Everybody has a religion. Not believing God is a religion. However, nothing on earth has confused human race like religion as society tend to graft out best belief system for itself. Religion was meant to be a meeting point between humans and the supernatural being because they are things beyond our comprehension.
It's natural for humans to fear the unknown, this fear has been exploited against reason and logical thinking to steal, enslave, brainwash, create war among we humans while others use it to steal and exploit others. As the world progresses with science and technology, different of opinions and revelations disputing some old facts, religion continue to metamorphosize with no end in sight.
God created humans with brain and adore it with knowledge and wisdom. Calling the wisdom of another foolish makes you foolish in the other end. We keep making mockery of each other in the name of religion. Everybody claim supremacy in his or her religion or belief while despising others as heading to doom.
God who is all knowing never created in religion for confusion but to better our society because l know he knew humans will have different opinions of him. The greatest commandment in the bible for examples is *love your neighbor as thyself* While Western world was trying to bail their citizens out, looking at how prices of commodities went up in Nigeria especially in the south when the world is battling with Covid 19, one may ask if Africa is cursed with greed. The keke driver wants to exploit the man, the market woman( market) wants to exploit man and the clergy still look up to the man. The politicians comes with stomach infrastructure etc. Oh man!
The earlier we states treating each other as humans exhibiting all forms of kindness, the world will be a better place if people are allowed to practice what they did fit is good for them and give them peace of mind than being threaten with holy war or hell or seven virgins that may not exist.
Atheist donate to religionist and vise versa with no religion boundaries. Humans use inventions from different religions without questioning them. That’s how the world should be. Example: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was once an atheist but has found peace in Judaism but the amazing thing is that his wife is a buddist. Locally, Former Lagos State govern Fashiola is a Muslim married to Christian wife and they fine while divorces rock the believer who are equally yoked. Alibaba founder Jack atheist, Microsoft founder Bill Gate's family is Catholic but he isn’t but focus on humanity.
Now, if you were to be God looking down on religion, you will agree with me that confusion abound
CHRISTIANITY a) Catholicism b) Protestantism: calvism, lutheranism d) Anglicanism, e) Methodism g) Jehovah’s Witness h) Quakers i) Baptism j)Pentecostalism; most divided k) Seventh Day Adventist l) Mormonism etc
MUSLIM a)Sunni b) Shi'ite; Twelvers (Ithna-`Asharis), Seveners (Isma`ilis), and Fivers (Zaydis) c) Sufis d) Druze, Alevis, and `Alawis e) Baha’is and Ahmadiyyas
HINDUISM a)Vaishnavism b) Shaktism c) Shaivism
JUDAISM a) reform b) conservative c) Orthodox; modern and ultra modern. Others smaller denominations follow the teachings of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Rabbi Sherwin and Mordecai Kaplan
BUDDISM a) Mahayana b) Theravada c) Vajrayana.
TRADITION a) African tradition b) Taoism
ATHEISM
CONFUCIANISM
But with all these confusion among humans, God never judge us on what belief we hold. The sun and rain is for all like wise evil befall us all. From one of the greatest book I summarizes as thus
Ecclesiastes 9: 1 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. 2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. 7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. 8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. 10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. 11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. 12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
There is only One God and love his emphasis that we should rally round. Practice what you think is right and don’t border others with yours.

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KALU CHIMA
Freelance Writer based in Umuahia
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