How much importance is Education and religion in this world?

The most universal characteristic of human life is religion, by which men live and by which the society is animated. This, however, is just another way of saying that apart from the instincts of hunger, fear and sex, religion is common to all sentient creatures. Every infant of the human sped begins at birth with one desire, the desire to satisfy its hunger, which makes it turn to the mother for a feed.

The second pitch that the new born in fact feels is that of fear: fighting shy of strangers: apart from the mother, all are strangers (to be feared). Probably man began to worship God first as he feared, then as he wondered and finally as he reasoned.

Russel, therefore, says, “Religion is based on faith-a firm belief in something for which there is no evidence. On the basis of religion, people acknowledge a way of life in accordance with certain beliefs, moral and spiritual values and conviction in the truth and sanctity of those beliefs and values.

Religion has several connotations. These connotations lead themselves to misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Religion is often associated with religious doctrines, certain rituals, religious ceremonies and ways of worship which form a part and parcel of the religion to which they belong. In this sense, religion is something of an intensely narrow, cramped cabined, restricted and circumscribed character.

India is a land of many religions. Therefore, to use the term religion would bring confusion. The most generic term for India is ‘Dharma’ which holds together, protects and promotes the fundamental interests which makes our country a vigorous, healthy and progressive one.

Our “Sanatana Dharma” defines Dharma thus: (i.e., Dharma is that which prevent us from going down, ruining ourselves in any manner or respect whatsoever, and makes our welfare, progress and uplift all-round).

“It is not something very small (like ‘religion’ in the western sense of the word) but really and thoroughly all comprehending, as it knows no limitations of any kind whatsoever.” Thus comprehending, as it knows no limitations of any kind whatsoever.

Thus religion deals not merely with the means required for the attainment of happiness and joy in a future world, but also prescribe the necessary means for securing of happiness on the physical, material and other so-called purely ‘secular’ planes of life (during life itself).

It is an inculcation of a feeling of good to others and stimulation of a spirit of service towards humanity as a whole. In other words, all noble ideals, and values which binds man and God together with a mission of devotion, dedication and service to human welfare may be one of the connotations of religion.

Thus true religion is that which aims at the attainment of the highest desirable spiritual, moral, ethical and social values by man.

The word religion has been derived from two Latin words: ‘Re’ and ‘Legere’, which means to bind back or to establish connections. Religion thus, means an integration and unity which hold the mankind as a whole.

The essence of true religion is the fatherhood of god and brotherhood of mankind, the philosophy which “establishes a double bond one between man and God and the other between man and man as children of God.”

The greatest malady affecting mankind today is not just drifting driven into an age of material barbarism, a new kind of dark age in which the darkness and the barbarism will not be only educational but religious and educational.

The modern youth receiving education in schools and colleges are losing their idealism and are living in a spiritual vacuum. The sense of guilt and the loss of confidence of the elders and more specifically the teachers in their own judgement and integrity and its insidious influence upon the youth, makes them cynical and rebellious.

Moral values have no respect now. Highest respect is being placed to wealth and power. Religion has now become a private affair and stress, is being laid on secularisation of social relationship. Human relations are becoming impersonal and secondary.

Everywhere, we see human machines which possess motion without sincerity, life without emotion and heart without feeling. Everyone is running. No one has time to look to another. When we open the pages of history, we find that religion alone set up high ideals and created nobility and virtue in the hearts of the people.

People in the past were able to lead a superior life. The qualities like kindness, charity, social service, goodness etc. Which the people developed under the influence of religion gave stability and continuity.

The influence of religion was so powerful that a single point from a sermon could make a total change in the whole life of the people. Religion alone was able to create feeling in the heart emotion in the lives of the individuals.

Schooling began with religious education in most of the countries of the world. Time and again religion has acted as an incentive to better life, here and hereafter, and influence education directly as well as indirectly since the arrival of school as a formal agency of education.

School imparted religious scriptures and initiated pupils to the beliefs and practices of their own people living together in a community. Even today, there are schools, following this tradition. Thus there intimate relationship between religion and education.

In the words of B.D. Burton, “Religion and education are close and real friends. Both are related to spiritualism in contrast to physical and material phenomenon. Both try to free the human beings not from his physical surroundings but try to free him from the slavery to physical environment.”

Schools should encourage in all its students that “ultimate concern for the ultimate” Which constituents the heart of the religion .According to this point of view, “a man’s working religion is identical with the highest loyalty and with utmost seriousness of which he is capable; the irreligious attitude.

All the schools, therefore, should try to impart religious instructions to give a chance to students to learn about the ultimate reality and also about the importance of humanism.

Mahatma Gandhi, the world famous educationist advocates “literacy is no education ” If we believe in this statement, then we will find that in the present-day society, there are three types of people (i) Literate educated (ii) Illiterate Educated and (iii) Literate Uneducated.

People belonging to the first category have both literacy and education. They are having a with feeling and a life with emotions. They are human beings not human machines. They have developed these qualities only under the influence or religious education. They know how to live and act lib, normal human being.

“They are free from malice towards all beings, they are friendly as well, compassionate, they have no feeling of meum and are free from egoism, to them pleasure and pains alike and are free forgiving by nature, they are ever content and mentally united to the ultimate Real they have subdued their body, mind and senses and have a firm resolve, they have surrendered the mind and intellect to God”. They are the Mahapurusas.

The second category of people does not know how to read and write, how to add and substract, & they possess all the above qualities being influenced by religion. Therefore, they are known as I literate educated.

The vast majority of people of the present-day society being to the third category of are literate, because they possess certificates from the universities. With the help of certificates, they become white color baboos, being employed in many different jobs most prosperity they are literate, but not educate Religious education alone can set up high ideals and attempts to plant seeds of should not be ignored in the centres of learning, on the contrary, it should be studied and discuss in its Eastern forms as well as in its Western forms.

It should be studied, taught in schools and outs it always in the liberal spirit of honest inquiry followed by free individual decision. “The one and attitude that should be deliberately inculcated in our students is the attitude of profound ultimate beliefs However, much they may differ from our own.

Religion is a universal phenomenon. From the primitive man to the most highly educated be imparted to the pupils. According to the Education Commission

“One has to make a distinction between ‘religious education’ and education about religions. The former is largely concerned with the teaching of the tenets and practices of a particular religion, generally in the form in which the religious group envisages them, whereas the latter is a study of religions and religious thought from a broad point of view – the eternal guest of the spirit.”

Even since the school was established as an institution of formal instruction, religion has been influencing education directly as well as indirectly. Schooling began with religious instructions in most of the countries of the world including India. Such instructions have the following aims.