“Dad, why am I a Christian and not a Muslim?”
“Son, it’s because we were lucky and fortunate enough to be chosen as Christians, and we must thank the Almighty for bestowing us with this privilege.”
That’s probably the conversation every inquisitive son (or daughter) has had with their father at some point in his/her adolescence. Religion can appear to be so outlandish, so incredible at times that those keen for answers are naturally puzzled by it, and desire to clarify their young minds.
The father’s response is also typical, and it’s the standard template for every religion – he was most likely given the exact same answer by his own father. Every religion believes itself to be the definitive (and rightfully so, perhaps), and therefore every follower within its umbrella is privileged to have been “chosen” to be so.
But what’s the real picture? Ask yourself a question: Are you a Muslim because you were “chosen” or because you just happened to be born into a family in which Islam is the practiced religion? You may feel particularly special, privileged even, to be chosen, as your father wants you to believe, but would you feel any differently if you were born into a different religion?
“Dad, what happens to boys and girls from other religions? Will they go to heaven?”
“Son, unfortunately they aren’t chosen or privileged like us. So they will not be lucky enough.”
I can’t even begin to imagine what a young boy would go through hearing those words for the first time. How troubled and confused his young mind would be, picturing how his best friend, who has no particularly bad qualities and is a darling to all, shall be condemned to eternal hellfire simply because he was born into another religion.
Some careful insight into most religions would likely lead to results slightly different, but that’s not the point here. The point here is that most young children grow up believing that anyone not from their religion is going to hell, and there are few people who actually seek out the truth. Again, this information has been passed down from generation to generation, so no one really is at fault here.
So what’s my point in all of the above meandering? It’s to try and get people thinking. Maybe, just maybe, there’s more to being a good person than following religious doctrines, to be more specific, religious doctrines as preached and believed by others without concrete research done on the matter.
A few searches on Google will yield incredibly heartwarming messages from just about every religious book, reinforcing my personal faith that all religions exist for a good purpose. Yet, the harmony one would expect to exist between religions only exists in a mythical land.
Here, we are taught that other religions are false, clueless, and in some cases, pure evil. They’re billed as detractors, foes, and enemies, and there is absolutely no basis for such gross accusations. It’s a simple case of that person being born into an alien religion, of having a different set of beliefs and values.
Imagine the number of friendships that have been broken because the two friends were from different religions. Imagine the lovers who were torn apart because, despite their compatibility, they can never be together because they don’t worship the same God (though in all likelihood, they probably do).
Let’s not even get started on the blood spilt in dispute. How weak and fragile must faith be for such individuals, to let a few stray words affect them so much that they resort to brutality and even murder. I liken it to a man hunting down and killing a dog that happened to bark at him. But that’s what happens in the world.
I sound very confused and directionless throughout this piece, but that’s because I actually am. Our children aren’t coming into a very happy world. There’s a lot of misery, a lot of darkness, a lot of trouble. Surely, we can try and relieve their worries by allowing them to embrace and respect all religions?
