QUESTION

“We do not find in Indian History any war against heretics, why? Is the normal Indian argumentative, tolerating manifold positions, and stands as to the truth? “How do you evaluate?

-Peter Joy

ANSWER : Jacob Parappally MSFS

A statement attributed to St Augustine of Hippo says, ‘The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.” However, many religious fundamentalists are prepared to kill others and are willing to be killed by others in the process of defending those doctrines of their religions which they believe to be true. It is possible that one may be killed or martyred because he or she is committed to a religious belief that does not do any harm to anyone. But it is a different matter when the believers in one religion, ideology or socio-political system wage war against the heretics of their own religion or against their opponents to kill and destroy them because they do not adhere to their religious beliefs and practices or their political ideology.

Claims to possess Truth

All those who wage war against others claim that they are on the side of truth to defend it whatever that truth is and condemn others who do not subscribe to their claim of having truth. In fact, real truth does not need foot-soldiers or mercenaries to defend it. Only those do not know the real truth about themselves, the mystery of others and God can wage war against others. There are some who do not claim to know what truth is or possess it. They are indifferent to any claims of truth. They tolerate the views of others on truth and even any aggressive defense of truth. But still there are other enlightened minds who are convinced of Truth or Reality that transcends them and believe that they do not possess this Truth but are possessed by the Truth. There are others who believe that they possess truth and aggressively defend what they believe to be true and are willing to go to any extent, even to kill others who oppose their claim to possess Truth.
In the history of India we may not find any instances of any war against heretics because the Hindu religion is not an organized religion like Semitic religions which have their own sacred books and a set of doctrines that bind their adherents to follow the same without questioning. If any member of their religion does not accept any doctrine of their religions or change or interpret them according to their reasoning and conviction as well as publicly announce it, they are condemned as heretics and are excommunicated. Each Semitic religion whether Judaism, Christianity or Islam claims that it possesses Truth and others do not possess it. History shows that in the past they did not hesitate to wage war against each other and even with others to defend the claimed truth of theirs and surprisingly even in our own times, we have seen that the Islamic fundamentalists waging war against Christians and Yezidis in Syria and Iraq.
As long as humans do not accept the limitations of their own knowledge about the height and depth of the mystery of Absolute Truth which many call God and the limitations of human languages to articulate their knowledge and experience of Truth the strife between different claimants of Truth will continue. Such conflicts can escalate into war and violence when other perverted interests to secure power to dominate others are added to it. A toxic mixture of religious fanaticism, bigotry, hunger for political and economic power can beget war against other nations and peoples in the name of defending Truth. This may not happen in cultures and societies where people are aware that Truth is beyond human comprehension as its rays reach human mind and reflects through their imagination in different ways. Therefore, various expressions zof it are considered equally valid and no one can claim that only his or her interpretation of Truth is the right one and other ones are false. Such is the world-view of ancient India as expressed in the Rig Veda (1.164.46) “The truth is one, but the sages (or learned ones) call it by many names”. This ancient insight into the mystery of Truth and its various expressions influenced the Indian world –view and thinking that ‘an argumentative Indian’ will not argue to establish what he/she holds must be accepted by others as the only way of understanding the Truth but only does so to affirm his/her view also needs to be acknowledged as one of the expressions of Truth.

