RELIGION OFFERS WAY TO SOLVE CONFLICTS

THE law of gravitation is the only law that everybody observes. Why keep enacting laws when we have more than we can break?

A proposed legislation, known as the Religious and Racial Hatred Act, to protect religions from insults and slurs, would be confrontational in nature. A law will produce a determinative outcome as it is designed to resolve the dispute rather than to discover the cause of the insults or slurs.

Will punishment effectively and efficiently end the problem? Will it discover the underlying problems and produce lasting solutions?

In my opinion, the law will not be therapeutic. In a multiracial and multireligious society, we must evaluate the consequences and the impact the law will create.

Dialogues will be a better option and beneficial to every party. For example, some time back, a local preacher had inaccurately commented on the Hindu deity Ganesha, which culminated nongovernmental organisations lodging reports.

The story of Ganesha is an ancient one recorded in the Puranas, which contain the symbolic explanations and the significant inner meanings of the teachings of the ancient Vedas.

Despite the uproar, there was no avenue for the parties to discuss and correct the inaccuracies. Assuming that a charge had been preferred, the inaccuracies would remain and would repeat itself.

It was thanks to the press that letters by the public were printed to point out the inaccuracies that created the problem. Had an opportunity for discussion been available, the situation would have been different.

An avenue to discuss these misunderstandings will be an advantage in terms of constructively restructuring the degenerated relationships of the conflicting parties.

It will produce a therapeutic result by successful communication between the parties and preserve the relations between the different faiths.

Some have argued that comparative religion talks are the solution. Is it?

Comparative talks have deviated from its purpose. Some speakers over-exercise their lower jaw with inaccurate facts that amount to ridiculing other religions.

There is something defective in the concept of comparative religious talks and, therefore, it should not be attempted to resolve conflicts.

Religion has provided a mechanism to solve conflicts.

Look within it and we will find that it is appealing to humankind to come together in a spirit of love to talk, discuss and decide in a harmonious way.