Opinions

Religion is a two-headed beast. It has the potential/tendency to bring out the best as well as the worst in people.

I read once that religions are the most believed lies ever told. Another said that God is a creation of man, to help answer questions we can’t answer ourselves. I find these arguments interesting.

I personally like to keep religion away from faith. The dictionary says religion is a system of faith and worship. The emphasis is on system. I do not like the idea of being systematic with worship and faith. It gives room for assessment and judgement.

This is why people can proudly say Ojo is not a good Christian because he doesn’t follow certain rules. That’s how systems work; they demand organization, planning, composure. And don’t get me wrong, they may not necessarily be petty or too judgemental. Ojo could be doing a thousand things wrong. But I don’t think it’s for us to say. I don’t think it’s our business to decide who worships God well or not. We could speak to and learn from each other, though. That’s a different case.

Religion upholds its principles with vigour and jealousy. It frowns heavily on defaulters and pushes them away. This is a good thing because it keeps people in check. But seeing as religion is not science, people interpret it how best they can. They defend these interpretations with everything they have. This could, in turn, be catastrophic. It is why the most feared terrorist groups are those founded on religious beliefs.

My take is that man made religion. We must therefore be careful not to get consumed in the system rather than the worship.