Dharma v/s Religion : a Comparative Understanding by Sidhwani

Dharma v/s Religion : a Comparative Understanding by Sidhwani

http://www.intellectualsforum.org/Pub.asp?pub=Dharma_vs_religion.htm

"Religion" Is Not the Same Thing as "Dharma"

Religion can be founded by any individual on the basis of an arbitrary set of dogmas that the founder picks. Then, the founder becomes the prophet for that religion and the dogmas, or a set of rules to go by, form his religion.

Religion, therefore, has no required pre-condition that it must be based on some high human ideals or great principles of humanity.

Dharma, on the other hand, is the manifestation of natural laws that govern the universe and all its creation. Thus, Dharma can never be formed by an individual; it only continues evolving over a period of time through the collective wisdom of generations before. The basis of Dharma, always, is truth and righteousness.

Comparing the Only Well-known Dharma with Two Leading Religions…

One of the best ways to understand in what ways "Dharma" differs from "Religion" is by examining the preaching and the practice of the only well-known Dharma on one hand and the two leading religions of world on the other.

Dharma (think of Hindu as the prominent Dharma with many of its offshoots)		Religion (think of Islam and Christianity as the leading religions, together with their various denominations)
▪	Dharma promotes love and compassion	▪	Religion, frequently, promotes hostility and intolerance. It is devoid of compassion (Dayā).
▪	Dharma is peaceful in temper	▪	Religion is aggressive and violent by nature. It has fanatic intolerance of Dharma.
▪	Dharma cares for the entire humanity	▪	Religion has a long, blood-soaked history of slaughtering millions of innocent people
▪	Dharma is kind to everybody	▪	Religion usually promotes imperialist ideology for dominating and controlling innocent beings.
▪	Dharma is humane in nature. Compassion is an integral part of Dharma. (e.g. Daya-dhrma-ka-mool-hai, Pap-mool-abhiman…)	▪	Religion is anti-human and persecutory to mankind. It indulges in the exploitation of the conquered people.
▪	Dharma has reverence for life, plants, nature	▪	Religion resorts to destruction and vandalism. It revels in the slaughter and genocide of innocent.
▪	Dharma is the product of tranquil and purified heart.	▪	Religion is born out of a prejudiced, self-centered, self-righteous mind mixed with bigotry and fanaticism.
▪	Dharma is based on spiritualism.	▪	Religion is based on crass materialism.
▪	Dharma is open for discussion; alternative views are entertained in it. It even encourages expression of differing opinions or belief systems.	▪	Religion has closed ideology or no ideology. It destroys the freedom of thought and expression by sustained, systematic and ruthless attacks.
▪	In Dharma the reason, philosophy and psychology play greater role.	▪	Religious beliefs have neither rationality nor spirituality.
▪	Dharma respects everyone.	▪	Religious people are often arrogant and consider themselves as superior and always right.
▪	Dharma is kind and free from limiting qualities like desire, aversion, and ego.	▪	Religion turns people angry, jealous, violent, egoistic, vindictive, cruel, revengeful, unjust, bellicose.
▪	Dharma speaks of truths, philosophy of peace.	▪	Religion cannot tolerate truth; it hates peace.
▪	Dharma is based on the ancient, original thinking.	▪	Religion is bitterly opposed to the ancient original values.
▪	Dharma accepts many paths; it has pluralistic approach.	▪	Religion likes only the approach that is monolithic, dramatic and spectacular.
▪	Dharma prefers calm and detached, unhurried, relaxed expositional approach.	▪	Religion is always into exhortations and admonitions. It aggressively urges, reproves, commands, warns and enforces.
▪	Dharma follows the great truth of spirituality	▪	Religion lacks in spirituality. It relies on conquests and propaganda.

From the above discussion it is abundantly clear that the use of term "religion" for Hindu Dharma is factually incorrect, absolutely unfair, and completely misleading.

On the other hand, an objective scrutiny of theology and conduct of the two major world religions (principally, Islam and Christianity) over the last several hundred years reveals that these seemingly respectable entities, in reality, are simply the modern version of pure and simple "Adharma." They, actually, are ‘the wolves hiding in the sheep’s clothes.’

It is an Utter Injustice to Equate Petty Religions with the Universal Dharma!

Treating those Adharma-based petty religions at par with the universal Dharma and according them the same degree of acceptability and respectability as our own native Sanatan Dharma is absolutely unjustified and the greatest fraud on humanity.

The only treatment prescribed for Adharma in our scriptures is to eradicate it, or to bring it to an end: ‘Dharma-ki-jai… Adharma-ka-naash…’ In Geeta too, Krishna unambiguously asks Arjuna to kill even the own kith and kin when they take the side of Adharma.

Unfortunately in India, the country’s Hindu political leadership… from the Congress party to the Left to the BJP, and everyone else in between… are all unanimous on misleading the Indian public about the true nature and the real agenda of major religions amongst us.