A Non-Religious Approach to Religious Plurality

For the greater part of my life, I have been obsessed, if I may put it that way, with religion. This obsession took me through a number of religions, one after another. Although I finally evolved a theologically-grounded worldview of my own, one that is not based exclusively on any religion as conventionally understood, the numerous religions that I went through impacted deeply on my life, playing a key role in making me the person I presently am. While I no longer consider any one religion as Absolute Truth or as fully perfect, as I might once have, I readily admit that each of the religions I have been through does contain certain truths or virtues, some of which I myself have imbibed. In this way, these religions have contributed to my present worldview, which is not based exclusively on any religion or other such belief system.

Thus, to one religion that I had a deep interest in at one time I owe awareness of the Creator and much of the basis of my ethical framework; from a second such religion I learnt the importance of silence and detachment; a third such religion’s stress on charity I find admirable; from a fourth such religion I learnt a method of God-remembrance that is an integral part of my present daily spiritual practice; service and a universal spirituality that transcends manmade boundaries based on creed and ethnicity are among the teachings of a fifth such religion that have impressed me. In this way, from each of the various religions that I traversed I have been able to discern at least some truths and to gain at least something positive and useful.

For long I was given to believe that this or that religion represented Absolute Truth. But over time, I came to the understanding that Absolute Truth is beyond human formulations, such as expressed in the form of religion. At best, religions are a means for facilitating us in an onward journey in truth or goodness, but I myself do not consider that they, being human formulations, can be completely free of imperfection. This realization has meant that there is no need for me to be bound to and by any religion. Instead, I can develop my own understanding of myself, the world and the Divine, an understanding that best resonates with me and that is in accordance with my notions of logic and ethics. At the same time, though, I can recognize, appreciate and even draw from what I regard as wholesome beliefs and practices in various religions (and also other belief systems), without considering any of them as a whole to be an infallible, flaw-free, perfect articulation of Absolute Truth.

I can liken my present attitude towards various religions to my attitude towards various cuisines. I enjoy certain dishes from a diverse range of cuisines, from different parts of the world. At the same time, though, I may not be fond of, or might even dislike, some dishes that are an integral part of each of these culinary traditions. And so, I can pick and choose the ones I like and leave aside the rest. Along with this, I can also invent my own dishes, that are not from any of the existing world cuisines, and in doing so I can develop a culinary tradition that is unique to myself. In the same way, from the wide range of existing religions I can appreciate and benefit from beliefs and practices that I consider as true, useful and wholesome and leave aside those that I do not consider to be so. At the same time, I can also develop my own religious beliefs and practices, independent of any of the existing religions, and in this way, I can come up (as I indeed have) with a theology or worldview of my own, one that is unique to myself.

Just as one can (as millions of us do) unhesitatingly incorporate a dish originally developed in a distant part of the world into one's regular diet without considering this is in any way inappropriate, one can enthusiastically adopt good teachings that one may find in various religions (and other such belief systems) from across the world without thinking this to be wrong or unacceptable. And, along with this, just as one can invent one’s own recipes, not being compelled to be limited to and by the recipes that have been in vogue for centuries in any of the existing culinary traditions, one can develop one’s own religious beliefs, practices and worldview, not being limited by and to those of any existing religion or other such belief system.

As someone who does not subscribe to any religion in toto and exclusively and who, at the same time, readily recognizes that there is at least some goodness to be found in various religions, my attitude to religions and their plurality can be summarized in this maxim: “If you wish, pick and choose beliefs and practices from various religions (and non-religious belief systems, too) that seem good to you, and, at the same time, be free to develop your own beliefs and practices, that are unique to yourself and that resonate best with you.”