Why religious and theological institutions remain essential in a modern society
|
Nasir Ahmed (Asst. Superintendent of Post Office (HQ), Kohima)
A renewed debate has emerged in recent months, with certain political figures suggesting that Madrassas should be closed in order to prioritize the production of doctors, engineers and scientists. While the intention may appear developmental, the argument overlooks a fundamental aspect of human society: the need for both material progress and moral-spiritual balance. Modern psychology, notably Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, recognizes that human beings require two parallel forms of well-being. The first includes physical, economic and technological needs. The second encompasses moral development, ethical direction and spiritual purpose. A society that nurtures only the former becomes materially advanced but ethically fragile.
Historical evidence offers powerful reminders. Nazi Germany and imperial Japan were technologically sophisticated but suffered from moral collapse, leading to conflict and destruction. Scientific progress, when not accompanied by ethical education, can become a tool of harm rather than advancement. It is for this reason that world-leading institutions such as Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale and the University of Chicago continue to maintain robust departments of theology and religious studies. These centres train scholars who serve as moral guides, counsellors, community leaders and interpreters of ethical principles in an increasingly complex world. Religious institutions also perform essential social functions. They provide leadership for places of worship, conduct marriages and funerals, preserve classical languages and texts, offer counselling, mediate disputes and guide the moral education of the youth. The closure of these institutions would create a vacuum that no scientific institution can fill. Even the construction of Temples, Mosques, Churches and Gurdwaras becomes purposeless without trained religious leaders to sustain them. Furthermore, the claim that religious seminaries hinder scientific growth ignores historical realities. The early Madrassa tradition produced towering figures such as Ibn Sina, Al-Biruni and Al-Khwarizmi. Similarly, India’s ancient Gurukul system nurtured scholars like Aryabhata, Panini and Chanakya. These models integrated scientific inquiry with philosophical and moral study. In the recent years, there have been many instances where a Madrassa graduate com-petes and gets through top examinations such as UPSC, NEET etc. A balanced approach would therefore not involve shutting down religious institutions, but modernizing them by integrating contemporary subjects such as Science, Mathematics and languages.
This ensures that students receive a holistic education without losing cultural or spiritual identity. A harmonious and forward-looking society requires both the architects of material progress and the custodians of ethical wisdom. As the world becomes more technologically complex, the role of moral and spiritual guidance becomes even more indispensable. Doctors, engineers and scientists keep society functioning, but religious and ethical scholars keep society humane.
A renewed debate has emerged in recent months, with certain political figures suggesting that Madrassas should be closed in order to prioritize the production of doctors, engineers and scientists. While the intention may appear developmental, the argument overlooks a fundamental aspect of human society: the need for both material progress and moral-spiritual balance. Modern psychology, notably Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, recognizes that human beings require two parallel forms of well-being. The first includes physical, economic and technological needs. The second encompasses moral development, ethical direction and spiritual purpose. A society that nurtures only the former becomes materially advanced but ethically fragile.
Historical evidence offers powerful reminders. Nazi Germany and imperial Japan were technologically sophisticated but suffered from moral collapse, leading to conflict and destruction. Scientific progress, when not accompanied by ethical education, can become a tool of harm rather than advancement. It is for this reason that world-leading institutions such as Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale and the University of Chicago continue to maintain robust departments of theology and religious studies. These centres train scholars who serve as moral guides, counsellors, community leaders and interpreters of ethical principles in an increasingly complex world. Religious institutions also perform essential social functions. They provide leadership for places of worship, conduct marriages and funerals, preserve classical languages and texts, offer counselling, mediate disputes and guide the moral education of the youth. The closure of these institutions would create a vacuum that no scientific institution can fill. Even the construction of Temples, Mosques, Churches and Gurdwaras becomes purposeless without trained religious leaders to sustain them. Furthermore, the claim that religious seminaries hinder scientific growth ignores historical realities. The early Madrassa tradition produced towering figures such as Ibn Sina, Al-Biruni and Al-Khwarizmi. Similarly, India’s ancient Gurukul system nurtured scholars like Aryabhata, Panini and Chanakya. These models integrated scientific inquiry with philosophical and moral study. In the recent years, there have been many instances where a Madrassa graduate com-petes and gets through top examinations such as UPSC, NEET etc. A balanced approach would therefore not involve shutting down religious institutions, but modernizing them by integrating contemporary subjects such as Science, Mathematics and languages.
This ensures that students receive a holistic education without losing cultural or spiritual identity. A harmonious and forward-looking society requires both the architects of material progress and the custodians of ethical wisdom. As the world becomes more technologically complex, the role of moral and spiritual guidance becomes even more indispensable. Doctors, engineers and scientists keep society functioning, but religious and ethical scholars keep society humane.