Wellington Catholic Presentation 1: Fill & Download for Free

There is a high probability that the first faith officially present on lands that are now Poland was the Orthodox Christian denomination. According to old chronicles there was a strong tribe around the Vistula River and their leader (“duke”) was probably christened in the Orthodox Rite. However this tribe wasn’t apparently strong enough to withstand the neighbourhood of the Great Moravia and disappeared from the history.Mieszko, the leader of the Polans needed desperately to break an alliance between the Veleti Confederation , the German duke Hodon and the Czechia. He completed this task by forming the new alliance between Polans and Czechs. This was done by marriage with the Czech princess Dobrava and by adopting the Catholic Latin Rite by Mieszko and the entire country.We can consider many scenarios in this alternative version of history.Poland would never existed. Polish rulers needed support of the Church or at least neutrality of Rome in their centuries long struggles with the German expansion (Drang nach Osten). This support was also vital to achieve the status of monarchy recognised in Western Europe. Without Christianization in Latin Rite there would be no Polish Kingdom. Western lands would fall in hands of Germans while eastern would probably became part of the Kievan Rus. Heck, even that first problem with Veleti, Hodon and Czechs seemed to be the ultimate ending of the Polans state until Mieszko broke that alliance.Assuming that Polans somehow overcome those obstacles and formed the Orthodox Polish Kingdom, it was a huge chance of forming the Polish-Russian Empire at the end of the XVI century. Many of Russian bojars were ready to support Polish prince as a candidate to the Russian throne under condition of his conversion to the Orthodox faith. With the Polish Orthodox dynasty already in power the Polish prince could be the obvious choice.There would be no Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Orthodox nations tend to prefer strong leaderships and powerful monarchs. The mentality is more ascetic, less freedom oriented, more inclined toward discipline and order. Therefore no elected monarchy, no Henrician Articles and Pacta Conventa, no liberum veto.Ukraine wouldn’t revolt. The Orthodox Dynasty would need the Cossacks to fight with the Ottomans and they would pay them well. Plus, the Cossacks couldn’t count on Russia against Poland.The empire would probably free and then annex all Orthodox countries under the Ottoman rule. With Polish Hussars, Russian infantry and Ukrainian Cossacks the Ottomans would be doomed.Poland probably wouldn’t save Austria in 1683, thus no Austrian “gratitude” in the next century.There would be no Partitions of Poland, because Polish Orthodox Kingdom and Russia would be most probably one powerful state. Austria would be weak or wouldn’t exist at all and of course there would be no internal Commonwealth weaknesses like above mentioned liberum veto.It’s hard to say if Prussia would be in existence. Assuming that Polish Orthodox Kings could command Russian infantry in the fifteenth century and they wouldn’t be stopped by Roman influence during wars with Teutonic Order...Napoleon wouldn’t reach Moscow. Allied Slavic Orthodox forces would beat the hell out of his army somewhere in Germany.Great Britain, always supporting the balance of powers on the European continent, could see the Polish-Russian Empire as a main treat and thus support Napoleon. Duke Wellington operating together with Murat on the battlefield? Admiral Nelson sailing the Baltic Sea to provide support to the Napoleon invasion against the Slavic Empire? Everything could be possible :)To sum it up there are many interesting scenarios however they all have the main flaw (from the Polish point of view): Poland would most probably never exist. The Polans couldn’t make it through the centuries of German expansion without support or neutrality of the Rome.

In 1995, my husband and I left an outer suburb of Brisbane - Wellington Point - to move to a small rural town, Boonah, an hour + a few minutes from Brisbane or an hour and a half slightly + if the traffic is busy.Our town is in the Valleys of the Scenic Rim, 46 kilometres southwest of Ipswich, an hour from the Gold Coast, an hour from a largish provincial town called Warwick, an hour and a half from a large provincial city called Toowoomba - in fact we are like a small switching station in the middle of a web of large towns!Our population is around 4000 and we have three satellite villages - Kalbar, Harrisville and Aratula, which is on the highway. The farms around here are mainly vegetables, but some have goats, Damara and Dorpa sheep, some cattle, a few poultry and egg farms and I believe there is a piggery somewhere out in the mountains.We are a great day tripper and weekend short-break venue, because we are so close to the main centres. A family can head out on Friday, drive around 1–2 hours, and head home in the afternoon on Sunday. It helps that you don’t have to drive 