Keshub Chunder Sen

“ Religion is essentially universal. If God is our common Father, His truth is our common property. But the religious world may be likened to a vast market, where every religious sect sells only a portion of truth. Religion is many-sided; but each individual, each nation, oftentimes adopts and represents only one side of religion. In different times and in different countries, therefore, we see not the entire religious life of humanity, but only partial religious life. ”

“ I have always been an advocate of the glorious principle of religion which is summed up in these two great doctrines, the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man: and so long as I am enabled to work, whether in my own country or elsewhere, it shall be my duty to speak, and feel, and labour in such a way that not only my own countrymen may, under the guidance of God’s spirit and with God’s help, be brought into one fold, but all nations and races, so far as is possible with my humble resources and powers, may be influenced to feel the necessity of forming themselves into one vast family. ”

“ Christian people sometimes go the length of thinking that the whole of religious life is monopolized by themselves. During my short stay in this country I have been struck with the fact that English Christian life, however grand and glorious it may be – and it certainly is so in many of its aspects and features – is sadly deficient in devotional fervour and enthusiasm; deficient in feelings such as those which a deep and trustful reliance upon a personal and loving God alone can inspire, support, and sustain. Something like that is to be found in India. ”

“ I do honestly believe that in India there is such a thing as spirituality. If England and India were to unite and receive from each other the good things that they ought to receive from each other, we should be able to form a true Church, where the spiritual fervour and the activity of material civilization would harmonize, and form the unity of religious life. ”

“ There is another mistake which I hope this society will not commit, and that is, to assume an arrogant and hostile attitude towards existing sects. We should always assume a humble position. We must stand at the feet of all those who have gone before us, who have left for our enjoyment precious legacies of religious life and religious thought. ”

“ We cannot with pride and arrogance say we do not owe anything to the Christian Scriptures, we owe nothing to the Hindu Scriptures, we owe nothing to Confucius. We owe much to all these sources of religious revelation and inspiration. ”

“ It is, therefore, extremely unpleasant to us to see those who profess to be his disciples hate the Hindu as a heathen who has no hope of salvation, and who has not one single spark of truth in his own mind. Narrowness of mind has oftentimes its origin in narrowness of creed. Men hate each other, men contaminate their hearts with sectarian bitterness, because they believe that there is no truth beyond the pales of their own denominations and churches. ”

“ It is impossible to establish unanimity of opinion among mankind, and those who have tried to bring about such unanimity have always failed. I hope, therefore, the friends and promoters of this movement will not commit that great mistake. Let individual liberty be recognised: let individual rights be fully vindicated and respected; but still at the same time , while we recognise differences of opinion, let us feel, and let us declare, that it is possible to have a common platform of action, where we can exchange our sympathies with each other as brethren. ”

“ Christians and Hindus we shall look upon as brothers, as children of the same Father. Their books we shall read with profound reverence; their priests we shall honour with thanksgivings; and to all those around us who desire to treat us as men who have no hope of salvation, even to them we must show charity and brotherly love. ”

“ Hindus, Christians, Chinese, Buddhists, Greeks and Romans – men of all nations and races – men of all ages – who have in any way laboured successfully to promote the religious and moral and social amelioration of mankind are entitled to the undying gratitude of all succeeding ages. ”

“ Whether, therefore, we come to England, America, Germany or France, or any other country where similar religious movements are going on, we ask them to cooperate with us; we ask the whole world to treat us a fellow-disciples, to give unto us all the good things they possess and enjoy for our benefit, that we may thus collect materials from all existing churches and religious denominations, in order in the fullness of time, to construct and uprear the future Church of the world. ”

“ It is far more painful to see how that spirit of bitterness and sectarian antipathy has been persistently manifested towards Hindus by many professing Christians. None preached so eloquently and so ably the doctrine of true love of God and the love of man as Jesus Christ. ”

“ At their feet we sit today, and to them we desire to offer our hearts’ thanksgivings, and we desire to recognise them individually and unitedly, as our friends and brothers, who have directly on indirectly brought us into that position, in which we feel enabled to organise a Society like this. ”

“ It is on account of the light which we received from them through succeeding generations that we are prepared to come forward to-night and stand before the world as a Theistic brotherhood. We cannot dishonour them ”