REASON AND RELIGION-1.4 { 1.Claiming this ( Brahmam ) superiority, religions have many times looked down, unfortunately, on all secular knowledge, and not only so, but many times have refused to be justified by the aid of secular knowledge. 2. In consequence, all the world over there have been fights between secular knowledge and religious knowledge, the one claiming infallible authority as its guide, refusing to listen to anything that secular knowledge has to say on the point, the other, with its shining instrument of reason, wanting to cut to pieces everything religion could bring forward.

Opinion
              14/03/2017.
                   1012.

                All Members,
         Respected family members of this great holy Nation.


          VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESENT DAY STUDENTS : -

Sub : REASON AND RELIGION-1.4
-----------------------------------------
Swami Vivekananda
(Delivered in England)

Ref : {1.Claiming this ( Brahmam ) superiority, religions have many times looked down, unfortunately, on all secular knowledge, and not only so, but many times have refused to be justified by the aid of secular knowledge.

I.
People who deny the efficacy of any rationalistic investigation into religion seem to me somewhat to be contradicting themselves.

II.
For instance, the Christian claims that his religion is the only true one, because it was revealed to so-and-so.

III.
The Mohammedan makes the same claim for his religion; his is the only true one, because it was revealed to so-and-so.

IV.
But the Christian says to the Mohammedan, "Certain parts of your ethics do not seem to be right. For instance, your books say, my Mohammedan friend, that an infidel may be converted to the religion of Mohammed by force, and if he will not accept the Mohammedan religion he may be killed; and any Mohammedan who kills such an infidel will get a sure entry into heaven, whatever may have been his sins or misdeeds."

V.
The Mohammedan will retort by saying, "It is right for me to do so, because my book enjoins it. It will be wrong on my part not to do so."

VI.
The Christian says, "But my book does not say so."

VII.
The Mohammedan replies, "I do not know; I am not bound by the authority of your book; my book says, 'Kill all the infidels'. How do you know which is right and which is wrong? Surely what is written in my book is right and what your book says, 'Do not kill,' is wrong.

Note :
{2. In consequence, all the world over there have been fights between secular knowledge and religious knowledge, the one claiming infallible authority as its guide, refusing to listen to anything that secular knowledge has to say on the point, the other, with its shining instrument of reason, wanting to cut to pieces everything religion could bring forward.}

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      JAIHIND.
     To be continued...