6 hours to get here! We have an airfield which is heavily patronised by private aircraft - pleasure flights, training and gliders. Also ultra-lights and army helicopters. Often Medivac helicopters come in to ferry out mad rock climbers who get over-excited on Frog Buttress on the side of Mount French :(We are a cultural town, many artists live and work here. We have a terrific hospital and ambulance service and unlike some towns, we have plenty of doctors - two surgeries and the doctor at the hospital! The Public Dental Clinic calls every week, there is a private dentist, podiatrist, 2 optometrists, a chiropractor and two chemists - + a gym and all other businesses. In other words, we lack for nothing!We have a registered regional art gallery, a large cultural centre which attracts local and overseas artists - a conference centre, a theatre and an auditorium which holds 400+ people.Our Cultural Foundation puts on and sponsors plays, musical theatre and we have our second Writer’s Festival set for May this year. We have a huge Arts Festival in September and in early November there is a massive bookfest - literally around 8 - 10 thousand books which are collected throughout the year which makes funds for the library to purchase more books. Our Cultural Foundation Committee also buys and distributes books to the pre-School students throughout the district. Our library, of course, is fantastic! We have several book clubs and a writer’s group.We have a community radio station which broadcasts 24 hours a day with the help of a “stacker” - I produce and present Thursday Night Concert, 7–9pm Brisbane time, live streamed on the net - classical music (in case someone on here is interested!) We also have good internet services.Employment is not too bad - there are frequently jobs advertised in the local weekly rag - but many people drive the 45 minutes to Ipswich or Beaudesert to work. It’s a straight run either way and no traffic lights so it’s less stressful than living and working in Brisbane!It’s only approx an hour and a half to the beach, so if one wants to even work there, they can, though it is a bit of a drive - through beautiful rolling hills and horse country!We have -right now - only two empty spaces on the High Street. The rest of the town is flat out and it’s very hard to find a park in the main street or nearby.We have a primary school and a high school and a private Catholic primary school. Our Community Centre conducts training sessions for young people looking for work and runs a driving mentor program for kids trying to get their 100 hours up to go for their licences. There are two vehicles for this purpose.We have national parks and two lakes nearby - Moogerah and Maroon. Every year a group puts on a Passion Play at Easter at Moogerah in the open air theatre there by the side of the lake.We have a lot of new people coming in and we hope that they will join in the sporting activities which are soccer, rugby, and of course, cricket. We have a dedicated mob who cycle in lycra (lol) and we have a swimming pool which is attached to the high school and open to the public.We also have a magnificent hydrotherapy pool which was built with money raised by a dedicated group of volunteers and which caters to everyone, especially physios and the disabled groups around the Shire (County) who are bussed in on certain days.Volunteers - as usual, this community is carried by the volunteers - Meals on Wheels, the Red Cross (the mobile blood collection van comes 3 monthly) and town Information Centre, Community Garden, Pony Club and the Show Society are all run by volunteers. Social groups abound - the quilters/bridge/choral society et al. So we are just like any other community in a rural Australian town.When Andrew and I came here we had a truckload of mice which became the mouse circus and the Shire welcomed us with open arms - when they realised what we used the mice for! Our circus operated for ten years in southeast Queensland and toured the whole of Queensland and some of New South Wales before we closed (Insurance costs killed it) in 2006. Here is the video: mouse circus Australia on You Tube. Every year at Christmas time we brought the circus down the street and performed for the town who just loved it!Also, to the amazement and confusion of our neighbours in a predominantly commercial beef cattle area where there are cattle that is, we had a Scottish Highland cattle stud (Fold) and when we arrived, a Clydesdale horse team which we used for weddings or anything really.There are many advantages to living in a small Australian town. We are probably the safest place in the country - we do have petty crime, but a very good police force of around 4 officers - Kalbar has 1 and Harrisville I think has 2 or 3 officers because they cover the highway and out the back of Aratula.If you are prepared to join in and volunteer for something, you can make friends very quickly in this town. People will take you at face value - until you do something treacherous! Fortunately, Andrew and I have not blotted our