A SOLDIER’S CONCEPT OF RELIGION

The accommodation of religion in a soldier's way of life poses two challenges for an Army, firstly subordinating religious authority to military authority and secondly maintaining unit cohesion. Religion is a source of motivation for the solider in an Army. Battle cries are frequently religious in nature. Religious teachers give inspiring sermons and reassuring advice to soldiers ahead of operations. In India, religious conflict is an integral part of the present environment in which the soldier executes his tasks. When joining the Army, the soldier takes an oath on the Constitution of India and their respective religious texts to uphold the honour code of the Army. In addition, the Army celebrates all religious festivals and leaders, regardless of their faith and ethnicity participate in all festivals' with the led' with equal fervor. This article makes an endeavor to understand a soldier's concept of religion and how the Indian Army has made a concerted effort to accommodate various religious tenets in a nation with multiple faiths, while simultaneously remaining apolitical and maintaining cohesion as an effective pillar of a National Security and State craft.