Religious disharmony is a misnomer. Religion unites people’s hearts. No true follower of any religion will ever condemn other religions. He will, on the contrary, promote goodwill and understanding, peace and harmony.
What creates disharmony is the irreligious part of man, the animal quality in man. It is greed, lust, selfishness and egoism. They generate fear, and fear leads to wars. None of the religions of the world sanction these bestial qualities.
We are living in a new world. We are living in the atomic age. An immediate change of heart is inevitable. The strongest bond of love must unite the hearts of all. Bestial passions must be banished. Tis can be achieved only by the practice of religion.The second factor that creates disharmony is intellectual gymnastics. The true follower of any religion will busy himself with practicing its tenets. He will be conscious only of the need to perfect himself. But the intellect is fond of creating newer and newer theories and, therefore, greater and greater division. The intellect should yield to the heart; practice should take precedence over theory.
What creates disharmony is the irreligious part of man, the animal quality in man. It is greed, lust, selfishness and egoism. They generate fear, and fear leads to wars. None of the religions of the world sanction these bestial qualities.
We are living in a new world. We are living in the atomic age. An immediate change of heart is inevitable. The strongest bond of love must unite the hearts of all. Bestial passions must be banished. Tis can be achieved only by the practice of religion.The second factor that creates disharmony is intellectual gymnastics. The true follower of any religion will busy himself with practicing its tenets. He will be conscious only of the need to perfect himself. But the intellect is fond of creating newer and newer theories and, therefore, greater and greater division. The intellect should yield to the heart; practice should take precedence over theory.
Swami Sivananda
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