copybook and have received kindness and acceptance. There are people from other nationalities here and they have been accepted into the community without any problems :)We do have drugs in the town - what place doesn’t? - but it is still a good place to raise kids. I am sure that, sadly, domestic violence is lurking in our community, but I don’t know or suspect anyone of being a victim or a perpetrator.We wouldn’t move away from here for “quids.” You can google us under the Scenic Rim Shire Council :)PS:Since the Covid 19 crisis, our town has become a mecca for “tree changers” - people who drive out here on the weekend, some looking for a better lifestyle, others - unable to travel interstate - are searching for somewhere to go for the day to bring some excitement into their lives :) Our town is hopping on weekends, swarming with people dining out and exploring our mountains and lakes.

To say that all these people believed in God, is putting their beliefs under one broad umbrella, formed out of popular opinion that debases spiritual belief as a whole.People reject religion and spirituality based on the extraneous negativity that comes from the association of these systems with humans, and the rigid interpretation of the time-dependent aspects of religion and scripture. Other people, who are more curious, may however take the path of doing away with the negative waffle around religion and then trying to explore if there is any positive aspects that lie hidden deeper.The belief of people like Gandhi and Einstein transcends the human boundaries that have been imposed upon religion. Their conceptions do not get caught up in appellations and rhetoric that comes part of modern-day oppressive-seeming religious practices.From the question, I feel you have a very broad, generalized picture of "belief in God" as a rejection of all science and rationality, and an adherence to baseless beliefs.People who are seeking the truth under the waffle of modern religion often come to realize a different view of what you call "God".Einstein's religious leanings are a hot topic of debate. It is agreed that he described himself as an agnostic, and he was doubtful about the existence of a personal God. He however, did marvel at the design of the universe, and referred to his conception of a supreme power as The Great Architect, an omniscient, super-intelligent controlling set of forces that shaped the universe. In other words, he was in awe of the cosmic order and the laws of physics. He rejected the idea of an anthropomorphic God as naive, but he was not an atheist:"I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal god is a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being."See, even here, Einstein correctly equates the fervour of atheism in the modern sense with a belligerent rejection of religious indoctrination and rigidity. Moreover, he rejected the most stark human-like aspect of God that is commonly criticized, that of god being a punisher:"My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment."So, we see how Einstein was a sort of a deist, who believed in ultimate determinism and the total supremacy of physical laws. For him, his idea of "God" was this. God was aloof of human emotions and pursuits, and was beyond comprehension through human intellect:Your question [about God] is the most difficult in the world. It is not a question I can answer simply with yes or no. I am not an Atheist. I do not know if I can define myself as a Pantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. May I not reply with a parable? The human mind, no matter how highly trained, cannot grasp the universe. We are in the position of a little child, entering a huge library whose walls are covered to the ceiling with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written those books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books, a mysterious order, which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of the human mind, even the greatest and most cultured, toward God.Notice that his belief is purely pragmatic, sound, and different from the view of God as an everyday meddler who is moved by prayer and longing.Einstein was a "cosmic spiritualist". In The World As I See It, he wrote:"A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which are only accessible to our reason in their most elementary forms—it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man."According to his philosophy, there were three impulses that led to the genesis of religious belief: fear, that comes from a primal understanding of causality, social morality, that springs from longing to be accepted, and the most mature, came from awe at the overbearing order of physical laws.For Einstein, this form of cosmic religion, and the tenets of science, walked hand in hand. Cosmic religion and the admiration it brought were necessary for science. His belief system recognized what he might call "God" as a universal manifestation of order, without a personal aspect that rewards or punishes. He viewed religious pursuit as the