Introduction to Jainism and its Culture

SR No.: 001605
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Balbhadra Jain
Publisher: Kundkund Gyanpith Indore
Publication Year: 2002
Total Pages: 334
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Religion, & Culture
File Size: 21 MB

Page 52

RELIGION AND SECT
No religious sect in this world is eternal. The origin of every existing sect can be traced to some influential person belonging to a particular period and geographical area who branded his personal beliefs and opinions as religion. The inherent purpose of fostering and satisfying the personal ego of the propagator is the inspiring cause of establishing these sects. That person declares him-self to be unique and divine personage as compared to the ordinary common people. Fully exploiting and utilizing the faith of his followers, he proves him-self to be a miraculous and sagacious individual. He establishes him-self to be a part and incarnation of the so-called entity God, with a conceptual name and form. Instead of prudence, he wishes to evoke blind faith in his devoted followers so that they are always under the influence of his pseudo-miracles. In fact, the purpose behind calling his writings as superhuman or those of God is that people continue to accept those writings as sacrosanct canon and have no doubts in anything included therein.
Indeed, all different sects have their origin in the social needs of their respective time and place; they are not religions. Most of the religions in the world are known by names of individuals. A sect bearing the name of an individual may represent the ideology of that person but on what basis can it claim to be the eternal truth? All sects claim to be religions but encourage violence, misconduct, aversion, and envy. The history of religions reveals that these so-called religions have been intolerant to other religions and faiths. These religions have dealt cruelly and atrociously with people belonging to other religions and faiths and proselytized them at the point of the sword. These religions have also sanctified destruction of followers of other religions. Although propagation of moral values and spread of love for humanity being their pronounced goal, they have worked for spread of falsity, hatred and superstition. Getting support of the state, these sects took terrible and destructive shape and inflicted horrifying atrocities on followers of other religions and faiths. This apparition called sectarianism threw Buddhism out of India. It reduced thousands of scriptures to ashes; set fire to many centers of knowledge; transformed or destroyed thousands of temples, idols, and churches, deprived millions of people of human rights by branding them untouchables;
35