By Varghese Alengaden
Indore, June 20, 2020: Although I have friends from Bahai religion I was ignorant that it was a religion without priests. For the first time, I attended a Bahai funeral when one of my friends passed away. With many friends and relatives, I also went to a Bahai cemetery.
To my surprise, there was no priest to perform the funeral rite. I saw a confident woman in ordinary attire conducting the service which consisted of reading short scripture passages by near and dear ones of the deceased. It was a simple service which lasted for less than 30 minutes. Later I was told that the local Bahai assembly delegates the responsibility of conducting the service to anyone whom they choose for each occasion.
This unique experience of participating in a Bahai funeral gave me much food for reflection and introspection. Though I knew some essential aspects of Bahaullah, the founder of the Bahai religion and read his teachings in our inter-religious prayer meetings, I did not know that it was a religion without priests.
The friends I had from the Bahai religion were wonderful people with a high sense of integrity, broad attitude, altruistic and responsible citizens. Each one of them knew the fundamental principles of their faith well. They not only had good knowledge of other religions but respected them. All whom I met were people who had made a deliberate choice to embrace the Bahai faith after completing their studies and taking up a career. Hence no one makes allegations of forced conversion against them.
Priests constitute an important part of all the major religions, rather, they control them. They interpret the scripture to suit their vested interest and sustain the unjust structure to control the lives of ordinary people. The priests also politicize and commercialize religion so that the original teachings of the founders of religion are misinterpreted.
The priests and high priests dictate innumerable rituals and dogmas to enslave the common people in their cultic culture. Seeing the conflicts and violence caused by religions, Dr. S Radhakrishan, second President of India, made a bold statement, “This place would be more religious if all religions go.”
Once during an interview by a senior reporter of The Times of India, I spoke of the urgency of moving from religiosity of rituals to spirituality of values, values of the Kingdom of God. At that time I had stated that the values of Christ would be practiced by common people without priests and hierarchy. After seeing the funeral of my friend officiated by a woman and the quality of life of people belonging to the Ba’hai faith I was once again confirmed in my conviction.
During the lockdown after Covid-19 stuck all churches, temples and worship places were closed. For the first time, people were deprived of the rituals performed by the priests. However, the vast majority of people did not miss these rituals.
Priests are eager to open the worship places. Christ also envisaged such a situation and provided a better alternative of “worshiping God in Truth and Spirit.” He also defined God as love and asked his disciples to love the neighbor and that is true worship; worshiping God in flesh and blood.
When priests control religion through innumerable rituals and mysterious dogmas, the role of the laity is reduced to passive attendance in routine rituals and celebrations which are dominated by priests. The laity will remain immature and stagnant. A clergy-dominated religion will block any attempt of the laity to be free and grow to spiritual maturity.
Why don’t all the clergy-dominated religions decide to do away with priests for a period of ten years and test the spirituality of their members? I am sure that the laity will take greater responsibility and show more commitment to their faith. When there is no preoccupation of rituals people will feel to practice values. Practice of values will make people more spiritual which in turn reduce violence, hatred, prejudice, insensitivity and discrimination.
The fact is that the priests and the numerous rituals they invent do not leave any room for people to reflect and realize the God who dwells in them.
Fr. Varghese, you have raised a valid question in your write-up – “Why don’t all the clergy-dominated religions decide to do away with priests for a period of ten years and test the spirituality of their members?”
Please remember that you are still a “Catholic priest and a member of a Catholic Diocese” (as far as I know). As a ‘priest’ you have raised this good question. It is like throwing a stone from inside the glass house.
Suggestion: Leave alone other religions. Being a Catholic priest, you could initiate a campaign for a “Clergy-less Catholic Church”. Take this as a challenge and do it. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME!