Religion and Economic Development....

[Gauracandra]

I thought it would be interesting to start a discussion on the relationship between religion and economic development. What prompted this idea was a statement I read on this website a few weeks ago by either JNDAS or ATDAS. I can't find the article at the moment but basically it stated that if you want to increase a persons propensity to become wealthy then you should work to increase his sex desire. Basically as one becomes more lustful one begins to desire more and more. As these desires grow one will work harder and harder trying to fulfill them.

 

I think this discussion can be broken into two parts:

 

1) Holding any structural issues aside (ie. natural resources, government policy etc...), to what degree does religion affect economic development?

 

For instance, in the west, the Christian conception is that at one point the world was perfect, but man fell down. Because of this many Christian groups emphasize trying, through material works, to create that Kingdom of God here on earth again. Now in many eastern religions, like Buddhism or Hinduism (as a general category) the emphasis is on renunciation. Since the world is temporary the thinking is one should work on attaining spiritual enlightenment by gradually moving away from the material and moving to the spiritual.

 

2) To what degree does economic development affect our religious views?

 

This idea came to me as I was discussing with a co-worker the political elections that are coming up in the U.S. I made the point that, as we have become more and more wealthy as a civilization, our religious notions of what is right and wrong have become weaker. I made the point, for instance, about cigarette smoking. The reason we view smoking as bad is because it leads to lung cancer and ultimately death. Suppose tomorrow they found a cure for lung cancer, immediately there would be a cultural shift, and I believe the idea that smoking is bad would become much weaker because a great portion of the consequence has been taken away. Now lets apply this to the discussion at hand. In the 1960s the out-of-wedlock birthrate in the U.S. was around 5% for the nation. Forty years later it is now approaching 35%. During this period, the idea that having a child and being unmarried is wrong has gradually weakened. Even many churches these days while not outwardly condoning these activities, shy away from discouraging these activities for fear of being called "closed minded". I would argue that as we have become wealthier, we have been able to "handle" these moral issues by throwing money at them.

 

So what do you think? I'd be interested in any thoughts you may have.

 

Gauracandra

[viji_53]

Immorality can never be thrown out with money. you may close the eyes of people around you with money & not the God who is watching your every movement. The points you have said are the signs of Kaliyuga. You may earn abundant wealth but won't be able to take it with you when you are leaving the world. Every one has to die one day. We have to remember that & avoid forbidden acts. Our actions are responsible for our rebirth. God is impartial, why is then one is sick & one is healthy? one is rich & one is poor? It is because of our karma. That is why Gita says destroy the desires. In the 18th chapter Krishna says sacrifice even Moksha. Do not desire anything. Desire is the root cause of all evils. Two negatives can not become positive in reality. Just because churches close their eyes to immorality(for what so ever), it can not be justified. Hinduism even today says control your senses so that you won't commit sins. Therefore forbidden acts should be avoided under any circumstances.

Hari Bhol!

[viji_53]

Dear gauracandra,

Even some Hindu cults like ISKCON started preaching our religion like other religions which is not at all necessary. They want us to accept their views with out questioning. Chaitanya MahaPrabu started Krishna Prema through bajans, as it is always easy to attain God through music. Chaitanya Prabu's followers also had faith in their Guru's words & started ISKCON. But few fanatics bring bad name to ISKCON by their wrong interpretations. In the name of School (where education should be given freely)ISKCON (Mumbai)people are collecting donation of 15 thousand per child in 1995. Now I do not know how much they have increased. They are making money like business. Even education has become commercial in the name of God.From Balaji's money (In Andra pradesh )many free services are done to devotees. Education in Tirupati is very low compared to any city in India. Hostel fees,is very low. Hospital services are free. So many facilities are done to devotees. It should be like that from ISKCON also. But unfortunately it is not so. In the Kaliyuga even religion has become commercial, money grabbing agencies. Whether there is connection between religion & economic development, There is surely connection betwwen religion , money & power hunger.

Hari Bhol!

viji

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

It is sad that some people for whatever reason hold hate within themselves. They have a tendency to bring up their object of hate when ever a conversation comes up, regardless of the topic.

 

Krishna explains in the Gita that anger (krodha) comes from lust (kama). Only by becoming free from our material attachment and desire can we become free from anger. Ultimately religion is meant to bring us to that point of giving up material desire.

 

Sadhana helps us in becoming free from anger and lust by purifying our heart of contamination. We should all try it.

 

[viji_53]

Dear jndas,

I do not have any hatred or prejudice for ISKCON. Infact I am a life member of ISKCON. I feel sorry that few people of ISKCON bring bad name to whole of the organisation. Donation for admission to ISKCON School at Mumbai is my personal experience. I feel as a teacher, education should be given free of cost, if not possible, at lower cost. Do you justify the compulsory donation? Tulsidas says in his Raamacharitmaanas: kama,krodh, madh ,lobh, sab nath narak ke pant. Meaning lust, anger , pride & greed are gate way to hell. Krishna also says same thing in Gita in 16th chapter. Truth is bitter. I was not angry when I wrote the previous message & now also I am not affected by your comments. Those who are not able to control their anger when they face the truth have to do sadana to overcome it. Let us see how many of us accept it & do?

HariBhol!

viji

 

[Gauracandra]

Oh well, here we go again... another thread that veers off topic. When I initiated this topic I really thought we could get an interesting exchange going about economic development and what role, if any, religion may play in it. I took two courses in economic development in college and they were among the most interesting I had. So perhaps, if you guys don't mind, I can steer this back on topic. For instance, as I understand it in Islam it is considered a sin to charge interest on any kind of loan. Does such a religious injunction inhibit the formation of capital markets and thereby economic development. I don't know what the banking system is like in Muslim countries, and I would be fascinated to hear how their system works. I really would like to get an exchange of ideas going and I thought this would be an interesting topic to foster such discussion.

 

Gauracandra

[viji_53]

Too much wealth makes man greedy and slave to sensuous pleasures. It makes him extrovert and darkens his inner vision. Desires unfulfilled give rise to grief and this fulfillment causes greed. Thus he feels miserably thirsty even standing in the deep sea of wealth. The raging waves of worldly riches surround and submerges his senses, but he fails to quench the thirst of his soul. He runs after countless mirages in search of peace but all in vain. At last he prays for God's love which will satisfy all his cravings. He cries Lord release me from these shackles of exhausting sensuous pleasures and gives me ever-lasting peace.

Awake, divine people awake! God helps only those who work hard with vigor and courage.

From Rig Veda.

Hari Bhol!

viji