Sir — This refers to the article, “When religion is made a reason to be atrocious” (May 15) by Kushan Mitra. The writer has correctly stressed that there should be a common law for everybody. The pitiable factor is that most religious leaders are against this concept. Though the vital elements of any religion — like god, spirit, life after death etc — are mysterious and beyond human comprehension, people turn arbitrary, illogical, unjust and aggressive, when even the crudest and most unfair form of a ritual/practice is questioned.
Since every basic religious book was written centuries ago and most of the practices mentioned therein have no relevance today, religion should take a back seat in society. If Raja Ram Mohan Roy had to face stiff opposition from his own community in the case of sati, how can we expect a changed mindset from the present religious heads, in whose hands the devotees are mere pawnsIJ