Religious conversions are outdated

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/01/religious-conversions-are-outdated.html

Your religion is dear to you as mine is to me. Neither should I denigrate your religion nor should you consider mine less than yours.

Every religion works for the "believer", it brings a balance within and builds an orderly society. Neither Muslims nor Christians are obligated to convert any one to their faith,

Once upon a time, conversions were sought to uniformize people, to have support for their personal (ill) intentions to dominate and control and fight their manufactured enemies. Today that will not work and should be out of our system. No two Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews.... agree on the issues, and then what is the need to convert?

People should have the free will to choose what they wear, eat, look, and believe. Let it be their personal choice a choice that gives them spiritual atonement.

Jesus said to go to every corner of the world and spread the good word and that word was for people to treat others as they wanted to be treated and some Christians took it in literal sense, just as some Muslim do.  God sent a revelation to the Prophet, your role is to convey the messages of goodness and it is up to people to follow it, perhaps to concretize the free will, God chose to have Prophet's own uncle die without accepting the message of the prophet. There is a great wisdom in it.

Both Christians and Muslims agree that their religion makes a better human out of them, and precisely that is the goal of a religion, any religion, whether it they follow the book or the oral tradition.  It is the insecurity in people that generates 'trickery" in them to protect their interests to have people tune into the same music, it was once, not any more. God has made us diverse with a unique thumb print, DNA, eye print and what not... Let's learn to respect and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

There is no one version of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism. Even the smaller numbered religions like Judaism, Jainism, Sikhism or others do not agree on certain basics. In America, the Christians fight over Abortion rights.

Religion will not serve politics in the long haul, although the right wing in America and elsewhere have demonstrated that it can, but it will be temporary and will not last. People will return to the roots of goodness as Religion is about bringing humility and creating orderly societies and not ganging up on others. By the way no one can cast the first stone. 

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer. He runs the Foundation for Pluralism championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other and is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress.  Mike is available to speak on Pluralism, Islam, Civil Societies, and Peace & Justice at your place of worship, school, work place, seminars or conferences.  He is a media commentator offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. 

Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.MikeGhouse.net/

Questions about Religion

Here is a quick response to the five questions posed by the Faith Club. 

1.  What is the purpose of religion as told by different religions?  Is it to connect man to God?    Or Is it inner peace? 

The purpose of religion is to bring inner peace to an individual and create a balance between him (her or it) and what surrounds him; life and matter. God is not an entity or a separate being, it is an energy that permeates in every thing in the universe, we are not separate from God, we are a part of it and by having the inner peace, by being together we are connected with that universal energy that we call God. However, we have the free will to find our own balance; through guidance offered by peace makers with different names like messengers, prophets or God incarnations or on our own.

2.  Today millions of people follow Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) or Eastern religions (Buddhism, Hinduism). Many of them try to follow the rituals properly. Are they really achieving these goals set in their religions?   How can they know for sure?

Rituals are the pathways to achieving everything in life. Even though one may not be fully in tune with the rituals, and may not admit following any rituals, they are a part of our existence. They do offer some solace of performing an assumed duty.  There is nothing in life we don’t do as rituals; from birth, eating food, getting up from bed, to showers, bathrooms, to going to work or going to gym is all about rituals… a systematic way to achieve goals immediate or long term. Even meditation is a ritual to bring solace to oneself.

3.  How can a person know if God is happy with him? 

God is happy with me because I am a contributor to the overall balance in the universal energy. As long as I am not affecting other’s space (spiritual, physical), sustenance (food, water) and nurturance (love and caring), I am at peace and that is all God wants – to have his creation live in harmony. Just as a mother wants her children, a Chef wants his customers to enjoy his food, or a Teacher to have her students do well in school, God wants us to be in that peaceful mode and get along with all.

4.  How does God communicate to ordinary people like us? 

I have to search for quotes from other traditions, at this moment I can quote Islam and Hinduism; God in the Quraan says that no tribe, community, or a nation is deprived of guidance; he has sent peace makers to every one. Krishna in Bhagvad Gita says, whenever and wherever there is a loss of equilibrium (social disorder aka Adharma) I will emerge from amongst you to restore that Dharma.

Further more, the laws of physics also are comparable to the laws of spirituality. Every piece of matters seeks its own balance, it is built into it, when it goes off the tract it loses its place. Humans have the free will to create that balance through a variety of source; through guidance from their religion (any) or just common sense. Religion is not necessary to have that balance. Morality and conscience are a product of living together with others with our own God given unique nesses; thumbprints, eyes, DNA…etc each one of us is different and each one of us is our own model, there is no exactly alike. Accepting that brings solutions.

5.  How can a person know for sure if he is close to God or if he is far away from Him? 

If one is at peace with himself or herself where the anger, hate, malice, ill will are not throwing him/her off, and he or she is together. He is closer to God. Quraan metaphorically says, God is closer to you than your jugular vein – meaning your thoughts and actions are fully in grasp of the larger energy out there that we are part of. God is not a being to me and he does not exist in any form, it is purely an energy and as such he is in everything out there including me and you.

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Mike Ghouse runs the Foundation for Pluralism championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other and has dedicated his life to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress.

He is a regular commentator on the TV, Radio and Print media offering pluralistic solutions to the issues of the day.  He is available to speak at your home, school, work place, place of worship, seminars, interfaith and other gatherings.  Mike is a speaker, thinker, writer and a peace activist. 
Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/