Religion and Education
Religious Education
Mr. E. Maud Simon writes in the Literary Guide:-
The president of the Rationalist Press Association has contributed to the correspondence in The Times on “Religious Education” but in those columns no reference could be made to the crux of such education at the present day, whether given in the school or the home. This lies largely in the question as to how far the supernatural origin and incidents of Christianity, the offshoot of Judaism, as recorded in a pre-scientific age when literary and historical accuracy are still to be taught to the young as accredited facts? If so the outlook is dark indeed for nothing can be more fatal to moral teaching than to base it on foundations that crumble away under the tests of modern research. Neither the major nor minor miracles chronicled in the New Testament, which are still accepted by institutional Christianity if not by Modernists, would be taken seriously by any of our ecclesiastics if taught as the tenets of another religion. And in this connection it may be noted that in the baptismal service of the Church of England, ratified by the confirmation of later years, the personality of the Devil still enters into the scheme of religious education on the other hand, the Unitarians and many Free Churches have shaken off most of the shackles, and are founding their faith on an inward spiritual witness to a guiding spiritual power, expressed in but not limited to Christianity.
Well may Professor Garham Wallas ask what will happen to a teacher who finds that he is no longer certain that he knows “what Christianity really is.”
Revolt, 13 February 1929
Religious Education (by B.G.)
Religion has played an important part in human life from the very beginning of the universe. Even before writing and reading were known to the people, religious stories were told from generation to generation. In India religious education was perhaps the only education first given to man; but under the present regime of the Britishers, religious education does not form part of the present-day educational institutions. So, it is but natural, that the most religious minded people of the world, the Hindus, raise a bitter cry that their religion is in danger.
Let us examine what sort of religious education is given in other religions. Education, as we all know, is to draw out what is latent in a child. The teacher helps the child to learn for itself, and in modern educational methods, experiments form the important factor in education. But on the other hand, in religious classes, the teacher infuses into the children certain ideas which they must repeat even if they do not understand them. In a religion, certain dogmas are held sacred and professed to have been told by god himself. We are told that god created a man and a woman and put them to watch the garden of Eden. The necessity for god to keep them in a garden, leave them naked, forbid them from plucking an attractive fruit, and then curse them with untold miseries, we are yet to have a prophet to tell us. Again, why not the Almighty shorten the life of Ravana, instead of being born as Rama, undergo the shame of being abducted by his consort and destroy the big kingdom of Lanka ?
It is this sort of education, we are failing to give our children.
Man, in his impressionable age is being told some ghost stories and made to believe them. What more do these religious books tell us than the elementary principles for the welfare of humanity? Nobody in this world denies that theft, murder etc. are bad. Then, should we have a god to come down all the way from the “Seventh Heaven,” and be born as one of us to tell us all these elementary principles? India wants bread, but she is given stone. It is not religion, the crying need of the masses, but two meals a day and sufficient clothes to cover their body.
Years of religious education has not changed the mentality and character of the twice born, and yet why should we burden our children with more of stories and poems to be got by heart?
Revolt, 17 April 1929
Religious Instruction in Primary Schools ( by D.V. Pradhan)
Of late religion has been made to play a very unhealthy part. In the public affairs of this country, to an extent that we seem almost to begin over again the religious cat calls of Europe seven to eight centuries ago. Whatever may be the origin of the differences that may crop up, they at once take on the religious cloak and sides are instantly taken on the so-called religious basis. Common differences on sanitary and national importance or things necessary for the healthy growth of the individuals and nations are discussed on the religious plane. If one asserts that India as it is seen today is nothing more but a slave to the mentality that has been created by the religious heads, we shall not be far from truth. Our every day life is also dominated by religion and we can safely say that the overdose of religion has killed the mentality of reasoning of every son of this land. Is there any way to get out of this entanglement? Can we be free and use our reasoning for the betterment of India? What should we do to break the shackles of religion and give full play to our natural faculties? The answer is simple enough. We should look to every day happenings in other parts of the world. The whole world is astir to weed out religion from public life and its endeavouring may have practically made it a question of individual observance. Russia has frankly gone in for ATHEISM. It is not question of toleration with the religion. It is strictly banned and is a bar to any public employment. Gauging from the events that are turning out, every one will have to agree that time is fast approaching when every nation will have to take a leaf out of Russia’s book in this direction. There can be no serious contradiction to this view.
History teaches us that religion has played great mischief and has added much to the miseries of the world instead of happiness in any way. It has been a constant menace to the progress of the world. There is a great deal of truth in what that great economist, Karl Marx, has said that religion is opium, nay it is even worse than that. Opium makes a man temporarily insane but fanaticism is the acme of religion. It drives a man mad throughout his life. There is no other go for him but to suffer and make others suffer through the infection which has made its home in him. Had there been no religion there would not have been the fights of Roman Catholics and Protestants, Jews and the Gentiles, Hindus and Moslems, Buddhism and Brahminism. This cult or that cult. This sect or that sect.
