better quality of human values. 

Besides, ‘diversity of religions’ is highly enriching in its character. It refines the human mind, heart and spirit. It boosts up the mental, emotional and spiritual potentials. It elevates the social, collective and cultural capabilities. It makes the humans ‘all-inclusive and universal’ in one’s stature as human beings.

The diverse religious traditions are ‘complementary’ to each other. ‘One completes the other’ is the logic. Different traditions are individual windows to look at the world and human life. When the traditions are shared among the humans, a more complete picture of the human world emerges. Together, the values of different traditions are capable of defining human life more qualitatively and conclusively, in an all-round and richer way, as well.   

The ‘distinctiveness’ of all religious traditions has a major role to play in making good human beings. It contributes to making good citizens, not only of a particular country but also of the world human society. It is like individual human beings becoming richer human beings in the process of mutual sharing, friendship and fellowship.

In addition, the ‘colloquium of diverse religious traditions’ is the ‘gift of the same God’. They are the ‘common cultural heritage of the human society’. They cannot be considered ‘yours and mine’, they are ‘ours’. The wisdom of the great Creator is such that he or she has distributed his or her gifts all over the world, in all individuals, communities and nations. The wisdom of the humans, in return, is in sharing those values and in celebrating the ‘common origin, common existence and common destiny’. 

It is said, ‘fully human is fully divine’. The diversity of religious traditions is ample means for making human beings fully human and ‘humane’. ‘What is done to the humans is what is done to the divine, as well. The great diversity of religions in the world is the collective way for the humans to become ‘fully divine’ in the world and beyond, too. 

What’s more, in the ‘troubled times’ of the world as well as of Indian history, only human values can come to the rescue of human beings across the globe. The communally divisive and discriminative tendencies of the country and of the world can be treated only through the austere practice of human values. In a special way, when the country and the world seem to be failing in human values and ethics, in a major way, living human values alone can be a counter dose.

Our human world in India and in the world requires being redeemed from the ‘erosion of human values’ and social ethics. The ‘shrinking of the social space’ and the increasing ‘distance among religious and other communities’ have to be mended by consistent efforts for ‘crisscrossing the human values of diverse traditions of religions’. Only then, considerations of high and low, rich and poor, us and them, familiar and strange, and the like, can be counteracted and balanced. 

In the words of Jesus the Christ, ‘religion is for human beings’ and not human beings for religion. The best part of religion is its scheme of values. Religion is not a means to go to heaven. Instead, it is adevice to apply heavenly values and sentiments to life and to make a ‘heaven’ out of our human lives. This effort calls for living values of religions. Imbibing the values of diverse religions is the best and foolproof way of applying human values to life, well, a ‘heavenly’ life of harmony and peace.

Above and beyond, values of the Constitution of India, like freedom, fraternity, equality, justice, integrity, dignity, and the like, have to prevail strongly. Universal human values of respect, interaction, cooperation, harmony, unity, peace, happiness, etc have to reign all throughout, too. Negativities, like selfishness, arrogance, hate, separatism, discrimination, division, autocracy and unhappiness have to disappear. Positive and creative thinking have to emerge. A better tomorrow that is distinct with ‘human values’ has to usher in, in view of a more meaningful 21^st century and ahead. 

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The author is Director of Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi, and has been committed to cross-cultural perspectives, cross-scriptural values, constitutional values, interfaith relations, social ethics, communal harmony, national integration and social wellbeing, for the past nearly 45 years. He pursues the above mission through lectures, articles, books, messages, video messages, conferences, social interactions, views at TV channels, and the like. He could be contacted at ‘mdthomas53@gmail.com’.