Jainism Not an Atheisam

Author(s): Herbert Warren
Publisher: Herbert Warren

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ment of salvation it is necessary to control the passions and desires, and to sever one's wordly connections, and people who believe God to be a creator argue that as God has given them these passions and desires, why should man try to suppress them, and having been sent into the world why should man try to sever his connection with it or live an unwordly life? So that, it is obvious that the worship of God as creator does not necessarily lead to a virtuous life or to salvation (moksha). Thus we have additional reason why the Jains do not attribute to Diety the quality of being a creator, but regard God as a pure and perfect being, omniscient, happy all-powerful, and eternal, who neither creates other things or beings, nor rewards nor punishes.
Another argument sometimes put forward by those who believe that the Deity is the creator, is with regard to punishment and reward ; it is said that in the world criminals and evil doers are not punished where there are no judges or magistrates, and that in the same way the soul could not be punished or rewarded after death for its good and evil actions unless there were a ruler of the universe. In answer to this it must be remembered in the first place that criminals are not always punished.by a judge or a magistrate, but receive their punishment in some other way by getting killed by accidents, such as falling from a window when burglaring, or by getting diseased, etc.; and in the second place it must be remerirbered that judges and thagistrates sometimes-send to prisoft innocent persons while the real culprit gets off free. Thusit' cannot be that one's punishment and reward come by judges and magistrates ; there must be some other cause, According to the Jain thieory the cause of punishment and reward is what is called 'karma.' It has the capacity at