most fundamental human goal:...a person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with thoughts, feelings and aspirations to which he clings because of their super-personal value. It seems to me that what is important is the force of this superpersonal content ... regardless of whether any attempt is made to unite this content with a Divine Being, for otherwise it would not be possible to count Buddha and Spinoza as religious personalities. Accordingly a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance of those super-personal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation ... In this sense religion is the age-old endeavor of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals and constantly to strengthen and extend their effect. If one conceives of religion and science according to these definitions then a conflict between them appears impossible. For science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be...Along with this, he was a staunch supporter of ethics and humanism, and for him the root of human interaction lay in an ethical basis to everyday life.He thus rejected the negativity of religion, and sought to go deeper than the superficial:"in the struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God, that is, give up that source of fear and hope" and cultivate the "Good, the True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself."Gandhi has been much more than a leader figure in the history of India and the world, contributing to religious and political thought throughout his adult life. The vision and philosophy he espoused, popular as Gandhism, is heavily based on Gandhi’s spiritual wisdom and gleanings from experience. The Gandhian way of thought is based primarily on the Bhagavad Gita, and also incorporates the concept of Universalism.Gandhi provided extensive commentary on the Gita, often finding solace in reading it for assuaging his internal troubles. He also came into contact with other faiths during his time in England and South Africa, and developed views on religion and conversion. His views sprung from his insistence that the core of each religion is essentially the same, and thus he bred respect for all faiths.Through the examination of Gandhi’s life and works, I will try to establish the feasibility of practically applying his spiritual principles, and touch upon the stages of his journey as a spiritualist.I also seek to establish the concept of an underlying system of spirituality that transcends organized religion, of which Gandhi was not a supporter. That is the question this essay seeks to answer: Is there an applicable system of spirituality that lies at the cornerstone of all organized religion. In an attempt to answer this, I aim to use gatherings from studying Gandhi to form a holistic structure of human forays in the spiritual realm. The result is a challenge to formulate universal spiritual principles, through the lens of Gandhi, and conforming to the basis of his personal beliefs.Gandhi’s JourneyGandhi was exposed to matters of religion and spirituality very early in his life. In the first part of his autobiography, he writes about how he was being taught everything except religion at school, but still was aware of religion being a broad term meaning self-realization, and continued to pick things up from his surroundings. Perhaps this unusual gathering of knowledge regarding such matters from a young age contributed to Gandhi’s deep regard for religion and spirituality. His nurse once instructed him to chant the Ramanama, which helped him throughout his life, and the chanting of the Ramayana left an indelible mark on him at the tender age of thirteen. (Gandhi, “My Experiments with Truth” 41-42)At Rajkot, a young Gandhi got the opportunity to see many religious traditions. His parents took their young to many Shiva and Vishnu temples, and were paid visits by many Jains, who would have discussions about religion and other subjects. The family also had a great lot of Muslim and Parsi friends, and Gandhi, being his father’s nurse, saw how his father engaged in respectful reception of the presentations of these other faiths. Gandhi himself says that these things helped inculcate in him a tolerant view towards all faiths.(Gandhi, “My Experiments with Truth”, 42-43)While he cultivated this inclusive view, he himself did not believe in the concept of a God. He did, however, arrive at the conclusion that morality was the basis of all spiritual action, and truth is the basis of all morality. From here on, Gandhi’s definition of truth only expanded, and his belief became only stronger.As a child, two mythical stories left a strong mark on Gandhi: those of Shravan Kumar and Raja Harishchandra. He came across both stories through their enactments by dramatic companies. The unsurpassable filial love of Shravan Kumar led to a deep devotion for his parents and eternal shame when he was not by his father at the time of his death. Raja Harishchandra’s dedication to truth further strengthened Gandhi’s loyalty to it. Once, after