Tolerance and New Hope

Red Fort at Night

“And now I want you to picture your God, whatever or whoever that God is…” 

– Meditation Teacher at a Catholic School

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Like most people, religion in one way or another has been a part of my life.

I was baptized Christian, attended a Lutheran school for Kindergarten and First Grade, and periodically attended church with my parents during that period.  My parents were both raised in some form of Christianity (Catholic for my Mom and Protestant for my Dad, I believe), a situation that is common for most American children. 

However, as I grew older, Christianity became less and less a priority in the household and I naturally began to look for meaning and direction.  I can remember being as young as 7 or 8, asking questions about different philosophies and inquiring why we weren’t going to church.  And the answer I received from my parents was essentially: “We believe in being good people and doing good things, regardless of church attendance.”

After hearing that, I went on to explore Christianity quite a bit on my own.  I periodically attended services, joined a youth group for awhile in middle school, and had many conversations with friends about God.  However, as I got older, I learned more about religion in general, and decided it was something that would not be a part of my life.

Since prescribing to this point of view about ten years ago, I’ve rarely waned in my attitudes.  Granted, I haven’t explored much outside of Christianity, and definitely need to look into other faiths more before coming to absolute conclusions.  However, I still feel strongly about these thoughts, and base the majority of my decision on history.  History that reveals many religious groups have been violent in some fashion, and overall have (in my opinion) done more harm than good.  Additionally, this harm almost always seems to stem out of one seemingly ubiquitous characteristic.

Whether it be the Crusades or the Holocaust, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or anything the Westboro Baptist Church partakes in, all of these horrendous acts boil down to the one common thread: the intolerance of others. 

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Sunset from my Flat

I’ll admit, I knew very little about India as a country when I first embarked on this journey.  I blame myself for not being educated before leaving, however do attribute some of it to my tumultuous graduate student lifestyle.  Regardless, I dropped the ball, and while it has made this journey more challenging, it has made it more eye-opening.  There was a lot I prepared myself for mentally on this trip: poverty at depths unimaginable in the U.S., the complete dilapidation of certain neighborhoods, and an intense, unforgiving climate.  However, it has been a change I did not see coming that has had the greatest impact on me.  The omnipresence of religion and faith have been most interesting, especially with regards to the religious history of the land and overall treatment of faith in this particular part of the world.

The religious roots of India start with Hinduism, which dates back 5,000 years, and is considered by many experts to not only be the oldest religion in India, but the world.  In the last 500 years though, as world travel and colonialism developed, India has been exposed to other ideologies.  The famous Red Fort that I visited is actually the creation of a Muslim emperor (remember Shah Jahan?) when the Mughal Empire ruled India.  No more than 100 years after Shah’s rule, the British (with whatever form of Christianity they were rocking at the time) took over India and ruled it until India was partitioned and ultimately gained its independence from the English in 1947.  Today, approximately 80% of Indians practice the original religion, Hinduism.  But the other religions remain, and continue to have an impact on not just the individuals that ascribe to the faith, but the rest of the country as well.

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Bahai Lotus Temple

America is a melting pot of ethnicities and races.  In most large cities, there are populations with descendants from all over the world, thus many believe the U.S. to be the most diverse country in the world.  However, even with this diversity, the large majority of the country follows some form of Christianity.  The history of this country is steeped in Christianity, as every President has followed some form of the religion, our money is printed with “In God We Trust,” and the only national holidays that are religiously based are so with regards to Christianity.

This is very similar to India in many ways.  As stated before, 80% of the country follows Hinduism.  The language everybody speaks is aptly named “Hindi,” and Ghandi's portrait isn’t just the focus of one denomination of Rupees (India’s currency) but is adorned across every bill produced.  Rickshaw drivers often have Hindu religious mantras plastered on their three-wheeled vessels and the majority of restaurants are primarily vegetarian, another staple of Hinduism.

However, it’s different.  The acceptance of other religions isn’t just ok, it’s the norm.  This really became apparent to me a few weeks back when a meditation teacher at a Catholic school proclaimed to the students: “I want you to picture your God, whatever or whoever that God is.”  This thought was again cemented no more than a week later, in a different school, where the students would occasionally recite a prayer/poem at a school without a religious affiliation.  In one particular instance, I witnessed the prayer/poem being chanted by a girl adorned with a bindi, a boy wearing a cross necklace, and another boy with a rishi knot, standing side by side.

Thank you God for the words so sweet.

Thank you God for the food we eat.

Thank you God for the birds that sing.

Thank you God for everything.

The U.S. may be ahead in economy, infrastructure, education, and technology, all while proclaiming to be the land of “religious freedom.” 

But if you ask me, we have a hell of a lot to learn from the Indians on this matter.  

I know I’ve learned quite a bit in my six weeks here… and actually think I’m ready to start giving faith, in some capacity, another shot.