Acharya Mahaprajna
No religion puts an obstacle to economic development. Many modern economists have said that religions ordain restraints and tell people not to do this and not to do that. They maintain that these restraints are not productive and are impediments to development. In reality, however, it is only when we think in terms of worldly pleasures that they appear to be obstacles. If we consider them from the point of view of human welfare, we would find that they are not obstructive but conducive to development. If we invest in both pleasure and welfare, then economics could be very productive. On the other hand, if we confine it to pleasures, alone then we would find that today's economics has created many distortions in the society. It has made men cruel and misled them to the path of exploitation.