Fragile Tolerance and Co-existence

The attitude of tolerance expressed in the statement, “Live and let live” is sometimes interpreted as an attitude of indifference or non-interference in the lives of others. It is also considered a condescension by some if it is seen as one religious or ethnic group permitting others to live the way they choose to live especially if the group is a majority and others are minorities. When one person, or a group of persons or the people one religion, socio-cultural or political entity let others live without being a threat to them, it can be considered tolerance in general. In India we see people continue to live and interact among themselves positively even though they do not share same religious beliefs or political ideologies or even ethnic affinity. However, from time to time there were conflicts among the people of different castes of Hindu religion itself as well as among the people of different religions in India. Though India is known for its religious tolerance and tolerance in general, it is a fragile tolerance which can be easily destroyed by the machinations of unscrupulous leaders who can evoke religious or ideological sentiments among their followers and make them believe that those who do not share their religious beliefs or ideologies are there enemies. They would label others not only as the enemies of their religions and the enemies of the republic. Though the composite Indian culture did recognize the different possibilities of expressing the Truth which cannot be exhausted by any one expression and admit the relationality of various expressions among themselves and with the Ultimate Truth, such principles of tolerance are easily abandoned during religious conflicts.
It is inherent in the very self-understanding of all three Semitic religions that each one of them believes that they are “the chosen race” and interpret the same concept further as an exclusive privilege. They consider others excluded from the chosen race. They set boundaries of their religions and the membership of these religions limited to those who accept unconditionally all the doctrines of these religions and follow specific rituals prescribed by each Semitic religion. One can become a member of these religions by conversion. Theoretically, nobody can become a Hindu as it is not an organized religion with rules to include and exclude members. A Hindu is one who is born to Hindu parents. Though the Hindu schools of philosophy distinguish astikas who accept authority of Vedas, the reality of atman, brahminical priesthood and caste system and nastikas who do not accept any of them like Buddhists, Jains, ascetic Ajivakas and materialist Charvakas, anyone can be a Hindu if one is born in a Hindu family whatever one believes or has no belief at all. A theist or an atheist, an agnostic or a materialist can be a Hindu. Some insist that one must follow his or her caste duties. Even if one is ostracized from his or her caste, he or she cannot be excommunicated from Hindu religion as it is not a religion like Semitic religions. It is a way of life. Brahmabandhab Upadhyaya (1861 -1907), the Father of Indian Christian Theology, claimed that he was a Hindu-Catholic. He affirmed that according to samaj-dharma he was a Hindu but according to saadhan-dharma he was a catholic. It shows that one can be a member of Hindu society and follow any religious belief if she or he chooses to. Such an attitude of the Hindu society grew from the conviction that the Truth that transcends all and is immanent in all can be expressed in as many ways as possible and all of them point to the Truth.
In the present time the pluralistic world-view of Hinduism has been manipulated by some for political ends coining a religious and socio-cultural concept called Hindutva. The Hindutva ideology is fascistic in its political vision, fundamentalist in religious vision of Hinduism incorporating the exclusivist Semitic idea of religion, regressive as it glorifies the cruelly discriminating caste system and gender inequality. It tries to rally around all Hindus of whatever caste or outcaste they belong to through vicious propaganda that the people belonging to minority religions are a threat to Hindu religion and the Indian nation. The movements demanding to create a Hindu-rashtra which are covertly or overtly supported by the Sangh Parivar and the religious fundamentalist party in power are jettisoning the enlightened understanding of Truth that it has a plurality of expressions and are embracing an exclusivist and limited understanding and interpretation of Truth which lets only one expression of it as legitimate and valid. This ideology is propagated by those who wield political power. The so called tolerance of the people of India and the happy co-existence of the people of different beliefs and ideologies living together in peace and harmony are presented as the weakness of the Hindu society which outsiders have exploited to enslave the Indian society. By playing with the emotions of people, unenlightened religious and political leaders tell them that they were victims in the past and they must regain their rights by fighting against the minorities who do not belong to Hindu religion. Tolerance without right relationship and co-existence without co-insistence are so fragile that it can be destroyed by cunning and vile wolfs in sheep’s clothing.

Truth unites, Untruth or Lie divides

‘Truth that enlightens every human being coming into the world’ cannot divide people because everyone is possessed by that Truth. It includes everyone in it. Therefore, when humans exclude others in the name of religion, class, caste, gender, language, ethnicity or nationality and unleash violence or wage war against others, Truth suffers because such attitudes of exclusion and discrimination among humans is being not true to themselves. Humans of whatever religion or ideology, nationality or ethnicity are not called to just co-exist or tolerate one another but realize their inter-relatedness and co-insistence and live as fellow human beings or children of the same Truth who is the Father and mother of all.
The power of Truth unites everyone as it involves transparent communication and genuine dialogue. Many wars are fought in the name of Truth because of stubbornness of some human minds not to be open to Truth or due to their ignorance. When there is open dialogue to understand the various visions of Truth seen through the window of each one’s mind and it is truthfully shared and gracefully accepted our vision of Truth expands. The ancient practice of samanvaya where each enunciation of Truth is respected and acknowledged is not relativizing Truth but seeing their relationality of the various visions of Truth that transcends all enunciations of it. But when instead of the power of Truth one follows truth of power which is used to dominate, control, discriminate, subjugate and enslave then it is only power that divides and destroys. Truth indeed unites, untruth divides!