Which is the best religion?
I know that the theme of this essay can be somehow controversial, anyway I am writing to spur us into critical and rational analysis of what we think we know. Meanwhile, when I say religion, I mean an institution which expresses belief in supernatural power. Did God actually will that we should have a religion; if yes, then which religion in particular? We may know quite well that God created us with consciences. But this conscience is nurtured by the environment one grows in. Cultures, religions, ideas, experiences, education; all these elements determine the workings of our mind-set and by extension, our conscience. We are always prone to judge others based on our mind-set and religious orientation. We often revile and abuse those we consider outside the faith as those to be damned. Funny enough, they also think of us, the same way. Come to think of it, if all religions consider themselves the best religion, which is the best among the best?
If you are born and bred in Christianity, your worldviews and orientations are limited by what you read in the scripture and possibly traditions, our peculiar experiences and environmental influence. You are indoctrinated to believe everything the Church says. I am not trying to sound rebellious but to see if we can find a meeting point between these religions. We should also understand that the same way we were brought up, is actually the same way others were brought up to believe what they know today. If I am to say, I don’t think religion has done humanity any good so far. We are all slaves to what we believe and what we think is the right thing. Looking into the antiquity, several religious wars have been fought and is still being fought to this day; the Jihad, crusades, war of Keppel, Lebanese civil war, German peasants’ war, Sudanese civil war, Nigeria civil war, and other countless wars during the medieval era, not to say anything about the Boko Haram insurgence in Nigeria today. What happened to the rationality God gave to mankind? Goodness!
Do we really need religion? When Christ was on earth he had a religion; likewise other religious founders. But I don’t think Jesus was an extremist, likewise Muhammad or Buddha. The question about whether we really need religion is what I cannot explicitly answer here but I leave it for those who have better knowledge than I do.
Be it known to us that today, religion has been bastardized and in so many ways used as camouflage for innumerable vicious acts. People do so many atrocities all in the name of religion. Bravo to Pope Francis who has resigned from pardoning paedophiliac priests. It is obvious we have so many religious people but few practise the very essence of what their religion propagate. That is why in Nigeria, which unarguably has the greatest number of Churches in Africa, people still wallow in abject sinfulness and live like those in hell; the neonate of 1965 has become the seat of evil, and I bemoan the doom awaiting us!!! Islam, which literally stands for peace is now an irony. Christianity is seen as a veil which people use to cover their evil deeds. Go to various churches in Nigeria today, those in the church council are those who have questionable characters, yet they hide under the auspices of religion.
I await your contribution to this problem which I consider overwhelmingly perplexing.

Op you really on point on how our moral and religious views is based on what we were taught and exposed to in our faith(holy book).And how many hideous and evil acts have been done in the name of religion through out history.
I believe religion can't save anybody but faith in Jesus and his atoning work is what gives salvation.
I am not elevating my religion above others cos i don't have any religion.What I have is faith in the Bible,which I believe is the word of God cos it has worked for me so many times,and in the name above all names "Jesus".