Priests have been the most influential people in human history, and unfortunately, the most stupid people also. Not that all priests are congenitally stupid. They interpret problems and situations strictly in accordance with writings in their holy books. Not that there is anything wrong with the Bible Koran or Bhaagavat Geeta. These books were written by sages and visionaries centuries ago. Applying the social codes and moral principles in those great books without change to the modern day scenario will be a great blunder.
Besides, priests very often interpret the holy books in different ways. The difference in the interpretation leads to schisms and conflicts. In most cases, the sects fight each other violently.
More people have been killed by sect conflict than inter-religious strife. The Catholics massacred Protestants in millions and the Shias and Sunnis have been at war with each other in many Muslim countries for centuries.
I’m going to tell you a fable. If you have the glow of childhood still lingering in your mind, you will certainly enjoy the story.
The Rat Civilization
A species of rats evolved to a high degree of intelligence- almost as intelligent as human beings. They systematically eliminated their enemies, the cats, snakes and foxes and lived quite safely and peacefully.
A civilization gradually evolved in the rat country. Villages grew into towns and towns into cities.
There were two major religions among the civilized rats. One group believed that the rising sun deserved worship and it was not proper to worship the setting sun. These rats were known as the Worshippers of the Rising Sun or in short, the Risers.
The other group believed that the setting sun should be worshipped and the worship of the rising sun was improper. These rats were called the Worshippers of the Setting Sun, or shortly, the Setters.
The Setters kept rabbits and slaughtered them for meat. But the Risers regarded the rabbits as sacred animals. The Risers ate frog-meat but the Setters considered frogs unclean animals. They would not even tolerate the mention of frogs.
One day, two rat butchers were leading a fat rabbit to the slaughterhouse. They had to pass a Temple of the Risers and they were very anxious to pass the temple before the morning service in the temple was over. One whipped the rabbit occasionally from behind, and the other pulled it by a piece of coir round its neck.
They were in front of the temple exactly when devotees were coming out after the service.
There had been a fiery speech in the temple by a young priest. He had exhorted the devotees not to tolerate rabbit-slaughter and thundered in conclusion, "No killer of the rabbits deserves to live!"
Little wonder, the faithful fell upon the two friends furiously leaving them dead.
The news of the killings spread very fast like forest fire. The Risers threw dead frogs into the Setter temples. The Setters retaliated by throwing dead rabbits into the temples of Risers.
Latha, a rat girl, and her mother were sitting in their living room anxiously waiting for Ramu, Latha's elder brother. They had heard rumours about a possible riot, but they did not know what actually happening outside.
Latha said, "Mom, why are the Risers and Setters fighting?"
Her mother replied, "At first there was no quarrel between the two sects. In fact, the groups were very friendly. My father was a Riser and my mother a Setter. By and by, religious intolerance became widespread. The Risers began to push out the Setters wherever they were the majority. The Setters did exactly the same thing. At last each village came to be inhabited by one group only. In towns and cities separate regions were earmarked for each group."
"But you haven't told me why they should fight at all," the girl rat said.
"They fight because they are different. Haven't you seen the temples? The Riser temples always face the east while the temples of the Setters face the west. The Risers worship in the mornings on Tuesdays and the Setters worship in the evenings on Saturdays," said the mother.
"But this is no reason for riots," said the girl impatiently.
"There are other differences," continued her mother, "For example, the Setter ladies keep their tails well covered so that only their husbands can enjoy the tender beauty of their tails. But the Riser-ladies decorate their tails with bright flowers and coloured cotton and proudly exhibit them."
"This is no reason for the riots," repeated the rat girl.
"But my dear, have you ever noticed how the priests wear shoes?" said the mother.
"It's quite funny that they wear shoes only on one foot," replied the girl.
"While the Riser priests wear shoes on the left foot, the Setter priests wear them only on the right foot. The other foot in each case is bare," said the mother.
