Deborah: Is Religion Turning To A Scourge To Humanity

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There is a thin line between love and hate, especially when borders are crossed. Once this lines are broken, consequences are normally grave, particularly as it regards religion in this country. Once friendly neighbours, could, with the snap of a finger, turn to mortal enemies. Putting religion and tolerance in the same sentence in a country like Nigeria is practically impossible.

So many times I ask myself, why would religion be associated with violence. I try to get answers but they are neither here nor there.

Some time ago I heard about the death of a middle aged woman hacked to death by some religious extremist for, as they said, disturbing them with her early morning preaching. According to them they have warned her severally to stop coming there to preach. So they had to take here life. I still get disturbed every morning from speakers of churches and mosques in my neighbourhood everyday.

Several years back over 200 innocent people lost there lives in a very violent religious crisis. What happened? Nigeria was to play host to the miss world beauty pageant. A journalist, then working for a newspaper house said " this models are very beautiful, if a prophet was alive he would surely have married all of them" .
That was the gun powder violence needed. It spread like wild fire. Innocent lives were lost, properties were destroyed. This statement according to them was blasphemy.

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The stories are endless. Tales after tales of religious violence taking place every now and then. The recent one being the cold hearted murder of a young lady. Her crime? She insulted their religion.

I actually see a pattern here. Religious intolerance leading to religious violence. They work hand in hand,all this due to religious extremism.
Trying to get answers to why this is so opened my eyes to see this vices are normally common in a particular part of the country. This in itself gives the reason why. I hardly hear same happening in the South, at least not at the same rate.

I have listened to and read all of the reasons for this provocations and I don't see how they are justified. Nothing makes sense to me. I am not standing forth for someone insulting people and their religion, that's stupid and dumb if you ask me, if not for anything live and let live, but I think it is too extreme when you toe the part of violence to mete judgement. In the first place, how do you even fight for your God? You, a mere mortal, fight for a supreme deity, beats me.

For so many reasons I don't believe in religion, have always seen it as being divisive. I whole heartedly believe in God almighty though and service to him as my creator.

I read the Bible and I don't see where it says kill or destroy who does not agree to what it says. Like wise I have a lot of Muslim friends and have also listened to many of their scholars preach, never have I heard them proscribing violence as a reward for "blasphemy"

So where lies the problem? Why is what people say or do causing so much disaffection and inciting so much violence. Is the provocation enough to warrant violence? To take the laws into one's hand. I don't think so.

To answer this I think we will have to look at people involved. They practice a form of religious extremism that sounds so archaic and backwards. All this as a result of lack of exposure and high level of uneducated individuals where this are perpetuated.

I believe what is needed is a proper religious reorientation and proper exposure to life outside our zone. How this would be achieved is what I can't say.