GHANDI: GHANDI: ALL RELIGIONS ALL RELIGIONS

ARE TRUEARE TRUE

I hold it as the duty, of I hold it as the duty, of every cultured man and every cultured man and

woman, to read woman, to read sympathetically the sympathetically the

scriptures of the world. If scriptures of the world. If we’re to respect others’ we’re to respect others’

religions as we would have religions as we would have them respect our own, a them respect our own, a

friendly study of the world’s friendly study of the world’s religions is a sacred duty.religions is a sacred duty.

MAHATMA GANDHIMAHATMA GANDHI

“THE GREAT SOUL”“THE GREAT SOUL”

1869-19481869-1948

BRITISH EMPIREBRITISH EMPIRE• Longest Empire Rule (at least 1727-

1948): India, Gandhi’s homeland

• By 1921, the British Empire…

– Held sway over about 458 million people, one-quarter of the earth’s population

– Covered about 14.2 million square miles, or a quarter of the Earth’s total land mass

BRITISH EMPIREBRITISH EMPIRE

• Encompassed territories on every continent, including the British Isles, British North America, British West Indies, British Guiana, British West Africa, British East Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand

““THE SUN NEVER SET ON THE SUN NEVER SET ON THE BRITISH EMPIRE”THE BRITISH EMPIRE”

AT ITS PEAK, BECAUSE IT AT ITS PEAK, BECAUSE IT SPANNED THE GLOBE, THE SPANNED THE GLOBE, THE SUN WAS ALWAYS SHINING SUN WAS ALWAYS SHINING ON AT LEAST ONE OF ITS ON AT LEAST ONE OF ITS

NUMEROUS COLONIESNUMEROUS COLONIES

DARWINIAN DARWINIAN SOCIAL THEORYSOCIAL THEORY

This theory implied that humans, like This theory implied that humans, like every other organism on earth, were every other organism on earth, were the result of evolution. the result of evolution. Contemporaries used Darwin’s ideas Contemporaries used Darwin’s ideas to promote “Social Darwinism”: to promote “Social Darwinism”: Certain peoples, poorer “quality” Certain peoples, poorer “quality” than others, are thus more likely to than others, are thus more likely to be used as slave labor because be used as slave labor because they're "less evolved" and therefore they're "less evolved" and therefore inferior. inferior.

http://stephan.grandpre.net/darwin.htmlhttp://stephan.grandpre.net/darwin.html

WHAT WAS APARTHEID?WHAT WAS APARTHEID?

APARTHEID AND APARTHEID AND SOUTH AFRICASOUTH AFRICA

Blacks Whites

Population 19 million 4.5 million

Land Allocation 13% 87%

Share of Nat’l Income <20% 75%

Min. Taxable Income 360 Rands 750 Rands

Doctors/population 1/44,000 1/400

““EVIL, INJUSTICE, HATRED EVIL, INJUSTICE, HATRED EXIST ONLY INSOFAR AS WE EXIST ONLY INSOFAR AS WE SUPPORT THEM; THEY HAVE SUPPORT THEM; THEY HAVE

NO EXISTENCE OF THEIR NO EXISTENCE OF THEIR OWN.”OWN.”

““It has always been a It has always been a mystery to me how men mystery to me how men

can feel themselves can feel themselves honored by the honored by the

humiliation of their humiliation of their fellow beings.”fellow beings.”

A NEW DEFINITION OF A NEW DEFINITION OF “COMMUNITY”“COMMUNITY”

The The Hindu caste system is comparable is comparable to class structures in other countries, to class structures in other countries, except that this Indian system has except that this Indian system has been rigidly enforced and has lasted been rigidly enforced and has lasted for two or three thousand years. The for two or three thousand years. The caste system was enforced as law caste system was enforced as law throughout the subcontinent until the throughout the subcontinent until the adoption of the Indian constitution in adoption of the Indian constitution in 1949, which outlawed the caste 1949, which outlawed the caste system. However, it remains a deeply system. However, it remains a deeply ingrained social structure, particularly ingrained social structure, particularly in rural India.in rural India.

• Brahmins -- the priests, scholars, and philosophers

• *Kshatriyas -- the warriors and rulers, those concerned with the defense and administration of the village or state

• Vaishyas -- traders, merchants, and agricultural producers

• Shudras -- the laborers and servants for the other castes

• The “Untouchables” -- performed the most menial jobs, such as dealing with dead bodies and cleaning toilets. Higher-caste people believed that if they touched one of the caste-less, they would be contaminated and would need to go through cleansing rituals.*Gandhi’s caste

The caste system dictated your The caste system dictated your occupation, choice of spouse, and occupation, choice of spouse, and many other aspects of your life. If many other aspects of your life. If you did something outside your you did something outside your caste, you could be caste, you could be excommunicated from your caste. excommunicated from your caste. That would cut you off from doing That would cut you off from doing any work to support yourself any work to support yourself because you could only do the because you could only do the jobs allowed by your caste.jobs allowed by your caste.

http://ask.yahoo.com/20020722.html

““I have ceased for over I have ceased for over forty years to hate forty years to hate

anybody. But I can and anybody. But I can and do hate evil wherever it do hate evil wherever it

existsexists.” .”

