One of the lessons learnt in 2020 is how fickle life is. A turbulent year it was, characterised by the coronavirus pandemic, held the world to a standstill. If you didn’t question human existence that time, maybe it never really hit you deep. We got to value the importance of living and having people to live for. There is no way one would question human existence without tracing it to the source-the creator.
In that period, the church was criticized for not coming up with ‘miracles’ to defeat the plague just like in the days of old. Religion, which is supposed to promote tolerance and love, was in troubled waters of confusion is now a human leveller. It’s saddening that most of the national issues sprung from religious crises. The Moslems would claim to be upright, while the Christians appear divided with their many denominations. There is a limitation to exercise freedom of religion.
Religion has built a class system. See how it is playing out in politics. The two are now inseparable. Human equality is a facade, seemingly far to grip, but looks good to the eyes from afar. If you complain, the answer would be ‘all fingers can never be equal’. There would be an oppressor and the oppressed. That was what George Orwell, the author of Animal Farm, was saying in his story. Is this the initial plan for human race?
A recent chat with a colleague was eye-opening. I would not join talks on religion on a good day. But he got me interested in religious talks. He made valid points about why he stopped going to church. This got me thinking if I would still be a Christian if I wasn’t born one. I had to discover God and the truth for myself. I know we have to be wary of our associations but I do listen to atheists and other religious followers. Doing this makes me have a balanced and unbiased view of the religious route I choose.
In all whether we are Atheists, Christians, Buddhists, Moslems, or following other religions, the unifying force should be tolerance and love for the next person. If we would adhere to the tenets of religion instead of using it as a tool for war and oppression, a better world it would be.