stealing some money, a petrified Gandhi wrote an earnest letter to his father, and obtained a pardon. This entrenched his faith in sincerity at a young age, and perhaps became the basis for his fidelity to the concept of truth (Sharma 12-14).Gandhi’s mother had an essential role to play in his spiritual and ethical formation. She might have been his first spiritual teacher. Putlibai belonged to the Pranami sect, the founder of which insisted that Hindus and Muslims dine together, after the oppressive rule of Aurangzeb. Gandhi’s later stances of Hindu-Muslim unity perhaps echo this set of lernings from his mother’s philosophies in his youth. Multiple times, Gandhi attributed saintliness and religiosity to his mother (Sharma 43), and commented upon the attempted Universal Declaration of Human Rights:“I learned from my illiterate but wise mother that all rights to be deserved and preserved came from duty well done…”Gandhi’s time in England is an important reflection of his spiritual bases. His journey abroad was opposed by tradition. Paying no heed to the protestations of the caste council, Gandhi decided that his travel was not against religion. Although he was excommunicated, Gandhi did not care. His travel to England was on the basis of a very solemn promise to his mother, saying he would abstain from meat, wine and women. The impact of the Ramayana is stark during his stay, when he refuses to consume meat despite the logical insisting of his friends, on account of his promise, like Rama. In this whole episode, two things about his spiritual code became apparent: his self-reliance in matters of religion, and his attitude towards caste (Sharma 31). While in England, Gandhi expanded his form of truth to keeping the promises he made to his mother, and scrupulous book-keeping of expenses (Sharma 33).In England, Gandhi was properly acquainted with other religions for the first time in his adult life. The stay helped him dissolve his earlier dislike of Christianity. He met a vegetarian Christian in Manchester who encouraged him to read the Bible, which left an impact on him. He attended church services, and his travels to France also helped him develop a feeling for Christianity. On reading Thomas Carlyle’s Heroes and Hero Worship, Gandhi came to appreciate the life and work of Prophet Muhammad (Sharma 37-38).The movement called Theosophy also made an impact on Gandhi. In London he met two Theosophists who introduced him to the Gita. Gandhi had read no version on it, and was taken in by its message. Gandhi says that he regards it to be the “book par excellence for the Knowledge of Truth” (Gandhi, “My Experiments with Truth” 82). The syncretic nature of beliefs espoused by the Theosophical Society was akin to that of Gandhi, and Madame Blavatsky’s Key to Theosophy inspired him to read Hindu scripture (Sharma 39).Upon his return to India, Gandhi was introduced to Raychand, a young jeweler who was to influence Gandhi’s subsequent spiritual thought. Gandhi was impressed by Raychand’s spiritual character and knowledge of scripture (Sharma 44). Gandhi said of him:“His words went straight home to me. His intellect compelled as great a regard from me as his moral earnestness, and deep down in me was the conviction that he would never willingly lead me astray and would always confide to me his innermost thoughts. In my moments of spiritual crisis, therefore, he was my refuge.”- (Gandhi, “My Experiments with Truth” 105)Thus, Raychand became a spiritual guide for Gandhi, who stayed in contact with him even as he moved to South Africa to fight a case for Dada Abdullah & Co. In South Africa, Gandhi describes his experiences with his Christian friends in a section called “Religious Ferment”. Gandhi was plagued by religious doubt as he attended The Wellington Convention with one Mr. Baker. He appreciated the Christian faith and the example that Christ had set as a great teacher, but his reason refused to take the word of the Bible on face value. He could not see either Hinduism or Christianity as perfect. In this period, his Christian and Muslim friends kept pushing him to pay heed to their religions. This added to Gandhi’s doubt.At this juncture, Gandhi wrote to Raychand, whose response quelled the uncertainties in him. Raychand instructed Gandhi to study Hinduism deeply. Gandhi also purchased a translation of the Quran, and started reading modern interpretations of Christianity. The Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy also impressed him, for its philosophy mirrored that of Hinduism. (Gandhi, “My Experiments with Truth” 163-166).Through Raychand’s support through this period, Gandhi emerged as a “religious pluralist” (Sharma 47). Raychand’s guidance taught Gandhi how no religion is superior to another, and all focus on the worship of God. Raychand was also a Jain, and this must have influenced the formation of staunch viewpoints on vegetarianism and non-violence in Gandhi. It is clear that Raychand’s educative contribution in Gandhi’s life led to his catholic approach towards all religion and his