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India: How Spirituality Can Affect Democracy

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Submitted By cfekiere
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December 21, 2012
India: How Spirituality Can Affect Democracy India is often referred to as the "Land of Spirituality". There is no major religion that they hold and this is one of the reasons that it is so diverse. However, this spiritual land is a well formed constitutional democracy. Could there be some correlation between the two? If we explore the major religions in India, we can see that perhaps the reason democracy is holding so well is because of these spiritual people. The six major religions in India are Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Sikhism. These religions, all very different, have played a crucial part in forming India and keeping it so culturally diverse. These religions all promote equality and freedom of man and they contributed not only to India being a democracy, but they also helped India to be the superpower it is today. Hinduism is a religion that supports those that want to join. They do not convert others into Hinduism, nor do they have religious wars. "Hinduism offers lots of freedom to operate. An individual decides his Guru, and follows him or her. When many devotees come together a sect is formed. Like democracy, the people select a leader." (Prlog.org) These sects often are made and unmade, relating to the constant changes in democracy. People would argue that Hinduism is a confused religion because there is a certain lack of structure to those that do not follow. Even those that are not democratic would argue that democracy is unorganized since the political leaders are constantly quarreling with one another due to differences of opinion. Hinduism is very liberal in the way that it functions, there is a belief that there are different paths to reach God. "You can become Hindu by your own free will by accepting Bhagavad-Gita, essence of Vedas spoken by Lord Krishna as a final authority." (Prlog.org) Vedas means knowledge, it supports not only religious rituals but it involves philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and grammar. Hinduism is very open to freedoms of various natures. There is no single authoritarian scripture because there are a multitude of sacred texts. In the Hindu religion, you may choose your own God to follow. There are many different gods for many occasions, but you are allowed to follow one supreme being and make a wish. The closer you get to your God, the greater a chance you will be happy. There is no question that Hinduism would survive in a democratic country because in essence, Hinduism is about freedom of speech and thought and helping the individual become greater within himself as democracy tries to be. Islam, a religion that makes people wonder about its compatibility with democracy, is shown to thrive in India. The Muslim people are very peaceful and holy, giving them a great advantage to survive in a democratic country. Islam is a religion that promotes equality and individualism in order to reach heaven. Muslims would strive in a democratic society because they would all come together to reach the same goals in government. Predominately Islamic countries (such as Turkey and Indonesia) have been democratized and have flourished as great societies. India's Muslim population is the world's third largest and the world's largest Muslim-minority population. They have shown that their Muslim population was agreeable to the democracy India formed in 1947. Such a large amount of Muslims living in a democratic nation dwelling with these other religions shows that Islam is highly compatible with democracy. The Muslims that live in India do not vote as often as the other Indian people, but they do contribute to voting for the parties they agree with. The Islamic faith has been questioned countless amounts of times on whether it can co-exist with democracy, but through India and many other countries, we can see that they can. India is the largest democratic country in the world and it has a large Muslim population, showing that Islam and democracy can and does work. Jainism, Buddhism is a very peaceful religion, they value all the lives of living creatures. The Buddhist people would survive greatly in a democratic society because they believe in equality in all living things. They believe that no one is better than anyone else and they strive to achieve equality for all. This is exactly the mission the Indian democracy promotes. Buddhists believe that you have to be one with yourself and follow the Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. With democracy, they can continue to help end suffering in the government. Democracy ideally is to give equal voice to all and fight for equality for the people. Buddhism would support this form of government because they believe that all creatures are equal, so having a government that promotes such would be beneficial. Once they vote, they can also have their voices heard by choosing a party that would also agree with their ideas. The Buddha believed that the goal of life is to end suffering or to be happy with your life. He would meditate to become closer to nirvana, and Buddhists follow him by doing the same and being kind and generous to those around them. Democracy is supposed to help to reach a common goal and better the lives of the people through governmental help. Buddhism, though not typically found in democratic societies, is found in India and it is shown to run smoothly. Christianity is well known around the world. Christians believe in one God and by following the Bible, they can get into heaven. There are many different sects of Christianity but they all believe that though Jesus you can become closer to God. Christianity is about loving others and helping them to see God and get them into heaven as well. Democracy is getting people together to vote for someone that will not lead them to turmoil. Unlike a dictatorship, democracy is about the voice of the people. Christians would favor democracy because it is about the people helping to elect a certain party to keep the nation happy. It is a very idealistic government and Christians would be able to contribute to helping their society just as they would try to help others see God. In the United States and various countries in Europe, Christianity is the dominant religion and they also have democratic governments that are fully functional. The people enjoy being heard in their government and they use their knowledge of the Bible and the teachings they hear in the church in order to vote. Christianity is a religion that is set in stone, and many throughout the world follow this religion and are happy with their decisions. Democracy in a Christian world would be fine and in India it has shown to be great just as it is now. The Indian Christians use their votes to support the parties and help mold India into the great country it is today. Sikhism, These major religions are all proven to co-exist with democracy.
Links Used:
http://www.prlog.org/10668378-hinduism-and-democracy-comparison.html

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