Religious Paradigms in Conflict

August 15, 2007.


Religious Paradigms in conflict
By T.S.Khanna

In every society, at any point in time, there exists a body of beliefs, convictions, sentiments, accepted principles, and firmly rooted prejudices which taken together provide a framework of public thought process. Such framework is based on certain fundamental assumptions, true or false, tested or untested, that are held by the society to be true and factual with such confidence that they hardly appear to bear the character of assumptions. This dominant theoretical framework controlling and guiding the pattern of public thought, behavior, and perception of observation and experiences is the paradigm of the society.

The sanctified religious paradigm becomes a self-perpetuating dogma and the faithful accept only those phenomena that fit in with the model of “reality” defined by the paradigm. History indicates and the present times confirm that such paradigms concentrate power in religious leaders.

When religious paradigms get in conflict, the religious leaders, due to their vested interests, do not re-examine their respective paradigms for a peaceful resolution. Instead, they use the religious group as a political party and exploit the gullible followers as the power base. They abandon the true spirit of religion and do not posses the capability of serving political interests of the followers. The result is misery for the followers convinced of their own “religious realities”.

The solution to this problem may be initiated by bringing out and openly discussing esoterica of all religions that serve the basis of conflict. People should then be able to visualize weaknesses in the roots of conflict.