Decentralisation of authority is the core concern of democracy. Therefore, the three monotheistic Semitic religions of exclusive subservience to a solitary divine authority -- despite the Christian concept of the Divine Trinity -- are all fundamentally opposed to it. No wonder such terrible tyranny has been perpetrated by them throughout history.
The Sanatan Dharma, on the other hand, is entirely decentralised with innumerable gods and goddesses occupying devotional centre-stage in people's lives and are, as such, wholly in tune with the democratic aspirations of humanity. Yet, despite such philosophical liberalism in India, true democracy has hardly ever been in the social plane for a sizeable period of time since, perhaps, the days of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
The Greeks also practised the worship of multiple gods and goddesses and democracy in politics. But they were overrun by barbarians and their democracy undone in due course.
The pertinent point, though, is this that if religion imposes undemocratic ideas and by centralised authority thwarts human aspirations for democracy, it is a regressive force. But if religion allows liberal ideas to flourish in a universal acceptance of varying viewpoints, it is a progressive force and surely in harmony with human democratic aspirations. The ground reality may differ, though, despite such theoretical universality, and we have seen how society in India has cruelly not been allowed to grow out of rigid moulds even though religion has been here totally free to flower and evolve along diverse channels of ingenious thinking. Between the principle and its practice there has remained an unbridged gap as yet. But the idea in germ is there in the scriptural texts. All that is needed is its activation in real life. The Semitic religions, on the other hand, have somewhat better democratised society but need to broaden the scope of their theological aspect.
Written by Sugata Bose
No comments:
Post a Comment