Unexamined religion is not worth following
Once I saw my Muslim best-friend praying on a mat, and I asked, seriously? I saw my friend pray for the last few weeks but this time it hit me. We used to go out and do irreligious things together. Now looking at him, I could not believe what I saw. Not that he prayed five times a day but that he believed in Islam. He had always been a Muslim but now he was becoming devout. Does he not know it is not the right path to God? I thought.
It was not long before my intellect was challenged with a thought “you are a Christian because you were born a Christian, he was a Muslim because he was born a Muslim”. It was as if a new world opened before me. Just because I was born into a religion does not make that religion true. I concluded I would be lost if I did not truly seek the truth about the right religion or the right way to God. It surprised me because all religious people are in danger of hell if they don’t seek and choose the truth above the religion they are born into. This revelation led me to read part of the Quran and Christian books that had different views to the orthodox Christianity I had been practicing. It took me a few months before I was convinced by one.
We are all hitchhiking to eternity, and we need to know which ride is the right one. Plato said an unexamined life is not worth living. I would say even more so unexamined religion is not worth following. The biggest sin in any religion is to worship the wrong God.
We all think our religion is better than others and can even go to war for it. In the past people killed many because of it. Religion should convince others about the truth rather than force it. You cannot truly believe what you are forced to accept. Faith should come by reason and choice. So, we must examine if we consciously chose what we believe without fear. It means the difference between heaven and hell, forever. We must ensure we know the reasons and facts for our faith rather than accept it ignorantly.
Someone asked me: “There are 3,000 religions in the world. Where do I start?” I understand his dilemma. No one has the time to try them all. Not all of them are religions; most are cults built on one man’s claims, others are clubs, traditions, and cultural expressions of an unknown God.
The true God would be like a good parent: relatable, caring, and responsible. He should have higher moral standards. He should be an example we can look up to and who knows how life works best. That means the fruits of this god’s teaching will produce peace and prosperity.
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