I watched in awe as the Sudaneese mob carried placards and matchetes calling for the death of an English teacher for naming a teddy bear Mohammed. Is this another Sudan or is it the same war torn one. Are these the same people who barely have food to eat? Humanitarian services are struggling to keep most of them alive, Nigerian soldiers have been killed there all in a bid to help out and yet there they were marching on the streets , burning pictures of Gillian, calling for her death. Is this what religion has done to us? That we no longer(if we ever did) have respect for life? I remember the cartoon in Denmark, and how they were riots in the North of Nigeria over it. Having worked in a call centre in Nigeria, I know that about 70% of Northerners do not speak English, let alone Danish, so how could they have read the cartoons?
Religion has taken over our sense of reasoning and of judgement.
My sister's nanny is Jehovah's witness. No one told her when she was taking the girl, a few days after she arrived, her mother called to ask if she had gone for teachings. My sister wanted to send her back, but the girl wanted to stay, it was agreed that she will follow my sis to her own church, then when my nephew is a year, he goes to day care, she would also enrol in a school, then she can go for her teachings. Three months on, the family have prevailed on her to come home. And so she is leaving, her chances of a good life temporarily cut short. Let me paint some background pics, this nanny is 20yrs, finished secondary school about three years ago and has been at home doing nothing since. Now, she is returning to the same home to continue doing nothing because her parents think it is the worst sin not to fellowship with other witnesses for 6 months. My sister is very nice, almost to a fault, and is also quite comfortable, the girl lacked for nothing, I even used to take Awake and watchtower magazines to her. I feel sorry for the girl cos she is a nice girl and wants to stay on.
But again, religion has prevailed.
A friend of a friend of a friend is being battered and bruised by her unfaithful husband. We think she should take the kids and scram while she still can, but her pastor says not, there is no room in christendom for divorce. The husband is a worker in church so the pastor is aware of his philandering and violent ways yet he tells her she must submit to her husband. God forbid that he should beat her to death one day, what will he then say, Is there room for murder in Christendom?
I want to say that I respect people's religions, cultures, traditions etc but I can only do so when it positively influences human nature. To use religion to destroy ourselves must not be tolerated. We cannot use religion as an excuse to kill, to maim and destroy people's lives.
Just so you would know,I am not an atheist, I am a Jesus' freak. I have my bible stored everywhere, my phone, my laptop but most importantly, I have it stored in my heart. If I am not able to go to church for a year or more, nothing can take away the fact that I am a Christian and I love the Lord with all my heart.
11 comments:
I respect religion but I detest ignorance. The elité turn the ignoramuses into the street so they do not realise their dire situation while the rich continue to help themselves to wealth
I guess the problem is the term religion,perhaps if it is labelled faith or way of life, there will be better focus.
Many believe God is not big enough to fight His battles hence the need for us humans to do this for Him.
I'm so against people using religion as a cover up for hideous offenses. Religion is not the same as Christianity, but still people get attached to the motions...it becomes a tradition that once broken, the penalty is death. But Jesus came to bring life and not death...
SPOT ON! Please dont get me going on this religion wahala..
I agree with Jinta, it is ignorance and illiteracy. After the Denmark wahala, a journalist did a documentary interviewing all the top players involved, can you believe that none of them had actually seen the cartoons?
Apart from that, the protests started a year after those cartoons were published because a certain imam wanted to cause wahala but could not find people to do it in Europe. He then went on a tour in the middle east, trying to get support.
I think religion is very dangerous in the hands illiterates, especially in those areas where there is poverty and war.People are frustrated and the religious leaders often use this to spread their venom. It is getting out of hand, and we really need to see this as a threat to freedom of speech in the society.
This whole teddy bear issue is very disturbing... very soon, they we won't even be able to say the name "Mohammed"....
Jinta has said it all.
I am with you on this.Religion seems to be tearing us apart rather than bring us together..There was a case in London here where I think it was a Jehovah witness woman died because she refused blood transfusion...really sad and ignorant.
I have to agree with Jaycee. Serving God is not religion. It is a personal relationship with him.
I like this, i just hope people can see the reasoning behind it
Suffer Suffer for world Amen, Enjoy for heaven Amen,
Christian go dey yarn- Inspiritus Heavenus, Moslem go dey yarn- Allahu Akbar (Fela Anikulapo Kuti)
My prayer is that Nigeria becomes a real country with a high standard of living for its citizens. Then and only then would we be able to know true religion. Provide Nigerians with electricity, water and a sustainable means of income and you will see a drastic reduction in Church attendances on Sunday.
wow...the title alone is enticing...let me go and finish my application for school o...your blog is addictive...i dey come...
nice and well written...like ababoypart2, i won't jump on my soapbox here about religion and its use to control people...someone said the important thing is your relationship with God, which i like to term spirituality...this God-inspired but ultimately, man-made religion shit is for the birds...well not really...
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