A human personality consists of a body and soul. To stay healthy, man requires nourishment for both. Religion is man’s spiritual nourishment. It is food for man’s soul.
What is Religion? The crux of Religion is that which is generally called ‘Spirituality’. Religion is another name for spiritual science. If other science disciplines are about external or physical realities, Religion is that science that studies the inner man.
A human personality is manifested in two ways—body and soul. For the health and progress of both, man requires continuous nourishment. The nourishment for the body is material stuff: food and drink. If someone were to stay without food and drink for a while, it would affect their physical condition. They would die if they faced hunger and thirst for a long time.
The same is true of the soul. Religion is man’s spiritual nourishment. It is food for man’s soul. Without authentic religion, man’s soul would wither. Religion gives strength to man’s inner being. Religion is the basis for man’s spiritual life. Religion is not another name for singing hymns and performing some rituals: It is the representative of Truth. Truth is Religion, and Religion is Truth. Every person, rich or poor, powerful or weak, needs Religion. Through Religion, man obtains what can be called the right starting point of life. The man deprived of Religion is also deprived of the right starting point in life.
Religion is the answer to the question, ‘Who am I?’ It informs man of the secret of creation. Religion gives man the true philosophy of life. It is a guidebook for life. Religion takes man out of the darkness of ignorance and unawareness and into the light of wisdom and awareness.
Religion makes a person a good member of society. It blesses man with a code of ethics with which he can live with others as a good and trustworthy human being. Religion prepares man to become someone who is not a problem for others. Religion makes a man a giver, not just a taker.
Religion is a companion of man in his times of difficulty. It bestows man with the art of crisis management. Religion makes man capable of not becoming a victim of crisis but converting crises into occasions for intellectual nourishment.
Religion is a sign of the intellectual health of a person. Religion makes man capable of converting a negative experience into a positive result, changing a ‘No’ into a ‘Yes’. Religion can help man transform an enemy into his friend.
As is conventionally believed, religion is not a set of rituals and dogmas. True Religion is not that a person is born into a particular family linked to a specific religious tradition. As a result, he becomes connected with some ‘religious’ groups he identifies with. These are all external things. It is not the reality of Religion. The reality of Religion is inner realization, and inner realization is far above external things.
Religion instils in man right thinking. It shows man those hidden things the ordinary human eye cannot see. Religion makes man capable of drawing lessons from the past and seeing the future in the present. Faith makes a man a superman. It is a means for man’s evolution.
Our world has two aspects—one, the visible world, and the other, the world that cannot be seen. The world is like an iceberg. Only a tiny bit of the tip of an iceberg is visible. However, the physical eye cannot see the more significant part. Religion makes the non-visible dimension of the world a visible thing for a man. Religion assists man in going below the surface of the ‘ocean’ and entering its depths.
Religion is the source of all virtue. Religion gives man the strength to forgive those who get angry with him, rise above greed, overcome jealousy, accept others, relate respectfully with all, save oneself from injustice, always behave well even with enemies, be a giver, and not just a taker. Religion makes man someone who lives for a higher purpose. It creates within man a principled character. It nurtures self-control and self-discipline.
A religious person is a person who is serious about life. A religious person is an honest person. A religious person is constantly engaged in introspection. He has within himself a self-correcting mechanism. This quality of a religious person constantly makes him a new person.
How does religion generate these virtues in a person? Religion is connected with God, and God is the font and epitome of all virtues. God is the source of all good inspirations.
Religion makes a person God-oriented. Faith engenders God-oriented thinking in a person. It is God-oriented thinking that makes a religious person unconquerable. A religious person acquires a close personal connection and relationship with God. Moreover, someone who comes to be blessed with this gift becomes more powerful than the sun, the moon, the mountains and the seas.
Here, it is appropriate to relate a story that symbolically expresses how a genuinely religious person possesses an indomitable spirit and how even a fierce storm at sea is not a problem for a genuinely religious person.
It is said that a ship set sail from America for Africa. It was passing through the Atlantic Ocean when a massive storm suddenly occurred. The vessel began tossing about wildly. All the passengers but one were very nervous and began running helter-skelter. The ship was tossing and turning almost to the water level, and it seemed that it would soon drown.
In this turmoil, a passenger was rushing about when suddenly he saw a girl sitting very calmly in a corner and playing with her doll. The passenger called, “Child, don’t you know what is happening?”
“What?” the girl asked.
“Our ship is in the midst of a fierce storm, and very soon, we will drown!” the man shouted.
Still busy playing with her doll, the girl replied calmly, “But this will never happen. You must know that my father is the captain of this ship, and he will not let it sink.”
This little girl is the image of a genuinely religious person. A truly spiritual person never falls prey to despair. Even at the height of a major crisis, he retains his senses and balance. He never loses faith and courage. He always lives in hope. He can always say, “God Almighty is the Captain of my ship, and He will not let it sink.”
