Why does Religion divide? There is Judaism. There is Islam. There is Christianity. There is plenty of other lesser heard of religions to. Then within Christianity, there are subdivisions. There is Catholicism. There is Protestantism. Within Protestantism there are subdivisions. Then there are evangelicals. There are subdivisions within the evangelicals to. Within subdivisions of all religions there are sub-subdivisions. Then within the sub-sub divisions there are people who say they follow multiple religions. Whew! Is this what God had in mind? God teaches love, kind and forgiveness among other values in life. Nowhere does God say that there is one right way to honor, praise and worship Him. So why do some people believe their religion is the one and only? The other day my girlfriend was approached by someone who practices a different religion then she does. And she was pelted with questions and received accusations that she “would be much more useful to God” in the other religion. How does a perfect stranger make this statement? Only on the basis that their religion is the better, or “right” one. Is this what God wants? Maybe. But I just can’t get my head around that thought. When I read the bible and listen to people of a religious background, the message I retain is that we lead by example. And that God is ever-loving. God is always waiting for us with open arms. Sure, some people take a much longer time to find Him, but is it up to us to force them into Him? Or in my girlfriend’s case, force into a certain way of doing things. It’s the same way with little kids. If you tell a two-year-old, “If you don’t get in here right now, you are not going to get your dessert tonight!” Given that command, a two-year-old will stay exactly where they are and give you the look of death, maybe shake their head, or even shout, “No!” It works the same way with religion. Imagine telling a person, “If you don’t become part of (insert religion here) right now, you will not be saved and you will go to hell.” Given that command, a non-believer will stay exactly where they are and give you the look of death, maybe shake their head, or even shout, “No!” because they think you are the craziest thing since You’ll say, “What a shame. They’re screwed.” They’ll walk away. You’ll walk away. Whether it’s a two-year-old or a seventy-year-old who still hasn’t found God, the only way to get a message across is to lead by example. If a young child is using inappropriate words, then it’s up to you to use more appropriate words, while not responding to the child’s “not-so-nice” words. With someone who is searching for God or has no want for God, all we can do is live our lives the way God asks us to and pray that other people notice. Trying to force something upon someone will do nothing except drive him or her further from God then they ever were before. Instead, with the right leading, you might find yourself being approached by someone else who might say, “I want what you have.” I will admit it. I struggle understanding all of this. The bottom line is that in world today, religion is dividing us rather then uniting and serving the purpose it should. I personally don’t have a problem with other religions so long as they truly believe in it, they are tolerant of other beliefs and that they don’t use religion as an excuse to harm others. I ask others to join me in doing the same. Truly learn what other people are doing. It’s probably not all that different from what you are doing. You might find a new friend in the process. Or better yet, you could change the life of another. Only by living your life in the word of God.
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