I have been urged by a deep concern to write this article. I am a citizen of this world and I feel concerned about all the matters around me.

I am a citizen of this world and I feel concerned about all the matters around me. It is also out of a sense of belonging and duty towards myself and towards my home, Mother Earth and her siblings. I wish to express my concern towards the religious bodies and socio-religious bodies, to name a few, as they form part of my home and have a great hand in today’s world state.

My dear friends, I will like to clear in the very beginning that I do not belong to any religious institutions, beliefs, systems or denominations. Mind you, I am not an atheist nor am I a believer. I am simply a human being who has experienced a glimpse of the ‘existence’ of God. I do not need any religious programming, robotisation, mechanism, institution or system as footing. Yet, I feel greatly concerned about their roles in this world.

There was a conference where socio-religious organisations and other people were invited to express their views on a hot topic of the society and their roles in dispensing the correct education, but to my utter surprise, only 5 organisations out of 20 socio-religious organisation invited were present! Is it not alarming that the very bodies that are supposed to be the foundation of civilisation are not present in education debates? What are they getting subsidies for? What are we paying taxes for?

It is good that I remind you that the government gives subsidies to religious and socio-religious institutions, and that money comes from our hard earnings. Yes, my dear friends, it is time to open your eyes and take cognizance where your money is going! I am not here to create conflicts but to state facts and invite you to reflect on them. The society is suffering from sex crimes, violence, burglary and so on and so forth. Yet, it is an irony to say that these past decades have witnessed a sprouting of temples, churches, mosques and other religious institutions all over the world. For this to happen, there must be many people attending these institutions. This also implies that the religious leaders are much of the time in close contact with people.

Then the question is, how come this world is in a chaotic state? What is their role? Should I venture to say loudly and clearly that our religious institutions have failed in their role as the footing and educators of the society? They exist since centuries and have been preaching almost everyday. Why and where have they failed? First, we must all acknowledge that our religious leaders, institutions, bodies, systems whatever name you give it, have not been able to make this world fit for human beings. Now we can investigate on the reasons of their failure.

I was shocked once again to learn that our religious leaders need to undergo a formation by other NGO’s on sex, HIV/AIDS, violence and the like they are going to be taught how to tackle and deal with them. If these people now need to learn about sex, sexual reproduction, prevention, behaviour management, sensitization on violence, then where does the layman go? This implies and explains many things. When one has not known his/her sexuality, lived it fully and transcended it, then how can one counsel a young person bubbling with this sex energy? No wonder when one goes for counsel to a priest, one may get raped and sodomised.

Statistics speak of themselves. An extract from Pg 9, Le Mauricien, Lundi 16 Mars 2009 – “L’église Catholique des Etats-Unis a payé 436 millions de dollars en 2008 dans le cadre des affaires d’abus sexuels perpétrés par des membres du clergé.” “En 2007, L’église Catholique avait déboursé 526 millions de dollars.” “Un peu plus de la moitié de ces nouvelles plaintes portent sur des abus commis entre 1960 et 1974, précise le rapport.” This is a record of official complaints only. How many people have kept silent, fearing the oppression of the religious leaders?

This is clear proof that we need to put into question the role and power conferred to these religious institutions. Should we continue to pour our earnings into their treasury blindly, without having the proof of their being worthy to serve mankind properly? Constructing temples on temples, serving food to people, giving some clothing to poor people just to put on record, organising festivals and wasting lots of money – are these going to change the world? Clearly, such things will never change anything. So what is the solution? Are you at least concerned to find a solution?

Only a few of the 5 institutions present for the conference on sex education were competent to dispense such education. This is a shame! I wonder whether it would make any difference if the other 15 were present too. Honestly, I doubt it.

Dear religious leaders, how many of you have experienced and realized God within yourself and in every particle of this existence? The statistics I have mentioned above answers many questions. Please be honest and sincere. How many of you can answer questions with full experience and conviction on topics such as sex, sexual temptation, homosexuality, masturbation, incest, rape, sodomy, sensual attraction, violence, multiple-personality disorders and so on? How many of you can really come forward and say, I have the expertise and competence to deal with these matters, I can tackle and help to solve these problems without myself getting affected by them? How many of you can say, I have attained peace within and nothing in this world can disturb my peace? How many can guide others to help them attain a state of infinite everlasting peace and bliss?

If you cannot reply positively to any of these, then you have failed as being a religious leader.

It is time for people to wake up and act in the interest of the humanity while maintaining peace and order. If only our religious leaders could understand that the mind is responsible for everything and by changing the mind, by transforming it, all problems of life will gradually disappear! Only a realised soul or an enlightened being, who has transformed his mind, experienced his soul and identified himself with the whole of existence, who has become one with God Himself, can help another person to understand and transcend his inner qualities!

We need mind transformation, or better still, a Global Mind Transformation which will lead to the transformation of the whole world, thus a world of peace, justice, and liberty. For this to happen, it is high time for each of us to play our role properly, as it should be.

G. M.
revolution8@live.com