“There is no God here. If God were here, everyone would have access.”

REVOLUTION TRULY REVOLUTION TRULY BEGINS AT HOME WITH BEGINS AT HOME WITH

“HOME RULE”: “HOME RULE”:

THAT IS, MORAL CHOICE THAT IS, MORAL CHOICE BEGINS WITH BEGINS WITH

SOMETHING AS SIMPLE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS WHAT ONE EATSAS WHAT ONE EATS

SERMON ON THE MOUNTSERMON ON THE MOUNT• Beatitudes (“Blessed are the poor in

spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”)

• Lord’s Prayer• Famous admonitions:

– You are the salt of the earth– Turn the other cheek– Do not lay up for yourselves treasures of

the earth– No one can serve two masters– Judge not that you be judged– Ask and it will be given to you

GANDHI DID NOT GANDHI DID NOT BELIEVE IN CONVERSION. BELIEVE IN CONVERSION. INSTEAD, HE REASONED, INSTEAD, HE REASONED,

WE SHOULD PRACTICE WE SHOULD PRACTICE THE TRADITION INTO THE TRADITION INTO WHICH WE ARE BORN WHICH WE ARE BORN MORE DEEPLY RATHER MORE DEEPLY RATHER

THAN JUMP INTO THAN JUMP INTO ANOTHER.ANOTHER.

Truth is “experimental,” Truth is “experimental,” he believed, so Gandhi he believed, so Gandhi

continuously “tried out” continuously “tried out” new “truths”. He even new “truths”. He even

named his named his autobiography autobiography The Story The Story of My Experiments with of My Experiments with

TruthTruth. .

Truth is the goal toward Truth is the goal toward which one works.which one works.

ALL RELIGIONS ARE ALL RELIGIONS ARE TRUE. TRUE.

AS SUCH, WE CAN LIVE AS SUCH, WE CAN LIVE THEM OUT “TRULY” IN THEM OUT “TRULY” IN

OUR LIVES.OUR LIVES.

RAMRAM

GODGOD

ALLAHALLAH

IF WE’RE TO RESPECT IF WE’RE TO RESPECT OTHERS’ RELIGIONS AS OTHERS’ RELIGIONS AS WE WOULD HAVE THEM WE WOULD HAVE THEM RESPECT OUR OWN, A RESPECT OUR OWN, A “FRIENDLY STUDY” OF “FRIENDLY STUDY” OF

THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS IS A SACRED DUTY.IS A SACRED DUTY.

““I OBJECT TO VIOLENCE I OBJECT TO VIOLENCE BECAUSE WHEN IT BECAUSE WHEN IT

APPEARS TO DO GOOD, APPEARS TO DO GOOD, THE GOOD IS ONLY THE GOOD IS ONLY

TEMPORARY.TEMPORARY.

THE EVIL IT DOES IS THE EVIL IT DOES IS PERMANENT.”PERMANENT.”

NON-HARMING:NON-HARMING:

WE HAVE NO GROUNDS WE HAVE NO GROUNDS FOR TAKING ANOTHER’S FOR TAKING ANOTHER’S

LIFE.LIFE.

Gandhi offered a higher Gandhi offered a higher challenge:challenge:

“Refuse to obey such “Refuse to obey such degrading legislation and degrading legislation and accept the consequences accept the consequences without violent retaliation without violent retaliation

but also without yielding an but also without yielding an inch in the demand for fair inch in the demand for fair and equal treatment under and equal treatment under

the law.”the law.”

““THE MORAL THE MORAL EQUIVALENT EQUIVALENT

OF WAR”OF WAR”

““EVIL, INJUSTICE, EVIL, INJUSTICE, HATRED EXIST ONLY HATRED EXIST ONLY

INSOFAR AS WE INSOFAR AS WE SUPPORT THEM; THEY SUPPORT THEM; THEY

HAVE NO EXISTENCE OF HAVE NO EXISTENCE OF THEIR OWN.”THEIR OWN.”

GHANDI: ANGHANDI: ANACTIVE FORM OF ACTIVE FORM OF

RESISTANCERESISTANCE

HOLDING FAST HOLDING FAST TO TRUTHTO TRUTH

EVEN IN HIS GREATEST EVEN IN HIS GREATEST CAMPAIGNS, THEN, CAMPAIGNS, THEN,

GANDHI WAS A GREAT GANDHI WAS A GREAT COMPROMISER, COMPROMISER,

BELIEVING THAT YOU DID BELIEVING THAT YOU DID NOT “WIN” ANY NOT “WIN” ANY

CONFRONTATION IF YOU CONFRONTATION IF YOU LEFT THE OTHER PERSON LEFT THE OTHER PERSON FEELING LIKE A LOSER. FEELING LIKE A LOSER.

THEN, YOU’RE LEFT WITH THEN, YOU’RE LEFT WITH AN OPPONENT EVEN IF AN OPPONENT EVEN IF

YOU’VE WON.YOU’VE WON.

““When all violence When all violence subsides in the human subsides in the human heart, the state which heart, the state which

remains is love. It is not remains is love. It is not something we have to something we have to acquire; it is always acquire; it is always

present and needs only present and needs only be uncovered.”be uncovered.”