Religious differences should be a cause for unity
Reports of religious fighting in Nigeria are quiet saddening. There are many possible explanations for this violence, but one of the most controversial would be Muslim intolerance of Christians, as we have heard of several killings over religious beliefs. Some people may argue that most world suffering including wars are as a result of religious differences, yet Rich Deem on behalf of believers argues that religious wars are only 7% of all wars.
Whatever is the case, we now have to come to our senses as civilized humans and contemplate what we slaughter each other for. Religious massacres are uncalled for. Religion is merely a belief that manifests from association. If one is born among Christian he/she is more likely to become a Christian than a Muslim. He/she can only change when his/her belief in Christianity is not strong enough to warrant resistance to external pressure. The same can be said about someone born among the Muslims. Therefore the struggle should be that of trying to lure people from another belief to join one’s religion. It should be the battle of gospel spreading. That way it is more of a reason to share tables over and ultimately unite than to fight.
A closer look at the two mostly conflicting religions, Christianity and Islam, reveal that the difference in these religious is not that great. It is largely on who Jesus is. Christianity believes that he is part of the Holy Trinity, Muslims believes there nothing like the Holy Trinity and believe that Jesus was only one of the great prophets and not part of the God, hence their following of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. One can only understand this difference if he/she listens to and thinks over arguments from the other camp. No one knows the absolute religious truth. In our quest to reach God, we should therefore seek the true religion by associating and sharing facts.
Mary Wallker in 2004 observed that people fight to prove who is right or wrong in their beliefs however there’s no real way to prove who is right or wrong without referring to religious texts or church doctrine. It is ridiculous that some governments and groups feel so strongly about their religion that they are moved to wage “religious” war on those who do not believe in the path that they follow. Surely if one believes that a person is created in the image of God, what justification does he/she have to believe that he/she has done better by killing that image of God simply because the image does not think the same as he/she does.
It is high time the human race realises that people differ in race, colour, geographical locations and backgrounds, and that justifies why they should also differ in their religions. Coexistence is a principle that even God likes. If it is true that He will have to separate people, having some destined for heaven and some for hell, based on His own criteria, He never gave us the mandate to separate ourselves here on earth. If we feel we should, then let us lead our lives in our religious sects and never give ourselves the right over other people’s lives.