Still the girl did not understand why there were riots at all.
The mother continued, "The Setter males wear turbans but the Riser males wear caps. The Risers choose to cremate the dead and the Setters prefer to bury their dead."
"But Mom, you haven't told me a single reason justifying the riot," said the girl indignantly.
"The priests and leaders ask the people to fight and they fight," said the mother.
"The sun is always the same when it rises or sets. Any fool can see this. The rats are the same whether Riser or Setter - this is also evident. It remains a mystery why rats kill each other and set fire to houses and buildings," the rat girls said with a sigh.
"But, my dear, have you ever thought of the main difference between the two religions? We Risers eat the flesh of frogs; you know it is very tasty and nourishing. For Setters frog is an accursed animal. They believe that God Almighty the Sun cursed the frogs for some reason.
"The Setters eat the flesh of rabbits. For us Risers the rabbit is a sacred animal.
"We Risers not only eat the flesh of frogs but call the Setters ‘frogs’ whenever we are angry with them," the mother said.
Now Ramu came in running. He was out of breath and was drenched with sweat.
"There's a riot - a great riot. All the Risers are fleeing to the east. Let us hurry or they will be upon us!" the boy rat cried.
Taking whatever they could carry without difficulty, the three were on the road within minutes.
Great multitudes of rats were seen fleeing to the east. They joined the great crowd in its slow and painful trek to the east to save their lives.
The rat country consisted of a great plain in the west and a vast hilly region in the east. Beyond the plain, in the west, rose a tall mountain that ran in a semi circle towards the hills and served as natural boundary of the rat country. In the east, beyond the hilly region, was a plateau through which flowed a great river, the Mahanadi, which was the eastern border of the country.
Now as the riot raged, the Risers were driven off to the east where they were the majority. In the meantime the Risers drove away their Setter neighbours to the western plains.
These crowds of fugitives were very often attacked by fanatics belonging to the rival group, and massacred. Diseases spread among the fleeing crowds and they didn't have drinking water, food or medicines. Millions of rats perished in the exodus.
The country was divided into two and everybody thought that the rivalry had come to an end.
Elipuram, the Capital of the undivided country was in the plains, close to the hills. The two nations now began to fight for the control of the city.
The first two wars are known as the First and Second Rat Wars and the common rats prayed to the sun that the Third Rat War might not take place. But the priests and politicians on each side were planning and preparing for the final war.
In the great river that marked the eastern border of the undivided country, the monsoons used to cause great floods. The Risers saw that the floodwaters could be used to destroy the country of the Setters.
Millions of small tunnels were dug from the riverbed under the hills into the valley below. The tunnels were planned and constructed such that during floods, water would flow down into the valley where the Setters lived.
The first two Rat Wars were fought during the summer. Therefore, when the Risers attacked during the monsoon, the Setters were really taken by surprise. The Setters fought bravely and great armies marched into the eastern strip of the valley to repulse the attacking forces.
The rains stopped for a day and the sun rose with a pale face on top of the mountains beyond the great Mahanadi. The Risers prayed for complete victory over the Setters and made special offerings to the sun god. Similarly in the evening, the Setters prayed for victory and lasting peace by helping them defeat and destroy the Risers.
That day the setting sun looked unusually red - the god might have known what was in store for both the countries.
The sunshine for a day was like the calm before the storm. It began to rain heavily after nightfall and the rains continued without break for three days.
The Risers withdrew to the higher and safer positions, for they knew that the planned flood in the valley was at hand.
Through the millions of tiny tunnels floodwaters began to surge into the valley and the country of the Setters was very soon under water. By the second day the valley had been completely submerged, killing the entire Setter population.
Now the Risers celebrated the victory from their safer positions. They were overjoyed that the religious problem had been solved forever.
But their elation was short lived. The swift waters flowing through inside the hills ate up the foundations of the hills. The great river altered course and the hills and highlands slid into the valley below. In the place of the ancient rat country, a great lake was formed.
