Why I am a Believer: Personal reflections on nine world religions
edited by Arvind Sharma
Penguin, 2009
Who can argue with 'personal reflections', by nature subjective and built on a foundation of 'because I feel that is so'? Yet this is why one so often has to swallow broad generalisations about the charity of Hinduism, the purity of Jainism, the compassion of Sikhism, the pluralism of Islam, and the meditative aspect of Buddhism with nary a burp. Never mind that some of the most violent, unjust and vicious acts in history have been perpetrated in the name of these very faiths. In this new work, we are asked to behold the teachings of nine of the major world religions in their 'purest' form. Mystical experiences, coping with death and loss, dealing with trauma, a quest for truth and a belief in the healing powers of religion all go into making true believers of the writers in this collection.
But let cynicism (or staunch atheism) not come in the way of appreciating well-crafted arguments in favour of what might seem to be barbaric rituals. Sandhya Jain, in "Why I Am a Jaina", for example, convincingly explains sallekhana, a "uniquely Jaina propensity to proactively embrace one's approaching demise", and contrasts the media prejudice towards this practice with the empathetic coverage of euthanasia. Vincent Shen on the Confucian tradition and Bede Bidlack on Daoism are both educative, providing insights into lesser-known spiritual traditions. Harvey Cox's "Why I Am Still a Christian", presenting the 'temptations' of other faiths, including atheism, provokes readers who pride themselves on their rationality to delve into ignored spaces of the psyche, and examine one's individual relationship with divinity. (Laxmi Murthy)
Selected Essays
by Rahul Sankrityayan
People's Publishing House, 2009