Gandhi once met with a British clergyman know for supporting imperialism and opposing Indian independence. Trying to mask their differences, the cleric said, "We're both men of God, Mr. Gandhi." Gandhi replied, "You are a politician disguised as a man of God. I am a man of God disguised as a politician." That "disguise" was extraordinarily effective; Gandhi led a nonviolent revolution against one of the world's most powerful empires and lived to see the British leave India and his homeland become an independent nation. But, as he himself said, what made his practical achievements possible was his unwavering faith, his belief in God, and his personal relationship with God. Gandhi's Way to God brings together Mahatma's most impassioned yet thoughtful statements about that relationship. Raised in the Hindu faith, Gandhi practiced a kind of universal religion, containing prayers and hymns from all the world's major religions. Gandhi insisted that although humankind may have many names for God, many ways of drawing close to the Divine, ultimately we all pray to one and the same God.
|