WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? ORGANIZED RELIGION? OR NOT?

What is your religion?

Mine is None. Or perhaps, mine is humanity/nature

Some definitions say "Religion is the belief and worship of a Supernatural being, a controlling power. A God of all Gods. 

There is a popular quote on religion by Karl Marx that has often been misrepresented. "Religion is the opium of the people. It is the sigh of the oppressed creature. The heart of a heartless world, and the soul of our soulless conditions."  

This is a translation from German in which it was written. And he was right, at the time he wrote this, opium a painkiller was a legal substance and it soothed the pain of the people. And if you look closely today, you find that the most religious countries are often poor countries, in economic pain, and oppressed. Religion soothes their pain and gives them a sigh of relief.

But religion is also a personal style, a journey of sorts if you will.  Quite often influenced by the culture of the people. I grew up in a Christian family, and for many years was a Christian like my parents.

 My father, before he became a Christian, followed the religion of his fathers before him, Odinani. I do not like to call Odinani a religion, because it was not like the organized religion of today.

 

It was more of a belief system in cognizant of nature. Odinani is Pantheistic with a central deity. If you go back in the history of many cultures around the world this was a common belief system. It was in the Americas, Asia, Africa Europe, Pacific varying and attuned with the cultures of these places. It was a natural way of existence with all of nature around us of which humans are part of. These belief systems honored nature and aspired to be in harmony with it. 

But the Christian missionaries arrived my patch of Africa with a promise of Western education to go with the religion they favored, so, my father and many of his peers followed the new ways.

If I was born in India, I'd probably would have been Hindu, and if born in the Middle East, I'd most likely would be a Muslim. 

Religion is not good or bad, organized religion had a goal which was initially to help the people understand the life they live. Someone who appeared more enlightened found a truth and wanted to share that truth with others. But over time, there have been many caricatures  of the original. And today, organized religion is more of a political and social agenda, and in some aspects a corporation. Far from what it is supposed to be. And has birthed many lazy thinkers.

Organized religion has also profited from dividing humans and and the debate of "my religion is better than yours" as, was in their beginning when they competed with each other for converts. Many of these organized religions came up with stories and a reward system to entice new converts. In the fierce competition they sowed the seeds of hatred and  discord for anyone who does not agree with their way of life. They often fought bloody wars for converts.

The self-appointed officials became gatekeepers of a promise of a better life in an imaginary other world. 

The fact of the matter is that all human beings are on a journey and no one has all the answers. Therefore compassion, tolerance, understanding and love for others is the only thing that will save humanity. No one is more righteous than the other. No religion is better than the other. No one has all the answers. We are all flawed, and that's why we are human. None is infallible.

Igbo Men Practice The Odinani Belief System

So, we must be kind to each other. And steer away from the hatred that breeds behind the hoods,  cloaks and masks of organized religions