Can The World Survive Without Religion (Yes or No) A Hindu P (General)

by dhw, Monday, November 29, 2010, 11:43 (5107 days ago) @ satyansh

I asked Satyansh what was the evidence for and point of reincarnation, drew attention to the fact that Darwin's theory of evolution did not shed any light on the origin of life, and suggested that Brahma might not be that far removed from Jehovah/Allah/God, and we should keep an open mind about whether there might be a conscious and personal creator. Satyansh has given me a very thorough response, from which it is clear that he himself is asking similar questions, but that Hinduism allows for all approaches.-Again I can only thank you for the clarity and openness of your answers. The fact that English is not your native language makes your contribution all the more impressive! -There are two more questions I would like to ask you, if I may.-1) You have painted a rather idyllic picture of Hindus devoting themselves to doing good deeds, but of course Jews, Christians and Muslims also see themselves as morally good. I wonder to what extent the Hindu community in India has proved itself to be more altruistic and law-abiding than the small Christian community and the huge Muslim community. In other words, does the theoretical emphasis on good deeds actually have the desired practical results, as compared to other religions/philosophies?-2) In an earlier post you wrote that the highest attainable state is that of Moksha, in which the practitioner becomes one with the Eternal, and in your latest post you say "the spirit never dies until it achieves Moksha". I know you have your own doubts about such matters, but I'd be very interested if you could tell me what this means for the believer. Does he then lose his identity and consciousness in the great oneness of Brahma? Without our consciousness and identity, it seems to me that we might just as well be bones lying in the ground, in which case life is seen as a kind of hell, and death or Moksha are one and the same thing, providing us with final escape. But if we are still ourselves, how does the practitioner envisage spending the rest of eternity? Again, these are genuine questions, not criticisms, and I also ask them of Christians and Muslims who believe in an afterlife.