Leaving aside the question of the world we can learn much from the happenings of this country. Let the past history not teach us anything. Let it remain on the shelves. But even without turning over its pages the very recent quarrels and disturbances that were and are going on in every corner of this country must go a long way to teach us as to the evils they let loose. The sorry spectacles of Hindu-Moslem riots, Brahmin-Non Brahmin controversy and Touchable-Untouchable struggles will amply prove the mischief that has been wrought amongst us. It is a patent fact that these differences have only kept us from giving a united front to the foreign Government who are exploiting this country.
The mentality that has been created is such that even pure and simple economic struggles are given a religious tinge. If a serious student of Politics tries to analyse the real causes of these feuds, he will at once discover that all such abnormalities in this land are nothing but the adverse play of Economics. Go to the bottom of the real trouble and you will find that the economic condition of this country based as it is on the most iniquitous capitalistic system is the only root cause of the present day feuds. The Hindu-Moslem problem in the Punjab is nothing but pure economical struggle of the later with the former who have captured every possible places of power and pelf. The same can be said of other parts, in some places parallel to others modified. In some places Hindus are masters of the situation, at others Moslems. But all these struggles every now and then are being inflamed and given a colour of religious fights by the agitators of the market place, Mullahs, Moulvis, Priests and Brahmins, the so-called watch dogs and trustees of so called religions.
This ought to suffice everyone to realize the situation in its true perspective and to come to a decision to see that religion is at least made an individual observance within the four walls of one’s place of residence. It must not be allowed to continue its appearance in public life. No questions ought to be discussed from the religious point of view but from the interests of the society. If we are not in a mood to do it at least efforts ought to be made to see that the next generation of this country is kept aloof from this poison. But instead of that one finds to his regret the attempts that are being made in some quarters to introduce the system of religious instructions in the Primary Schools.
It is in the Primary Schools where the foundations of Indian Nationalism and world internationalism are being laid. These are the places that would mould the early and impressionable lives of the citizens of tomorrow. This is where the men and women of this and every land lay the basis of their usefulness to the country and the people in the future. Primary Schools are the places which can be really called as the places where one is made what he is. They have quite a unique position in the building of the nation, country and world. What should be seen is that the education that will be given to the future citizens should be such that will make them as true to India as to their own lives. We do not want them to be hypocrites nor go about fighting under the guiles of religion as Hindus, Jews, Moslems, Sikhs, Christians and what not. We want only such people who would be proud of themselves as Indians and Men. Why do these advocates of religious instructions add to the numerous difficulties by creating and accentuating communal bourgeois? Are there not enough of them? There are lots of them in Hindus, Moslems and others. Religious instruction means nothing but a regular breeding of these mischievous germs at our cost. This insanitary problem ought to be fought from the national point of view, no less than from the international.
Really speaking we have come to such a stage that any communal or religious organization that puts out its head prominently should be given a burial, no matter however difficult the task may be.
It is high time that start in the interest of the Nation and world is made to abolish all the educational institutions that are being conducted on communal and religious grounds and are spreading the infection of so called religion. Let it have at least its own course if we are not prepared to put it down systematically as Russia. Our educational institutions and particularly the Primary Schools should be such that they will mould true citizen of tomorrow who is and shall only be counted upon in the modern states. There is no place for a religious banner in the modern state. If the nation at least keeps its hands off the religious activities and discussions, I am sure there will not be any fights over child marriages, widow re-marriages, temple-entry, pollution, filling in the so-called sacred wells and tanks, common drinking pots irrespective of the castes, crematorium et hoc genus omne, much waste of public time and energy will be saved which can well be utilized in furtherance of the interests of the country in other directions.
By the by it will not be out of place to suggest that we very urgently need legislation to ban each and every so called religious activity in the public life. Untouchability ought to be made a penal offence. The so-called high and low caste system of the Hindus ought to be put a stop to and strict measures ought to be taken against the offender. Every citizen must have equal treatment in every affair of the State. State ought to concern itself to the citizen and not to his religion. The so called religion ought to be confined to such a place where these religious units have their own abodes. They ought not to be allowed to form any association, body or organization based on religious grounds. Provision should also necessarily be made to see that no meetings of children, young men and women take place for the furtherance of any religion. No materialistic body ought to be allowed to spring on religious ground. Not only that. There ought to be special clauses to have the schools absolutely non-religious ones. Nay a regular propaganda ought to be taken in hand by the State to make the children anti-religious. No more Hindu or Moslem Universities or Hindu or Moslem College or Hindu Helping Societies or Moslem co-operative societies ought to be recognized but ought to be wiped away from our midst.
Revolt, 18 August 1929
