Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 48
48 He then surveyed, in a succint and masterly way,. the whole field of the various momentous questions which were at present engaging men's minds for solution all the world over, or in his own words, " which the people are ' up against/ as the Americans would say. " And in doing so he classified, them under certain heads, to wit, political, economical, social, religious, and moral. # _ # * * ^ Then, indiscussing the religious questions, the learned Pro- / fessor began by saying that true religion was at a discount every- \ where in the world, not even excepting India. However highly religious, and spiritual, India had been in the past, he had concern only with the present state of religion, the religion as it was current among the people now. He did not believe that all Indians were spiritual and all Westerner materialistic. There were as many spiritual people in the West as there were in India. The Professor could see no difference between an Indian who went to the temple with the aim of attaining a material object and a Westerner who went with tbe same object in view, to a factory or any other institution. In the West there was individual liberty and freedom, and so one could publicly dissociate oneself- from, or show one's disapproval of, any religious ceremony or dogma; while in India the individual had attained little freedom and could not publicly show his disbelief, without bringing trouble on himself or. his kith and kin. If he had gone through any ceremony or shown his silent approval to any dogma he would do so more as a concession to his relations and friends than one; of his conscience. The spirit of spirituality was wanting. He commended the spirit of the Christian missionary, who would for the sake of Christ go anywhere into the world, even into the unexplored parts of Africa. Though he condemned his methods of proselytising, the Professor thought that some such spirit of