Maturation Process

[ancient_paztriot]

Hayagriva dasa: He sincerely believed that the maturation process necessarily entails ridding oneself of religion. He writes: “If one attempts to assign religion its place in man’s evolution, it seems not so much to be a lasting acquisition as a parallel to the neuroses which the civilized individual must pass through on his way from childhood to maturity.”

 

Srila Prabhupada: He has reached this conclusion because he has seen so many sentimental religions, but first of all he must understand what religion actually is. Religion is not possible without an understanding of God, and a religion without God cannot truly be called a religion. According to the Vedic system, religion refers to the orders of God; therefore if we have no conception of God, we cannot be said to have a religion. If we do not know God or His nature, how can we know the orders God is giving?

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Hayagriva dasa: Although often avoiding the very subject of religion, Freud sometimes took an agnostic stand. He writes: “Of the reality value of most of them, of most religions we cannot judge; just as they cannot be proved, neither can they be refuted.”

 

Srila Prabhupada: First of all he does not know what religion is. As we have said, religion means the orders given by God. Since he has no conception of God, how can he know anything of god’s orders? He is acquainted only with fictitious religions, which have been described in Srimad-Bhagavatam as kaitava––cheating religions. Real religion is law. Just as you cannot manufacture laws in your home, you cannot manufacture religion.