Paresh Das, Advocate
Religion as an institution cannot lend itself to perversion or corruption , causing harm to the society , but the organisation formed to propagate religion can certainly be subjected to perversion and corruption .
Organisations meant to promote the interest of a religion are manned by the very mortals with normal frailties , foibles and failings of human beings. These mortals commit mistakes , nay , blunders while running organisations connected with religions or cultures , but covering such blunders in the name of religion or cultural missions – a la RSS or their Jihadi counterparts – constitutes the starting point of corruption in such organisations .
When criminals are allowed to harbour religious places of worship – using the Amritsar temple by Bhindrewala and the Bluestar operation – as safe havens , the general masses are provoked to castigate the religious feelings .
All religions try to preach universal brotherhood but sometimes the “holier than thou” attitude of some organisation-heads spell disaster to religious beliefs. In the name of cultural ideology, some self-appointed custodian of the masses in form of such organisations introduce and force-sell religious divides among the followers . AND THIS IS TRAVESTY OF RELIGION itself, MIND U .
Recruitment of intellectual bankrupts to the position of culturo-religious preachers or PRACHARAKS, and organisational heads or “sangh pramukh” heralds the beginning of the moral degradation in religio-cultural values in such organisations. Pursuit of earthly, momentary, political gains like engaging in propaganda warfare, adopting the expensive and powerful way of life under the garb of religious mystic and rituals – a la RAMDEV OR ASARAM BAPU, needing sauna bath facilities and masseurs in 5-STAR HOTELS in places where they lecture – are some instances where organisational forms of a religion or consciousness of culture signal a departure from the institutional ends of that religion .
The fall out of such aberrations is the moral perversion in culturo-religious life , when religion in that form loses its authority to guide the followers towards the goal , that is , the Creator . When places of worship are demolished as an act of religious triumph, it smacks of perversion .
Sorry , no cultural organisation can be allowed to take advantage of the general Indian ritualistic belief in acquiscence to the extent of their own acts of perversions . Universal brotherhood cannot be allowed to fall prey to sectarian camarederie. No society can be in perfect vigilance allow the votary of good to turn into a slave of evil and in itself become morally weak, progressively .
Time has come for more and more meetings and conferences to be organised among all those who have a stake in this conspiratorial attack on our proudful pluralistic society . Such dialogues can open the closed minds of the fanatics .
[Picked up from a facebook posting of Mr. Das on 1st Dec 2015]