Has Religion Affected The Society Positively Or Negatively?
Has Religion affected the society positively or negatively? My Answer ‘If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.’ ~Albert Einstein We have learned to fly in the air like a bird and swim in the sea like a fish, but we have not yet learned the simple art of living together. ~Anonymous This two quotes above have deep meaning and relevance. Many people do things today not because they know it is the right thing to do but just for the fear of going to hell. Christianity teaches about the paying of tithes. Most Christians pay tithes not because they want to use the resources to take Care of the Pastors or Priests but because they have been threatened to do so or else face the Wrath of God. Islam is a religion of peace but many acts of terrorism has been attributed to it because most terrorists have twisted a verse or two to suit their purpose thereby, claiming that they fight for Allah when infact they do it for their selfish gain alone. Most fights, crisis, riot and even wars come as a result of the different religious beliefs in the world. You see Christians attacking Muslims and vice versa. You hear words like “your religion is not the right religion”, “you are an unbeliever if you don’t follow the teachings of my religion”, “you will go to hell if you don’t follow my religion”. Imagine if the reward for being good and the punishment to being evil is removed. How many people will still go church or mosque, how many people will still pay tithe or give to the needy, how many people will still be his or her brothers and sisters keeper. My candid advice is that we should leave religions when doing things. We should do things because they are good and are for the benefit to mankind. We should not do things that are harmful to others. Remember Jesus did not say heaven is meant for Christians or Muslims or traditional worshipers but it is meant for only those that do the Will of God. This implies that your religion does not take you to either heaven or hell but only your deeds. Have this mindset from today. Give alms to the needy not because your pastor says so but because it will help save a life from starving. When you have this mindset, even when your pastor doesn’t tell you, you will do it anyway because you know it is the right thing to do. ©Adesoji Michael
