The Criterion for Religions — Page 5
5 fies a man and thus detracts from the self-evident, eternal and immutable glory of the true God? The an- swer to this question can only be that, unfortunately, monarchs and kings are so preoccupied with running the affairs of the state that it consumes all their facul- ties of thought and reflection. Preoccupation with national interests does not let them attend to the af- fairs of the hereafter. Hence such continuous and relentless absorption in worldly pursuits undermines the spirit of recognizing the Almighty and of seeking out the truth. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that He will guide this courageous Government towards the right path. Our prayer for this Government is as much for its worldly prosperity as for the hereafter. No wonder therefore if we do witness the effect of this prayer. In this day and age, while so many means are avail- able to distinguish between truth and falsehood, three major religions in our country are in the field confront- ing one another. Each follower of these three faiths claims that only his faith is right and true, and, strangely enough, none of them is ever inclined to con- fess that his faith is not based on the principles of truth. But I cannot believe that the hearts of our opponents can, even for a moment, agree with the claim they make with their tongues. The hallmark of a true relig- ion is that even before we advance arguments in its favour, it is, in its very essence, so bright and resplen-