philosophy of tolerance and love.Gandhian ReligionThe Bhagavad GitaThe Bhagavad Gita was known to have a great influence on Gandhi, and it was referred to him as his “spiritual dictionary”. He is known to have consulted it to assuage his doubts:“When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.”In his introduction to his interpretation of the Gita, Gandhi describes the book as the portrayer of a war that continued in the hearts of all people, dressed in the garb of spiritual warfare. He understood the Mahabharata and its characters to be literary devices used to convey deeper messages. Gandhi was moved the picture of perfection presented by Krishna in the Gita and held renunciation in high regard. He believed this renunciation was to be attained through intellectual endeavour and the wisdom of right and wrong. Gandhi believed the perfect devotee to be the one who was inclined towards self-realization, and did not give much importance to rituals and paraphernalia if they were used without real devotion. This crux of Gandhi’s take on spiritual progress adopts heavily from the Gita, where in the ninth chapter, Krishna talks about pure devotion as the highest path to realizing the Supreme.Very importantly, Gandhi extricated the meaning of religion as described in theGita as something that has to be practiced in day-to-day life. He advocated mixing faith with work, and a renunciation of all fruit without giving up action. From this riddance of desire, Gandhi takes the definition of ahimsa. He expounds how work done without desire leaves no room for pain or hurt. He believed in the richness and depth of the Gitaas a religious song, and considered it a great guide for detaching oneself from results and alleviating all sorrow of the soul. (Gandhi, “The Bhagavad Gita according to Gandhi”, Preface).Truth and GodTruth is a central concept in Gandhian religious philosophy. Gandhi, in his later life, came to believe in the concept of God as a label applied to truth. For Gandhi, God was much more than a personal concept, something he describes as “describes God as a force, as the essence of life, as pure, undefiled consciousness, as truth, goodness, light and love, and as the atheism of the atheist since the latter also seeks truth” (Richards 10). Truth, for Gandhi, was something eternal, with everything else being momentary. Gandhi’s broad definition of the philosophical concept of truth acquires metaphysical dimensions as it meshes with his all-encompassing definition of God. Thus, for Gandhi, God is formless truth. Furthermore, Gandhi believes that idols and symbols are born out of the need of humans to tie their devotion to earthly objects, and are thus necessary, while not necessarily possessing sacred nature.Keeping in view Gandhi’s metaphorical take on the Bhagavad Gita as a call to action, there is a bond between ahimsa and truth in Gandhi’s spiritual system. Truth, according to him, is attainable through the pursuit of ahimsa, which is action without desire, for desire causes pain, and thus himsa. Truth is the voice of conscience which is formed out of religious and ethical ideals (Richards 17). Thus, Gandhi’s metaphysical stance is integrated with ethics and practicality on a basic level. Gandhi believes that one must cultivate purity and truthfulness before subjecting oneself to the voice of truth (Richards 18).Gandhi believed in the cosmic spirit which acted rationally above good and evil, structured and ran the cosmos, was infinite and all encompassing, and was disembodied consciousness, and was incomprehensible to humans in its entirety (Parekh 36-37). He viewed God as an overarching intelligence, and instiller of order and structure, full of infinite intelligence and energy. He also believed that God could not be entirely demonstrated through reason, but did not consider that to be reason enough to negate God’s existence (Parekh 38).He believed that the experience and attainment of God had to be a result of multiple experiences in life, which bred certainty. According to him, the realization of God was not natural to all, but had to be earned through spiritual journeys. He agreed that this was a matter of faith, which was beyond reason, but also formulated rules to discern rational faith from the ‘blind’ kind, saying faith had to have basis in experience and had to correlate with observation, although falling outside the realm of observable conclusions (Parekh 39).EthicsGandhi lamented how men are obsessed with the external aspects of religion and have forgotten the core, blaming religion for evil practices (Gandhi, “Ethical Religion”, 33). Gandhi believed that all religions are founded on the basis of morality and thus moral law cannot be escaped.Gandhi says that man is obligated to be moral, not because it brings him good, but it is the very law of his existence. He strains upon the importance of applying moral principles, and how, kept only in theory, moral standards are useless. He coaxes men to find “veracity and righteousness in spite of the pains and losses” (Gandhi, “Ethical