At some time in future, explorers may discover the remains of a great civilization under the lake. They may never guess that the civilization was ruined by religious fanaticism.
Besides, priests very often interpret the holy books in different ways. The difference in the interpretation leads to schisms and conflicts. In most cases, the sects fight each other violently.
More people have been killed by sect conflict than inter-religious strife. The Catholics massacred Protestants in millions and the Shias and Sunnis have been at war with each other in many Muslim countries for centuries.
I’m going to tell you a fable. If you have the glow of childhood still lingering in your mind, you will certainly enjoy the story.
The Rat Civilization
A species of rats evolved to a high degree of intelligence- almost as intelligent as human beings. They systematically eliminated their enemies, the cats, snakes and foxes and lived quite safely and peacefully.
A civilization gradually evolved in the rat country. Villages grew into towns and towns into cities.
There were two major religions among the civilized rats. One group believed that the rising sun deserved worship and it was not proper to worship the setting sun. These rats were known as the Worshippers of the Rising Sun or in short, the Risers.
The other group believed that the setting sun should be worshipped and the worship of the rising sun was improper. These rats were called the Worshippers of the Setting Sun, or shortly, the Setters.
The Setters kept rabbits and slaughtered them for meat. But the Risers regarded the rabbits as sacred animals. The Risers ate frog-meat but the Setters considered frogs unclean animals. They would not even tolerate the mention of frogs.
One day, two rat butchers were leading a fat rabbit to the slaughterhouse. They had to pass a Temple of the Risers and they were very anxious to pass the temple before the morning service in the temple was over. One whipped the rabbit occasionally from behind, and the other pulled it by a piece of coir round its neck.
They were in front of the temple exactly when devotees were coming out after the service.
There had been a fiery speech in the temple by a young priest. He had exhorted the devotees not to tolerate rabbit-slaughter and thundered in conclusion, "No killer of the rabbits deserves to live!"
Little wonder, the faithful fell upon the two friends furiously leaving them dead.
The news of the killings spread very fast like forest fire. The Risers threw dead frogs into the Setter temples. The Setters retaliated by throwing dead rabbits into the temples of Risers.
Latha, a rat girl, and her mother were sitting in their living room anxiously waiting for Ramu, Latha's elder brother. They had heard rumours about a possible riot, but they did not know what actually happening outside.
Latha said, "Mom, why are the Risers and Setters fighting?"
Her mother replied, "At first there was no quarrel between the two sects. In fact, the groups were very friendly. My father was a Riser and my mother a Setter. By and by, religious intolerance became widespread. The Risers began to push out the Setters wherever they were the majority. The Setters did exactly the same thing. At last each village came to be inhabited by one group only. In towns and cities separate regions were earmarked for each group."
"But you haven't told me why they should fight at all," the girl rat said.
"They fight because they are different. Haven't you seen the temples? The Riser temples always face the east while the temples of the Setters face the west. The Risers worship in the mornings on Tuesdays and the Setters worship in the evenings on Saturdays," said the mother.
"But this is no reason for riots," said the girl impatiently.
"There are other differences," continued her mother, "For example, the Setter ladies keep their tails well covered so that only their husbands can enjoy the tender beauty of their tails. But the Riser-ladies decorate their tails with bright flowers and coloured cotton and proudly exhibit them."
"This is no reason for the riots," repeated the rat girl.
"But my dear, have you ever noticed how the priests wear shoes?" said the mother.
"It's quite funny that they wear shoes only on one foot," replied the girl.
"While the Riser priests wear shoes on the left foot, the Setter priests wear them only on the right foot. The other foot in each case is bare," said the mother.
Still the girl did not understand why there were riots at all.
The mother continued, "The Setter males wear turbans but the Riser males wear caps. The Risers choose to cremate the dead and the Setters prefer to bury their dead."
