| Swami Vivekananda presented the talk, Real Religion | | | | God-realization cannot be achieved by reading |
| at the World's Parliament of Religions in 1893. With | | | | doctrines or encyclicals. The Christian Testament |
| this speech, he introduced Vedanta (AKA Hinduism) | | | | points to a reality that must be experienced. The |
| to the West. It is more than 100 years later and the | | | | purpose of the Gospels, for example, is to encourage |
| Christian West continues to struggle with the world's | | | | faithful to embark on a journey home to God and to |
| religions. This is a brief opportunity to comment on | | | | portray the unfathomable source of pure love that is |
| Vivekananda's speech. | | | | God. But, the words are not the journey. "The raft is |
| "Religion does not consist in doctrines or dogmas." | | | | not the shore." If you meet the Buddha on the road, |
| What simple and wise words. However, the religion | | | | kill him. |
| of the West, Christianity, is devoted to its doctrines | | | | This does not mean that doctrines, dogma, sacred |
| and dogmas. Doctrines about Christianity as the | | | | texts are disposable and without real spiritual value. I |
| exclusive path to salvation are the roots of Christian | | | | merely suggest that the source of strife among the |
| evangelization and, sadly, of Christian intolerance. Such | | | | peoples of the world is inordinate reliance upon |
| intolerance extends to the ends of the earth. The | | | | religious teachings at the expense of emphasis upon |
| Catholic hierarchy, for example, sets its gaze upon | | | | an experience of God and the consequent |
| every religious tradition and judges. The proselytizing | | | | comprehension of the interrelationship among all |
| view of the Catholic Church and all of Christianity, | | | | people and the cosmos. |
| peruses its own house. In Catholicism, for example, | | | | For religious leaders in any religious traditions, why is it |
| Catholic theologians who dare to present theological | | | | so incomprehensible to agree with Vivekananda: "As |
| arguments for salvation in religions other than | | | | soon as a man stands up and says he is right or his |
| Christianity are silenced, taken from teaching | | | | church is right and all others are wrong, he himself all |
| positions, indexed. | | | | wrong." Of course, in order to be consistent, I |
| I agree with Vivekananda. Doctrine is not the same | | | | suppose I must admit that I could be wrong. |
| as the experience to which doctrine points. | | | | |