Religion” 36), and calls virtue its own reward (Gandhi, “Ethical Religion” 37) for being moral. He defines true morality as the fearless pursuit of Truth, and calls virtuous action for the sake of good a big part of it. He declares that the highest morality is in service, and other moral principles derive from it (Gandhi, “Ethical Religion” 39).Gandhi meticulously defines moral action as action taken consciously and as part of duty. He denounces acting like machines without using mental faculties, and encourages the realization of the voice of the conscience as the voice of God, a judge of every feat. There is a certain deontological bent to Gandhi’s take on this, as he considers the motive of the actor as a prime criterion for judging morality. In his view, actions have to selfless, pure and unmotivated by desire or lust to be moral. Keeping in line with the philosophy of the Gita, Gandhi believes it is out of the doer’s business to concern himself with the results of his actions. Again, he calls for actions to be wholly voluntary, unforced by any earthly yearning ((Gandhi, “Ethical Religion” 42).Gandhi ascribes a high standing to moral law, declaring it above all man-made laws, independent of emotions or opinions, and valid at all times, and something which resides within the soul of every man. He says that untruth and the violation of moral law cannot be kept quiet for long, and truth always triumphs in the end.The Unity of FaithsGandhi took a holistic, inclusive view of religion. For Gandhi, all religions were formed out of common principles, and thus retained the same core. In his formative years in South Africa, Gandhi read holy books and works of many religions in depth. He dubbed his brand of Hinduism a conglomeration of teachings he found mirrored in Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam.Gandhi believed that an external form of religion was concerned with deities, rituals and practices peculiar to a certain community, but also said there was an internal component to religion, which transcended these externalities. This pure form acknowledged the presence of a cosmic spirit and commitment to realize it. Gandhi thought this the purest form of spirituality (Parekh 42).Gandhi’s broad concept of truth underlies all religions in his belief. He theorizes the one, true, perfect form of religion, which cannot be shown completely through one religious system, although all religions have it as a common element (Richards 18). For Gandhi, each religion represented uniquely certain aspects of this cosmic force: universal love and compassion in Christianity, monotheism and equality in Islam, and detachment, oneness of all life and non-violence in Hinduism (Parekh 43).Through his concepts of Truth and Love, Gandhi brought out the inner unity of all religions. He said that all religions agree on these fundamental tenets, and thus spring from the same source, though externally appearing different. He calls for a real movement of purification which helps each seeker arrive at the core of their own faith (Gandhi, “Fellowship of Faiths and Unity of Religions” 6). In his address to the Federation of International Fellowships in January 1948, Gandhi said:“(1) All religions are true, (2) all religions have some error in them, (3) all religions are almost as dear to me as my own Hinduism…”Gandhi remarks how in his studies, he never found the desire to criticize other religions, and recognized their shared cornerstones. Seeing this unity was essential according to him. On the presence of many faiths, he said:“The one Religion is beyond all speeches. Imperfect men put it into such language as they can command, and their words are interpreted by other men equally imperfect.”- From Yervada Mandir, on March 6, 1932Gandhi stressed that he believed in all religions and scriptures equally, and personally saw no need for conversion, as the basic nature of different faiths appeared the same to him, all intent on helping one another and realizing God. We thus see how he believed in a system of spirituality that was at the heart of all religious pursuit by humans. In the political climate he lived in, he voiced support for the integration of all faiths, not by conversion, but by excavating the one true message enshrined in all of them.In Conclusion: A Spiritual SystemThrough the exploration of Gandhi’s spiritual life and the tenets of take on religion, the postulates of a system of belief were laid down. By taking a look at these, I shall establish the skeleton for an underlying spiritual belief and action principles that are relevant in the modern age, addressing three prevalent questions regarding religion.The first theme is the conception of God. Gandhi believes God to be a formless force that runs the universe, aloof from the human concepts of good and evil, and running rationally and according to formulated laws. This view of God addresses the question of God being used as a crutch, or God somehow being cruel on account of suffering in the world. Like mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, good