Is It Not Wrong for Other Religions to Try to Convert Hindus?

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

[Q. The other religions are trying to convert Hindus into their religions, which is not correct. What do you say about this? (This question is part of a Mahā Satsaṅga (grand spiritual discussion) between Swami, Shri Parikshit, Smt. Bindiya and Dr. J S. R. Prasad)]

Swami replied:- Just like all the human beings are similar in nature having both good and bad qualities, all the religions are also similar having both merits and defects. The good qualities of a human being are acquired from their association with good people and bad qualities are acquired from the association with bad people. Similarly, every religion acquired merits from the establishers of that religion, who were human incarnations. The defects are acquired by every religion from the followers of that religion, who are ordinary human souls. The quarrel between two human beings comes because each human being sees only merits in itself and only defects in the other human being. Similarly, based on the same concept quarrels are coming between any two religions. There is one small dry fruit or bead (called gunja), which is red in the upper half and black in the lower half. This seed mocks at the upper black color of the same other seed standing reverse. The mocking seed doesn’t see its lower black color and also doesn’t see the lower red color of the other seed. The other seed thinking that it is entirely black wishes to change its religion into the religion of first seed, thinking that the first seed is entirely red in color. Similarly when the other religion criticizes your religion, you will think that your religion is entirely defective and the other religion is entirely meritorious. The result is that you leave your own religion and convert yourself into the other religion. You must know that every religion is a mixture of both good and bad qualities like every human being. You must find the merits of your religion also apart from the defects shown by the follower of the other religion. You must also speak to the other person that his religion also contains some defects, which are not observed by him due to blind fascination. You must say that you are seeing the merits of your religion as well as the merits of other religion and declare that both merits are exactly one and the same! This is obvious conclusion because the same one God established both the religions appearing in two different human incarnations. The defects of both religions may be different because the following followers (human beings) are different. You must respect the father of your friend as you respect your own father. By this, you are expected not to scold the father of your friend. But, under any circumstances, you should not discard your father and say that the father of your friend is your father. If there are defects in your father request him politely to rectify those defects, but you should never discard your father. Similarly, you can appreciate the merits of the father of your friend, but should never say that he is your father. Similarly, you rectify the defects of your religion and appreciate the merits of other religion, but, you should never convert your religion.

If you follow the merits of any religion including your own religion, you will reach the ultimate goal of God. In such case, you can reach the center following the straight way existing from your house. You need not travel horizontally towards the house of your friend to reach the center by following the way from his house! If you are continuously changing your path, you are moving in the circular direction always without reaching the center at any time. You must know that all the paths reach the same center provided you consider only the meritorious part established by its corresponding human incarnation leaving the adulterant wrong concepts of the followers. Both the human incarnation and the follower in any religion are basically the same human being. The electrified wire and the non-electrified wire are basically one and the same metallic wire only. Only the mental setup is different in both. Both the shining diamond and dark black charcoal are made of the same element carbon. The difference between the two is due to the difference in the crystal structure!

Every religion says that its God created this entire world of entire humanity. Unfortunately, there is only one world with one humanity only! If Gods of different religions are different, there must be different worlds with different humanities! This means that there is only one God basically, who looks different in the external forms with different names since there is only one world with one humanity created by Him. This analysis will establish the correlation of different human religions and also exposes oneness in the philosophies preached by different human incarnations of the same God. The languages and external cultures may be different, but the same subject is preached in every religion. The same subject, physics is taught by different teachers following different cultures with different names and forms in different languages. This universal religion with universal spirituality must be realized by every human being in this world so that world-peace is established. This creation is established by God like a factory established by a person. The person always wishes that his factory should run smoothly with perfect peace. Hence, the primary aim of God is world-peace. Several devotees like Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhwa, Sai Baba, Vivekananda, Buddha, Jain, Jesus, Mohammed etc., dedicated their lives in achieving this goal and became the most dearest to God.

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