Can “true religion” be a basis for hatred or division among people? Based on the historical record, it seems clear that the answer is, yes.
Of course, that answer puts me at odds with many people, including the Prime Minister of India, who insist that “true religion” is always warm, peaceful and loving. It’s not. Or, if you prefer, the whole notion of “true religion” is a poor way to address the issues which seem to concern the PM.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked people this week to battle religious fanaticism. About that we are in total agreement. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop there.
He went on to assert “that true religion cannot be the basis of hatred and division”. That is where we not only part company, but I fear that like all people who make such claims, he may be creating a dangerously naive understanding of religion. Not to mention the painful irony that his claim about “true religion” not causing division, was made in the context of what was widely understood as a thinly veiled attack on his political rivals, the BJP and Narendra Modi.
People tend to confuse their own understanding of things, especially religion, with that which is true, and worse, that when others disagree with them, those people and their beliefs are necessarily false. That approach cultivates hubris regarding the perfection of our own views, and contempt for the views of others. Therein lies the danger of Prime Minister Sing’s approach.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no interest in any faith teaching hatred. But that sentiment gets expressed even by the representatives of communities which do some rather hateful things!
I have sat too many times with those who advocate the bombing of buses, the shooting of doctors who perform abortions, and a variety of less violent but equally fanatical acts, all of whom claim that what they are doing is not hateful. And it’s not as simple as saying that they are just lying.
When the argument gets made by such folks, they say that what they are doing is okay and true because it is not really hatred, but a justifiable stance against what is understood to be evil. So they too would say that “true religion” is always loving and good…as long as one defines the terms as they do. It’s a battle over language that has no end, and actually gets in the way of resolving genuine differences.
Rather than fighting about what is and isn’t “true religion”, I find it much more useful to think about what is real?- both in our own lives, and in the lives of others. Rather than making claims about what is “true religion” and by extension, “false religion”, we need to appreciate what is real?- what guides our lives, and what speaks to our hearts and minds. We may not like?- dare I say hate?- some people’s answers, but at least that creates a common framework in which people can talk with each other rather than at each other.
Ultimately, all of our faiths are like fires; they can be used to warm our homes or to burn down the world. Rather than fight about what is true, let us take responsibility for that which we choose to do, especially given that every faith I know, can be used to do either.
I don’t doubt PM Singh’s sincerity, and I join him in working to address the dangers of fanaticism. I just hope that we spend less time fighting about “The Truth” and “true religion”, and instead deal with whatever is real for people, whether we like it or not. That is how we reach people where they are, rather than simply lecture them about where we would like them to be.
Listed for many years in Newsweek as one of America’s “50 Most Influential Rabbis” and recognized as one of our nation’s leading “Preachers and Teachers,” by Beliefnet.com, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield serves as the President of Clal–The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a training institute, think tank, and resource center nurturing religious and intellectual pluralism within the Jewish community, and the wider world, preparing people to meet the biggest challenges we face in our increasingly polarized world.
An ordained Orthodox rabbi who studied for his PhD and taught at The Jewish Theological Seminary, he has also taught the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs an ongoing seminar, and American Jewish University. Rabbi Brad regularly teaches and consults for the US Army and United States Department of Defense, religious organizations — Jewish and Christian — including United Seminary (Methodist), Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Modern Orthodox) Luther Seminary (Lutheran), and The Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) — civic organizations including No Labels, Odyssey Impact, and The Aspen Institute, numerous Jewish Federations, and a variety of communal and family foundations.
Hirschfield is the author and editor of numerous books, including You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism, writes a column for Religion News Service, and appears regularly on TV and radio in outlets ranging from The Washington Post to Fox News Channel. He is also the founder of the Stand and See Fellowship, which brings hundreds of Christian religious leaders to Israel, preparing them to address the increasing polarization around Middle East issues — and really all currently polarizing issues at home and abroad — with six words, “It’s more complicated than we know.”