Times Of Swaziland: GOD IS ON EVERYONE’S SIDE

GOD IS ON EVERYONE’S SIDE
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The Editor on 17/04/2018 00:41:00


Sir,
The church is supposed to be a sanctuary, a place where we go to replenish our
spirits and connect with a supreme being. But after many years attending church,
it became very apparent that it was not to be like that.
It’s within the confines of the church where we see some of the flaws of our
human existence shine through. The judging of fellow people and the uncanny
ability to think that Christianity is better than other religions are glaring
examples.
This notion comes from the immediate reactions of Christians to Islam especially
after an attack.
The world continues to attach Islam to extremists but the same so-called Muslim
extremists are bombing Mosques, which as you can imagine, doesn’t make sense.
We cannot forget how people committed horrific actions in the name of Christ.
Any fanatical devotion to a religion is bound to create devotees that aren’t
as critical and aware of the history of that religion.
Yes, there are terrible Muslim people, as there are terrible Christians, but to
then blame an entire religion is not fair.
Regardless of whatever religion one identifies with, they are still an
autonomous individual, creating and performing actions according to their own
perceptions of the world.
What’s right for one is not necessarily right for the next person. We preach
love and acceptance but when opportunities to put that into action, we seem to
always fail.
I genuinely believe that God is on everyone’s side. Whatever you believe in,
be it ancestors or Buddha, if it works for you, who are we to judge?
It is also worth noting that the Bible and Christianity were brought to Africa
by westerners who came to colonise Africa. Therefore, we as Africans may have
lost sight of our true African religious ancestry. Mainly because, colonialist
ideas of religion were drilled into our psyche and our slaughtering and rituals
portrayed as barbaric.
In our journey through life, regardless of what religion you believe in or even
if you don’t believe in any, be conscious of the mere fact that we are all
trying to navigate through these tumultuous waters of life as best as we can.
Nkumane