We are frequently told that the world would be a gentler place if we simply outgrew our ancient faiths. Recently, I encountered several articles and discussions making exactly that claim—that religion is the root cause of violence in society. Yet this view rests on an oversimplification, one that risks misunderstanding both history and human nature.
Not everyone who follows religion supports violence. For most people, prayer acts as a coping mechanism, a means of finding peace and spiritual growth. Prayer isn’t meant to be a grand display, but a surrender—a quiet confession into the silence, seeking peace, trusting that someone, somewhere, might be listening.
Ancient scriptures reflect the time in which they were created, while human ethics continue to evolve. These scriptures do not speak with one voice because they were never written at a single moment. They carry within them the dust of wars and the fragrance of compassion, the helping hands of saints and the clenched fists of bloodthirsty warlords. So they should be engaged with actively, not followed blindly. To read religious sacred text is not to receive a command, but to enter a conversation already in progress.
At the same time, blaming texts for harmful actions removes human responsibility—people choose how to interpret and act. In the end, such sources are not traps but mirrors of human history, and it is up to individuals to decide which values deserve to endure.
While researching for my novel *The Timingila*, I did a comparative study of many scriptures. It was fascinating. What struck me most was not their certainty, but their contradictions. I came across several beautiful and enlightening thoughts.
However, I would not accept any of these scriptures as a divine guidebook for my existence because some parts speak of humanity and peace, while others justify violence and war in the name of religion.
Instead, I think that religion is like a box filled with different sort of things. The box has flowers and love, kept alongside weapons and hate. What we take from that box, and how we use it is our responsibility. We can't blame the box for picking a weapon instead of a flower.
When a person opens a sacred text, they do not merely read; they search. And what they find is often not truth, but themselves. If there is love within them, they will discover verses that glow with mercy. If there is hatred, they will cling to words that sharpen it into righteousness.
What we pick is our own choice, and we should not try to force it on others. By blindly discarding religion as evil, we lose the opportunity to understand ourselves.
So the question is not whether religion is guilty. The question is far more uncomfortable: what do we seek when we turn to it? Compassion? Love? Power? Meaning? Justification?
And perhaps most frightening of all—if we removed religion entirely, would we become gentler? Or would we simply find new ideologies, new “truths,” to sanctify the same old violence?
Because in the end, religion is not a verdict. It is an invitation. And what we bring to it—our tenderness or our fury—determines what it becomes.
Life, after all, has never felt the need to justify itself. It unfolds slowly, like a story that knows it will outlast every argument told about it.
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Some verses picked from scriptures of different religions.
Hinduism:
ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय । तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय । मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ (Pavamana Mantra, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28))
Lead us from the unreal to the real, lead us from darkness to light, lead us from death to immortality. Peace, peace, peace!
ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः । सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
May all be happy, may all be free from illness, may all see what is auspicious, may no one suffer. Peace, Peace, Peace.
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Christanity:
For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (Bible, John 3:17)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. (Bible, Corinthians 13:4-8)
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Islam:
The true servants of the Gracious One are those who walk upon the earth with humility and when they are addressed by the ignorant ones, their response is, Peace. (Quran, 25:63)
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Jainism:
Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being. (Mahavira, Twenty-fourth Tirthankara)
Miccha me dukkadam (Airyapathiki Sutra, verses 3.124)
I ask pardon of all living beings, may all of them pardon me, may I have friendship with all beings and enmity with none.
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Buddhism:
Daḷhaṃ sikkhatha santiyā. (Buddha, Utthana Sutta of the Sutta Nipata.)
Resolutely train yourself to attain peace.
Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is an eternal law. (Dhammapada)
Shon Mehta is an author and philosopher known for creating the Jivavarta Universe, a grounded sociopolitical world used to explore human resilience, social dynamics, and moral philosophy. Her novels and parables have transitioned from literary fiction into foundational academic material used in educational curricula across several countries. Through her analytical work, she examines the complex social structures and leadership archetypes that shape our reality.