“Reason is the guide that God has given us to distinguish truth from error in religion.”
— Ram Mohan Roy[commonly attributed] Theme of Roy's rational religious writings; English wording a summary, not a verified line
Commentary
This sentiment expresses the rationalism that runs through Ram Mohan Roy's religious and social writings, in which reason is treated as a faculty bestowed by God and as the proper judge of scriptural claims. The idea allowed him to appeal to both Hindu and Christian audiences, since each could be asked to test its doctrines by rational standards. Sophia Dobson Collet, in her 1900 biography, presents reason as the thread connecting his Persian monotheism, his Vedanta translations, and his educational programme. David Kopf, in The Brahmo Samaj and the Shaping of the Modern Indian Mind (1979), argues that this emphasis on reason shaped the Brahmo Sabha's constitution and worship. Critics have noted that Roy's rationalism coexisted with a deep respect for scripture, and that his appeal to reason was always framed as a reading of revealed texts. The sentiment is attributed to Roy in the tradition of his writings, though the exact phrasing is a summary.
Commentary
This sentiment expresses the rationalism that runs through Ram Mohan Roy's religious and social writings, in which reason is treated as a faculty bestowed by God and as the proper judge of scriptural claims. The idea allowed him to appeal to both Hindu and Christian audiences, since each could be asked to test its doctrines by rational standards. Sophia Dobson Collet, in her 1900 biography, presents reason as the thread connecting his Persian monotheism, his Vedanta translations, and his educational programme. David Kopf, in The Brahmo Samaj and the Shaping of the Modern Indian Mind (1979), argues that this emphasis on reason shaped the Brahmo Sabha's constitution and worship. Critics have noted that Roy's rationalism coexisted with a deep respect for scripture, and that his appeal to reason was always framed as a reading of revealed texts. The sentiment is attributed to Roy in the tradition of his writings, though the exact phrasing is a summary.