RELIGION The Source Of Positive Ethics

God, who is the source of all goodness. God thus becomes a source of inspiration for everyone. Religion makes man God-oriented. It produces God-oriented thinking. His life is a God-oriented life. This is the thing which makes a religious person unconquerable. A religious person develops communion with God and such a person becomes strong and powerful. Here is an incident which shows in symbolic language how a religious person — a person who has complete faith in God — becomes an unconquerable man. He is a person whose peace or inner calm is undisturbed even by storm waves. Once, a ship sailed from the American coast for Africa. It was still on its way when it was hit by a severe storm. The ship began to shake violently. All the passengers panicked and started running helterskelter. It seemed that the ship would sink at any moment. In this hour of panic one passenger caught sight of a child in a corner of the ship, playing with her doll. The passenger asked the child, “Do you know what is going to happen?” The child asked in all innocence, “Why, what is the matter?” The passenger replied: “Our ship has been hit by a storm and it is going to sink.” The child continued to play with her doll and replied: “You know, my father is the captain of the ship. He is not going to let it sink.” This incident relating to the child gives us a picture of a religious person. A truly religious person never falls prey to frustration. He does not get disturbed in times of crisis. He never loses courage. He always lives in hope. In every situation he is in a position to say: God Almighty is the captain of my ship. He is not going to let it sink. v A religion is the source of all positive ethics. Religion gives man the power to forgive the offender.