OH, YOU WERE ‘BORN’ INTO YOUR RELIGION; I WAS JUST BORN CRYING!
NO ONE is BORN a Buddhist or Muslim or a Christian or a Hindu. There are NO Muslim children, Buddhist Children, Christian children or Hindu Children. There are ONLY Children of Buddhist, Muslim, Christian or Hindu PARENTS. Do we call our children UNP or PA or JVP or Democrat or Republic children because the parents are UNP, PA, JVP, Democrats or Republicans and why not? Because they do not possess the knowledge or the information or the insight to make a choice about what political party they want to vote for, because they are not aware about what principles those parties stand for. But we so readily and earnestly transfer the limitations and the prejudices of our religious convictions to our children. So we are essentially saying;
“you are have to wait till you are 18 to know, understand and choose who runs the country but it is perfectly all right that I, as your parent have chosen for you the philosophies, doctrines and practices that will basically run your whole life”.
It’s Ironic how some people who swear by the words of being BORN a certain way have such little conviction in the religion they were BORN into. So much so that they can convert and change their religion upon Marriage, usually before marriage so that they can fulfill their selfish desire (don’t roll your eyes; it is a selfish desire. It’s not like the last person who decided to convert for marriage did so that the world famine would end), of marrying someone.
We are born HUMAN!!!
And that is the beginning and the end of it! As for me personally, my Mother is a Muslim my Father is a Buddhist. I went to a Christian school for 2 years and completed my education in One of 2 largest Buddhist Schools in Sri Lanka. I have been to Temples, Mosques for funerals, Kovils for Pooja’s and Churches for mass.
As far as I am concerned, we are not Buddhists, Muslim, Christian or Hindu…we are not Sinhala, Tamil, Burgher… we are Human beings! We all bleed the same Red Blood (subject to the blood group) if we are cut… not Muslim blood or Sinhala blood. But we must all be aware of extremist and extremism in all its forms be it Buddhist, Muslim or any other faction that can and will distort the fabric of society for petty minded and selfish ends. So while we appreciate your stance and conviction with regards to this, we also need to understand the original motive of certain factions questioning this and that.
“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.” — Steven Weinberg
