SYNCRETIC RELIGION By T.S.Khanna, November 26, 2023..

 

 

Syncretic Religion

By T.S. Khanna, November 25,2023,

Foundation For Better Government,

164-Canyon Vista Place,

Alamo, CA-94507

 

In our hunger for knowledge, we float along with a wide variety of misinformation. 

“It is not what we do not know that hurts us.  It is what we know for sure that is not so”-----Mark Twain.

 

In the past, different prophets have perceived different ideal Gods and their edifices designed, including the hell and heaven.  In the process, they generated conflicting temporal and spiritual values, belief systems and customs.

 

Besides the perceived ideal Gods, there seems to be a practicing God who “often gives victory to the strong, crooked, and wicked; bestows wealth on the smart and intelligent; gifts superior living to the wise; gives courage without discretion to the foolish; gives optimism without insight to those in blind faith; gives an Overdose of morality and humility to the weak-minded; and, promises an illusion of heaven after death to the religion-obedient”.

 

Now in the advancing technology and changing culture, there seems to be a compelling need to minimize religious conflicts.  We need to scrutinize to the very roots of long-held, faith-based, cherished values, beliefs, and convictions with a purpose to rediscover, reinvent, replant and revitalize the conflicting values to shift their center of gravity within the acceptance range of modern people engaged in international affairs.

 

By softening and combining certain values, beliefs, and customs, we should be able to eventually evolve a Syncretic Religion, minimizing religious conflicts.  Imagine the positive effect of eliminating religious conflicts on humanity.

 

We urge the United Nations to initiate and complete this task.

 

 

 

MUSLIMS' AND NON-MUSLIMS' PERCEPTIONS BY T.S.Khanna, November 12, 2023.

 

Muslims’ and Non-Muslims’ Perceptions

By T.S. Khanna, November 11, 2023,

Foundation For Better Government,

 

Quite often, public perception of certain groups of people or of happenings is developed thru short narratives or syllogisms, based on casual observations, not necessarily on true knowledge.  Negative perceptions, thus developed, are not necessarily of reality and cause public misunderstanding to a flash point.

 

Here, the purpose is to give sunlight to some of the prevailing perceptions or misperceptions so that they may be clarified at governments’ level for a better understanding between the Muslims and non-Muslims.

 

The perception or misperceptions are

·      Muslims believe in Shahada: There is no other God but Allah and Mohammad is the only Messenger of Allah.  It means, no other religion is recognized and all non-Muslims are non-believers or “Kafirs” (Arabic).

·      Muslim violence is driven by political ideology embedded in Islam: Muslims are soldiers of Allah and Kafirs are enemies of Allah.  It is the sacred duty of Muslims to capture, convert, or kill “Kafirs”---non-Muslims.

·      Jihad, involving killing, raping, conversions, to advance the power of Islam is rewarded in heaven.

·      Muslims believe that entire world population must be converted to Islam and eventually one Muslim Sultan will rule the world.

·      Women are denied equality with men: A Muslim can have four wives and may divorce any one at any time at his discretion.  Honor killing of women by male members of the family is morally accepted.  In order to “save women from promiscuity”, their organ is mutilated at a religious ceremony to diminish their sexual desire.

·      Under Sharia Law, in public view, women are stoned to death, men are beheaded, and thieves’ hands are cut off in full pain for adultery or apostasy.

·      The concept of Muslim-Brotherhood has been established and often referred to as a threat of Muslim unity against non-Muslims---Kafirs.

·      Islam cannot be separated from government: American type of Democracy, separating religion from government, cannot be acceptable in Islam.

 

United Nations is urged to bring tension causing perceptions in public for an open discussion to defuse tensions.

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