Who am I If I Say…

Rama = Rahim = Jesus

Why should anyone change their religion? Are gods different? Is Rama different from Rahim? If God is what We all believe Him to be, whoever, whatever, wherever, however and whichever God we believe in, can He be “different” really from Himself? Here’s a simple equation which no one can honestly dispute: Rama = Rahim = Jesus = ——————— (fill in the blanks with any other god you want; you can also include any god who is yet to be discovered!).

This is not pious humbug, though it might sound like one, for some people. If Man is wired the same way, the Creator cannot be otherwise.

But of course people convert. The question is why? Usually it happens among people who are poor. But there are also educated people who do so, for their own reasons. But it is difficult to ascribe the reason for conversion as “enlightenment” or “awakening” or anything of that sort. The simple point I am making here is, if you believe in God, you believe, whoever he is. Our belief is not about Rama wearing a tilak on his forehead, or wielding the bow and arrow; our belief is not about the shastras and mantras and stuff; our belief is centred on the concept of God. Our perceptions vary (Rama, Rahim, etc), the image of God varies (idol, cross, piece of cloth, etc), but the essence of God is the same.

When you convert, what you are saying is: I do not believe in idol worship anymore. I believe now in ——. That is really, humbug.

When you lose faith in God, you lose faith. You can’t lose it at the temple before you, and find it again or regain faith down the street in a church or a mosque.  

Whom are we fooling?
But yes, conversions happen. For material reasons, emotional turmoil in life, and spiritual atrophy, confusion. It is not easy to have abiding faith in god. Even saints have gone through doubt, their faith tested time and again. The answer for it is not to hop across the road and take shelter in your neighbour’s god.
When we come to religion, the issue gets complicated. It is entirely possible for a Hindu to be disillusioned with his religion, scriptures, traditions, etc, like for people of other religions. But that is an internal battle which we have to fight at the individual level. The answer is not changing your religion like you change your habits. The question here is also not about bondage. When you dislike some things as a Hindu about your religion, you can always do your bit to reform it, you can express yourself against it, you can laugh at these aberrations. It is not as if you feel bonded to it like a prisoner who has to do what he is told, whether he likes it or not.

We don’t have to look for any perfect religion. There is none. Only God is perfect. And you can’t have two, three, or five hundred perfect Gods. So let us stop pretending that conversion involves some deep philosophical issues.

Yes, there are some practical problems, when it comes to Semitic religions, like Christianity, which primarily relies on propagation. Let them propagate. Let us assimilate the best in them, and the best in other religions too – and emerge wiser from the knowledge.

Yours truly is comfortable with multiple beliefs in Rama, Allah, Jesus, whoever. When you believe in God period, the question of conversion is an oxymoron. Perhaps the problem is only for politicians, social scientists, fundamentalists and religious ideologues. They do not know what to make of me – am I a Hindu, Muslim, or Christian? In today’s India, being an Indian (or at the risk of being misunderstood, let me point out gently, a proud Hindu) has no appeal.

Incidentally, when we talk about conversions, has anyone ever accused Hindus of converting people to their faith? But that is a topic for some other day.
                       By- Muralidhr