05-12-2005, 05:08 AM
Ramakrishna never accepted the dogmas and doctrines of Christianity or Islam.
This is clear from the following quote:
Vivekananda presented his "practical Vedanta" in the Mahavakya, "Each soul is
potentially Divine. The goal is to manifest this Divine within by controlling
Nature external and internal. Do this by work or worship, or psychic control,
or philosophy, by one or more or all of these ? and be free. This is the whole
of religion. Doctrine or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms,
are but secondary details."
So when Ramakrishna is talking about a religion like Christianity he is not saying that the doctrine of "original sin" is correct or Jesus is the only way. He is saying that if a Christian sincerelyy follows Jesus's teaching,"Be ye Perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" then such a person will realize God eventually.
Of course a Christian might well say that such an understanding of Jesus is not Christianity at all.
This is clear from the following quote:
Vivekananda presented his "practical Vedanta" in the Mahavakya, "Each soul is
potentially Divine. The goal is to manifest this Divine within by controlling
Nature external and internal. Do this by work or worship, or psychic control,
or philosophy, by one or more or all of these ? and be free. This is the whole
of religion. Doctrine or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms,
are but secondary details."
So when Ramakrishna is talking about a religion like Christianity he is not saying that the doctrine of "original sin" is correct or Jesus is the only way. He is saying that if a Christian sincerelyy follows Jesus's teaching,"Be ye Perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" then such a person will realize God eventually.
Of course a Christian might well say that such an understanding of Jesus is not Christianity at all.