FromINFORMAL TALKS, delivered at Golden Gate Hall

Shall we ever have one religion to rule men alike?

Yes and no, both. We cannot have in future religions ruling mankind. In future religion will not rule mankind, nor will mankind belong to religion, but religion will belong to man.

Will anyone religion rule all men alike?

No, no religion will rule men in the future. Religions, institutions, laws, all belong to man.

Laws are for me. I was not made for laws and institutions.

There will be in the future a religion which will serve, not rule, mankind.

As to that term, ‘one religion,’ Rama says, yes, there will be only ‘one religion’ to serve mankind. And what religion will that be? Before telling what that religion will be, Rama says that that religion will have no name.

And what will that be? Rama says it will be the Vedanta, the religion of Science. The Vedanta is the Universal Religion.

Again, if by the term Religion you mean dogma, something which is registered, something which is fixed and cannot be moved, if religion is taken in that sense, then wake up. Religion in this sense will not exist in the distant future. Lo, today there are people who are studying Science, and opening their eyes to what is going on in the higher spheres of knowledge. Free people of this kind are above ail creeds and dogmas. True religion is to free us, not to bind us. The object of religion is to make us govern and rule, not to make slaves of us.

Names in religion are working great evil in this world. Take the names Buddhist and Christian; between their views there is a world of difference. Buddhism split India into four sects. In China, Buddhists are divided into seven sects.

A man says he is a Hindu and he will fight with the Christian or Mohammedan, and why? Simply because he wants to uphold the name Hindu. If you analyze their thoughts, you will find there are thousands of Hindus who in teaching are more Christian than the so called Christians themselves, and on the other hand, form undue attachment to those who robe themselves with the same name as they have.

Another word about religion in the future. There will be a religion in the future which will be for everybody, when Science or the Literature of the Vedanta permeates and pervades every home and village. The time is not far distant when the Vedanta, the religion of Science, the religion of the Universe, will permeate the whole world. But man must rise above the name Vedanta. He must rise above the name Buddhist, in fact he must rise above any and all names.

You hold certain views and there comes along another who thinks the only road to heaven is through his Church. Now it is a question between him and his God. What right have you to interfere? You have no right.

The recognition of the fact that everybody’s religion is a question between him and his God, is one of the essential teachings of the Vedanta.