"But Mom, you haven't told me a single reason justifying the riot," said the girl indignantly.
"The priests and leaders ask the people to fight and they fight," said the mother.
"The sun is always the same when it rises or sets. Any fool can see this. The rats are the same whether Riser or Setter - this is also evident. It remains a mystery why rats kill each other and set fire to houses and buildings," the rat girls said with a sigh.
"But, my dear, have you ever thought of the main difference between the two religions? We Risers eat the flesh of frogs; you know it is very tasty and nourishing. For Setters frog is an accursed animal. They believe that God Almighty the Sun cursed the frogs for some reason.
"The Setters eat the flesh of rabbits. For us Risers the rabbit is a sacred animal.
"We Risers not only eat the flesh of frogs but call the Setters ‘frogs’ whenever we are angry with them," the mother said.
Now Ramu came in running. He was out of breath and was drenched with sweat.
"There's a riot - a great riot. All the Risers are fleeing to the east. Let us hurry or they will be upon us!" the boy rat cried.
Taking whatever they could carry without difficulty, the three were on the road within minutes.
Great multitudes of rats were seen fleeing to the east. They joined the great crowd in its slow and painful trek to the east to save their lives.
The rat country consisted of a great plain in the west and a vast hilly region in the east. Beyond the plain, in the west, rose a tall mountain that ran in a semi circle towards the hills and served as natural boundary of the rat country. In the east, beyond the hilly region, was a plateau through which flowed a great river, the Mahanadi, which was the eastern border of the country.
Now as the riot raged, the Risers were driven off to the east where they were the majority. In the meantime the Risers drove away their Setter neighbours to the western plains.
These crowds of fugitives were very often attacked by fanatics belonging to the rival group, and massacred. Diseases spread among the fleeing crowds and they didn't have drinking water, food or medicines. Millions of rats perished in the exodus.
The country was divided into two and everybody thought that the rivalry had come to an end.
Elipuram, the Capital of the undivided country was in the plains, close to the hills. The two nations now began to fight for the control of the city.
The first two wars are known as the First and Second Rat Wars and the common rats prayed to the sun that the Third Rat War might not take place. But the priests and politicians on each side were planning and preparing for the final war.
In the great river that marked the eastern border of the undivided country, the monsoons used to cause great floods. The Risers saw that the floodwaters could be used to destroy the country of the Setters.
Millions of small tunnels were dug from the riverbed under the hills into the valley below. The tunnels were planned and constructed such that during floods, water would flow down into the valley where the Setters lived.
The first two Rat Wars were fought during the summer. Therefore, when the Risers attacked during the monsoon, the Setters were really taken by surprise. The Setters fought bravely and great armies marched into the eastern strip of the valley to repulse the attacking forces.
The rains stopped for a day and the sun rose with a pale face on top of the mountains beyond the great Mahanadi. The Risers prayed for complete victory over the Setters and made special offerings to the sun god. Similarly in the evening, the Setters prayed for victory and lasting peace by helping them defeat and destroy the Risers.
That day the setting sun looked unusually red - the god might have known what was in store for both the countries.
The sunshine for a day was like the calm before the storm. It began to rain heavily after nightfall and the rains continued without break for three days.
The Risers withdrew to the higher and safer positions, for they knew that the planned flood in the valley was at hand.
Through the millions of tiny tunnels floodwaters began to surge into the valley and the country of the Setters was very soon under water. By the second day the valley had been completely submerged, killing the entire Setter population.
Now the Risers celebrated the victory from their safer positions. They were overjoyed that the religious problem had been solved forever.
But their elation was short lived. The swift waters flowing through inside the hills ate up the foundations of the hills. The great river altered course and the hills and highlands slid into the valley below. In the place of the ancient rat country, a great lake was formed.
At some time in future, explorers may discover the remains of a great civilization under the lake. They may never guess that the civilization was ruined by religious fanaticism.
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