| Awaken Bharata |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| SARVA DHARMA SAMABHAVA : UNITY OR CONFUSION OF RELIGIONS | |
| It has not
created a genuine pluralism but has become an instrument for trying to remake pluralistic
religions like Hinduism in a Western monotheistic mold, or rejecting them as primitive
because they don't resemble the world's so called great religions and their model of One
God, One Teacher and One Book. Modern Hindus under this idea are inclined to say that they
are also monotheists, that they also have their prophets, and their Bible, rather
than affirming the pluralism of their tradition which cannot be reduced along such
stereoptyed lines. In fact pluralism in religion is more important than unity. A respect for different Dharmas is more important than making all Dharmas the same. If we accept pluralism in religion - that there are many different religions which teach different and sometimes contrary things and that people should be free to follow whatever religion they wish, emphasizing the discovery of truth - this would go farther in creating religious tolerance than calling all religions the same, which they clearly are not. Modern Sarva Dharma Samabhava, in failing to emphasize pluralism, ends up creating intolerance by trying to put all religions in the same mold, which tends to over emphasize the importance of certain monotheistic beliefs. Those who do not accept their simplistic equation of religion are rejected on principle as irreligious. |
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