and bad are illusory concepts, man-made constructs, and God is an independent entity, ontologically superseding and encompassing everything. Thus, God is not an argument for good or evil, and the existence of God is not debatable as per this new definition, as God is simply the sum total of everything, the creator and the created. In this system, God is defined external to our constructed systems of material achievement and feelings that spring out of desire. This is also in line with Gandhi’s conception of God as moral law, higher and unbiased due to human opinion or feeling. Gandhian religion gives us an entirely pragmatic and logical definition of God.The second question is that of action. Gandhian religion urges all actions to take birth from the concept of devotion and selflessness. The definition ofahimsa, a central pillar in Gandhian thought, is intricately woven into this definition of action. The meaning of nonviolence is expanded to instruct the doer to do without desire or attachment to results, this eliminating pain, and by that route, sorrow and himsa. This declaration has the potential to alleviate pains and spread internal and external peace through the riddance of desire and the growth of compassion and selflessness. In the modern world, we need such practice more than ever, in light of the growing lust for material achievements, pervading violence, and the negative role craving plays in society as a whole.The third problem lies in the conflict of different faiths and the subsequent alienation of most people from the spiritual path. The greatest teaching of Gandhian religion is to establish Truth and Love as the bases of all religions, and its insistence on realizing the unity of all faiths. Gandhian religion thus breeds harmony between all religions and celebrates the great human endeavour of trying to glimpse the one higher Truth. It integrates morality into every religion, and its pragmatic view of God is shown in partial aspects in all faiths. Thus, Gandhian thought propels all men towards seeking the nuclei of their own religions. In an age where perhaps the true purport of world faiths is lost in a sordid torrent of opposition and focus on the waffle that has grown around each religion, Gandhian religion presents a simple way to rediscover spiritual character and to seek the one higher Truth that fuels all spiritual enterprise.Concluding, I have presented a practical spiritual system, based on a rational view of God, selflessness, ethics, morality, and the principal oneness of all religions, borne out of the aspects of Gandhian religion. The points of this system transcend any single definition of religion, promote harmony, and encourage discovering faith and mixing it with action to breed compassion and better living. Keeping in mind the spiritual emptiness, endless warring and the existence of lust as a major driving force in the modern day and age, the above system presents a perfect remedy, one that metaphysically and logically explores the root of all spirituality and retains relevance with a strong focus on application, compassion and rationality.Bibliography1. Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand. Ethical Religion. n.d.2. —. Fellowship of Faiths and Unity of Religions. Madras: GA Natesan& Company, 1948.3. —. The Bhagavad Gita According To Gandhi. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, n.d.4. Parekh, Bhikhu. Gandhi: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.5. Richards, Glyn. The Philosophy of Gandhi. Surrey: Curzon Press, 1991.6. Sharma, Arvind. Gandhi A Spiritual Biography. Gurgaon: Hachette India, 2013.I know more about Gandhi and Einstein, so I have written about them here. I hope you notice a host of commonalities between the religious/spiritual beliefs of Gandhi and Einstein. Bear in mind that they were mutual admirers, and they came from completely different backgrounds. Yet, upon introspection on this matter, both found truths and meanings that were deeper than what organized religion says, and held a lot of common ground.Both these people were intellectuals in their own rights, and were by no means hermits who had renounced everything. Einstein was one of the greatest scientific minds to ever have lived, and Gandhi revolutionised revolutions by being a spiritual and political leader.You can see how both of them arrive at an impersonal, independent conception of "God" as an unbiased, sophisticated force that keeps the order of the cosmos in place. Both lay stress on ethics, humanism and the rejection of superstitious beliefs about doctrines.In conclusion, I wish to show how these people you label as "intelligent" go beyond the unwanted parts of religion and use their very intellect to uncover the truth that lies hidden beneath it. Their ideas of spirituality and God are vastly removed from the idea that goes around today, and the idea that rational people rightly reject.They do not believe in a Christian, Judaic, or Hindu god. Their belief system goes much beyond petty labels. And thus, they "believe".