My Spiritual Corner:
Maybe I pay attention to unnecessary issues. Maybe I have too much time on my hands. Maybe I have a busy mind, or maybe I am just curious. But what happens around us sometimes we can’t just turn a blind eye. I am not judging but when are we going to open our eyes and realize that some of the things people do in the name of religion don’t seem right?
Look at the grass eating and petrol drinking congregation for instance. Are those people OK? Do they have families and friends or all their next of kins attend the same church? Surely something is wrong somewhere. It’s either they are the normal ones or we are abnormal. I honestly cannot picture myself or anyone I am close to being in that situation.
Then we have that situation where people travel miles and miles to different countries just to get saved or witness miracles. I don’t understand that either. I don’t see myself catching a plane to Naija for a church service or whatever religious purpose. Maybe I can go to Ethiopia, Egypt, Jerusalem, just for those historical moments nje. Like I said, I am not being judgemental, I am just less educated in such subjects and I wouldn’t mind being schooled. The questions I have are just too many.
We are surrounded by different religions or should I say spiritual traditions. Amongst them there are Muslims, Rastafarians, Jews, Hindus, Buddha and obviously Christians which by the way seem to confuse me every day. Why do we have so many ‘different’ Christians? Maybe other religions do have different types too but I wouldn’t know because I have only been exposed to Christianity (the old type) and Rastafari. Are they different types also in other religions? I really need to know. How did we get to where we are today?
I think every religious person believes that their religion is the best. I have a Muslim colleague and she is always uncomfortable with the way some of us dress, and what we eat. She reminds us how the people used to dress during Jesus’ time. I chat to her every now and then about Islam and I learn about her religion. I am yet to ask her why people in her religion, believe it’s ok to cut off a child’s hand as punishment for stealing. We talk a lot and some days she even suggests that I go for Muslim men because they are very good and they take care of their wives but I will have to convert to Islam. Hehehehe
Then some push it and try to judge others on what they eat. I don’t eat red meat and even my friends don’t know the real reasons why I don’t eat it. I am avoiding a situation where I end up making them feel like they are doing something wrong so I always give them lame excuses or I tell them I just don’t like red meat, it’s a choice.
I don’t mind listening to someone telling me about their beliefs but I have a problem with those people who force their beliefs on to me by dissing what I believe in. Christians are very good at that. Umntu will tell you that her church is better than yours and make it look like you worship the devil. And I have noticed that it’s usually and mostly the born again ones who have that tendency. I have never heard a Methodist person dissing a Catholic. But I have witnessed a lot for bad mouthing from these new churches dissing the old churches. An aunt of mine that grew up in a Catholic home, moved to the Universal Church and during that time she tried to recruit every family member to join. Then she left Universal and joined Christ Embassy, we were being fed Pastor Chris every minute that we spent with her. Now she is with the ZCC. Such confusion though? What exactly is she looking for? I keep asking myself, imagine if we had agreed to join her kwi Universal? Which means we were going to be forced to follow her to every church she moves to. She might as well open her own church mos. Lol
I was having a conversation with my brother and he said in each religion there are two types of worshipers, the normal and the extreme. Looking at it, it made sense because some people do things that I find very weird, and it’s all done in the name of religion. Some kill for their religions, that’s how deep they are into it. I used to believe that no matter what religion you practice or church you go to, we worship the same God. As I mature I am seeing things that make me question. Now I refuse to believe that we pray to the same God, because our behaviours are different and shocking. In some situations you ask yourself, who do we blame? The congregation for allowing themselves to be sucked into this or do we blame the Pastor? It’s a tough one.
I know we all have reasons for believing in what we believe in. Please share with me, what religion do you practise? Which church do you go to and why? Do you worship God or the Pastor? Would you eat the grass if your Pastor told you to? Would you travel to Nigeria or to any other country besides the sacred ones of course? Or maybe you have already done that? What happens there that doesn’t happen in your country?
Religion is a very sensitive subject. We are always told not to question the word, not to worry or involve ourselves in issues that don’t affect us, but this to me seems like a crisis, a very serious crisis. Where did we go wrong? Is this really what religion is about?
By Kiki Marli
@KikiMarli