The Religious Divide

CredoWriters: Wakdok, Samuel Stephen   Religious fundamentalism and extremism are not new phenomena; it is only the rise in globalization and integration of the world that has made the effects of religious extremism more pronounced. The media, whether conventional or social has helped to hype activities of religious based terror groups and this has driven fear into the hearts of millions. This has helped to prosecute the war of these terror groups, for the very objective of terror is to create and instill fear, fear and more fear. However, the rise in religious terrorism and its unconventional means of warfare is not the primary purpose of this write up. The religious divide here in talked about is that of the gulf between rituals (tradition) and spirituality in the same religion.  Religion is made up of traditions which have been passed down over the ages and spirituality which is at the heart of religious practices. These traditions have become rituals over the years. There is no denying the fact that traditions or rituals have helped to shape religions in no little ways. However, promoting these traditions/rituals far and above the spirituality of the religion by those who practice the religion has led to my definition of religious divide. Consequently, religious divide is not the growing discontent or suspicion between or among different religions but a widening variation between the rituals and true spirituality of the same religion. In Christianity, a lot of Catholics rush to church on Ash Wednesday only to receive ashes, many walk out immediately they receive it. Some may be in a hurry to go to work; others may not even have anywhere to go to. It is good to squeeze time and receive the ash which is only once in a year, yet the importance attached to the ritual of ash taking supersedes the very essence of Ash Wednesday in most cases. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of lent and lent is a period of repentance and charity; but many of us only think of the ash which is an outward symbol to carry our identities as Catholics on our forehead. The crux of Christianity which is love evident in reconciliation and charity is relegated. The ash is a ritual; prayers, penance and charity are spiritual. The more we admire the ash and down play prayer, penance or charity, the greater the religious divide. Many Christians pray in the ritual of speaking in tongues just for the sake of it without connecting to its spiritual manifestation in any way. During Ramadan some few years ago, I boarded a commercial motor cycle and another motor cycle rider roughly crossed our front. The rider carrying me insulted the one at fault and told him to count himself lucky because he, the one carrying me was still fasting. Now what use is the fast, if we insult or see the fast as an obstacle to stopping us from fighting rather than as a change of attitude? The fast in this case is a ritual, living by example or tolerance is spirituality. I am not advocating a departure from the rituals or traditions of our religions, but by closing the gap and elevating our spirituality to or beyond the pinnacle which we have taken our religious rituals to; we would have bridged the religious divide. Each time we close the gap between the religious divide in our own faith, we are practicing what we preach. If we truly believe in what we preach, and then practice what we preach, we will be more spiritual than religious and the world will be a better place. The rise in religious extremism and fundamentalism stems from this very religious divide. If adherents of any religion concentrated on been spiritual rather than ritualistic, no one will kill in the name of religion. No one will insist on carrying out terror activities and force another to adhere to his or her own religious tradition. Religious divide is harmful to both the individual and the society, harmful to both we who believe in that very religion and those who do not believe in our religion.