Most other religions teach that one can be absolved of one's sins by charity which, in many instances, is performed during religious celebrations and worships with considerable fanfare. Thus when non-Jains indulge in such activities, they follow the precepts of their respective religions. Jainism is unique in this respect. The Jain religion teaches us that passions mingled with irrationalism and delusion are responsible for influx of karma, which, in turn, determine the course of our lives. Thus we cannot be absolved of 'sins' through indiscreet charity and we violate the teachings of our religion when we make donations with fanfare during religious celebrations.
We do not become followers of the Jain religion just by praying to Mahaveer and SIDDHAs for favor instead of worshiping Krishna or Christ or Allah. Our practice of Jainism should not end with reading TATTVAARTH SUTRA and KALPASUTRA instead of the Bible or Gita. We do not become a Jain merely by reciting NAMOKAAR MANTRA instead of some other mantra. If we remember Mahaveer, Shantinath and Parshvanath with a desire to eliminate bad karmas and obtaining good karmas so that we would have comforts and material possessions in this life or in the future, we are not following the Jain religion. On the other hand, if we study the life story of Mahaveer or Ram with the intention of learning the meaning of virtuous life and the ways to achieve peace of mind, it is Jainism. Jainism is not just replacing 'good morning', 'Jai Ram' or 'Jai Shri Krishna' by 'Jai Jinendra' or just praying to Parshvanath instead of Ram and Krishna for relieving our pain and suffering.
* The second paragraph is reprinted from the article, 'What is Jain Religion?', Jain Study Circular, April, 1982.