Mahatma Gandhi’s Views on Religion

Abstract

Religion is usually defined as a social-cultural system of designated behaviours and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, which generally relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual elements; however, there is no scholarly consensus. Mahatma Gandhiji believed that all great religions were fundamentally equal and there should be innate respect for them, not just mutual tolerance. He felt a person wanting to convert should try to be a good follower of his own faith rather than seek goodness in change of faith. Gandhi wrote that he was a Hindu because he was born in Hinduism, because it is the most tolerant and inclusive of all religions and because non-violence has found the highest expression in Hinduism. He also mentioned that he did not think of Buddhism and Jainism as different from Hinduism. The present paper appraises the concept and views of Mahatma Gandhi on religions.