I'm a catholic by birth
Winners' member by education
And Daystarian by choice.
Hello,I'm Deola and today I'm going to talk about religion because I feel like. :D
Religion is a way of life I presume?Am I right?And then in today's world, the major religions practised are Christianity and Islam. I think I'm right on both counts?
Now I'm not here to say which one is better or which one rocks or which one doesn't. That is not the issue, it is so not the issue. Religion as we see it or as we perceive it is not what it seems. Just as money takes on the character of the one who possesses it, so does religion.
THE ROLE OF OUR PARENTS
In today's African society, most of the time when it's time for marriage, our parents go "Don't bring a Muslim home to me or don't bring a Christian home."And I can understand their wariness, we are scared of the things we are not accustomed to and most of the time, the end result is usually not positive for those involved as conflicts in belief system is bound to create real conflict in the home. So, it is therefore more practical to marry someone with the same belief system as the other is not for the faint-hearted.
Agreed, this does not apply to everyone though, as I know of Christian-Muslim marriages that are as strong as ever. Now I'm not even here to talk about marriage but the role our parents play in this whole Christian vs. Muslim debacle.
When we were born, we didn't have a chance to choose who our parents will be and because of that, most of us do not have a choice as to what religion we'd practice.
I was born a Christian and so I grew up learning Christian values and beliefs whether orthodox or pentecostal, they were all Christian values. I would expect that anybody born into a Muslim family would grow up learning Islamic values and beliefs.
And its common knowledge that whatever we learn growing up kinda sticks and it will take a complete paradigm shift to change it. The fact is we all believe that there is a supreme being although our ways of worship are very different.
So why then would you discriminate against someone just cause he/she is Muslim or why would you commit acts of violence against another individual cos he/she is Christian?We Have A Choice!!!
WE HAVE A CHOICE!
Although we do not have a choice as to what religion we'd practice in most cases, we do have a choice to decide what our actions will be.
As a Christian, I'm pretty sure the word of God does not encourage discrimination, pettiness or bias all in the name of Christianity. In actual fact, it is the direct opposite, it says "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. this is the first commandment.And the second like it is this:You shall love your neighbour as yourself.There is no other commandment greater than these."
Also, fine I am not a Muslim but I'm pretty sure that the Qu'ran does not encourage acts of wickedness as I have a couple of muslin friends that have the kindest hearts.
My Bible quote earlier doesn't say if your neighbour is Muslim,Hate him!It doesn't!So why cant we just follow basic principles?Or do you think because the person is Muslim, he/she would not make heaven?Is that what you think? Like I said earlier, just as money takes on the character of the one who possesses it, so does religion.
My heart weeps every time I see or hear about massacres carried out all in the name of religion but you know what? Crimes against humanity, suicide bombings, terrorism, hard-heartedness, unforgiving spirit, envy, slander, jealousy, lying, stealing e.t.c are all in the same category. There is no big sin and there is no small sin. Sin is sin and God wouldn't judge us according to the "weight" of our sins. We are going to be judged according to the state of our hearts. According to Rev. Sam Adeyemi, the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
First within, and then without, it is your heart that controls your life. A good heart won't give you a bad attitude neither will a bad heart produce a good attitude. If you are reading this post, I'm gonna assume that you are an adult and that you know the difference between right and wrong. So, we have a choice!
1. We have a choice to either be good or bad.
2. We have a choice to decide whether we are going to love every step of the way or just when convenient.
3. We have a choice to render help whenever it is in our power to do so.
4. We have a choice to help others grow in love.
5. We have a choice to be sensitive to the feelings of others.
I CONCLUDE
I know I might not be making any sense to some people as we are all entitled to our opinions concerning certain issues but one thing is clear, we have a choice and nobody is going to make it for us.
P.S: If you are Muslim and you read this post and you are my friend, don't think I won't try to convert you oh,God is just so much fun and I love to share.
Yours Truly,
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