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THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION
So when the human beings become uninterested in religious things, then they are animals. And how can there be happiness or peace in animal society? They want to keep people like animals, and they are making a United Nations. How is it possible? United animals, society for united animals? These things are going on.
Interviewer:  Do you see any hopeful signs?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  At least they have detected that religion is declining. That is good. “Declining” means they are going to be animals. In logic it is said that man is a rational animal. When the rationality is missing, then he is simply an animal, not a human being. In human society either you become Christian, Muhammadan, Hindu, or Buddhist; it doesn’t matter. There must be some system of religion. Human society without religion is animal society. This is a plain fact. Why are people so unhappy now? Because there is no religion. They are neglecting religion.
One gentleman has written me that Tolstoy once said, “Unless dynamite is put underneath the church, there cannot be any peace.” Even now the Russian government is very strictly against God consciousness because they think that religion has spoiled the whole social atmosphere.
Interviewer:  It seems there could be some truth in that.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  The religious system might have been misused, but that does not mean that religion should be avoided. Real religion should be taken. It does not mean that because religion has not been properly executed by the so-called priests, religion should be rejected. If my eye is giving me some trouble on account of a cataract, it does not mean that the eye should be plucked out. The cataract should be removed. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Interviewer:  I think history shows that many people have misused religion. Isn’t that a fact?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  These people have no conception of God, and they are preaching religion. What is religion?  Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam : “The path of religion is directly enunciated by the Supreme Lord.” They have no conception of God—they do not know what God is—and they are professing some religion. How long can it go on artificially? It will deteriorate.
That has become the present condition. They have no idea of God, so how will they know what is the order of God? Religion means the order of God. For example, law means the order of the state. If there is no state, then where is the order? We have a clear conception of God—Kṛṣṇa. He is giving His order, and we accept it. It is clear religion. If there