Missionary Zeal
Although religion is a balm for the bruised masses, it goes without saying that certain religious sects and cults convert people and add them to their ranks forcibly. Take the Christian missionaries in the South who constantly forcibly convert low caste Hindus into Christianity.
The same goes with far right winged Hindu and Muslim sects like the RSS and the Al Qaeda, who convert people from their own ranks into narrow minded bigots. These parties and people with such extreme ideologies are up to no good. Take the Maoists who forcibly convert people into heir ranks. People in such illegal institutions turn religious texts around to suit their narrow purposes.
Thankfully, Hindu mainstream religious missions like Iskcon, Ramakrishna Mission, Ramana Ashram, Krishnamurti Foundation, Chinmaya Mission etc do not add to their cadres forcibly and only take in those who decide to join them voluntarily, thereby inculcating a spirit of reason and enquiry. The politics that most others seem to follow is to leave their target customers with no choice other than to join their mission activities and help them get the funds and publicity they need. This is wrong.
You can’t corner an individual to leave his materialist life and join in the missionary activities. Such decisions are made by individuals with their full consent and it is wrong to corner someone financially, materialistically, and force him to join the mission, by leaving him no option but to give up his worldly desires.
Certain zealots will go out of their way to rake in the moolah and turn perfectly normal humans with a good future into missionary material, leaving them no room to grow in the corporate or material world; this is blasphemous and should be condemned.
What certain religions, include mine, need to keep in mind is that freedom, opportunity, wealth, equal opportunity etc are the prerogative and right of every citizen.
Neha Singh
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