Article of Faith
The World Against The World -By Abdullahi O. Haruna
Leave me to the practices of my religion, they are sacred to me, same way, I won’t judge how you practice your religion. The knowledge to respect people’s choices is the wisdom you need to live a beautiful life.
In life, understand cultural relativism and the world would be free of your jaundiced prejudice. Whether you are a Muslim or Christian, try to respect others’ beliefs, that way, everyone would be fine, it is the obstinate resolve to want to be the judge of others that leaves us all battered.
When I sojourned in the US, the first orientation I was given was to respect everyone’s beliefs including their privacy – it was helpless me that concealed my shock when I saw a man kissing passionately another man in public. Shocked as I was, I walked my eyes away from that event.
As parents, teachers and advocates, we must include in our teachings the module on respecting people’s beliefs no matter how offensive they appear. And where these beliefs impugned on our rights, we seek protection from the court of law- the law alone was designed to give verdicts.
Let’s reduce the push to win more souls to our religion for God alone decides who should worship him. The rush to have more followers to our religion is the reason for the vicious disharmony between Christians and Muslims. Verdicts like. ‘ You are an unbeliever if you are not a Muslim, ‘ You are an unbeliever if you don’t accept Christ as your personal lord & saviour ‘ are the two triggers to religious tension. If God wanted everyone to be one religion, he has the capacity to make the world so. So, spare us your unsolicited task to Islamize or Christianize the world.
Leave me to the practices of my religion, they are sacred to me, same way, I won’t judge how you practice your religion. The knowledge to respect people’s choices is the wisdom you need to live a beautiful life.
Gaskiyally musing
