Diverse Religion

Religion is One's Way of Life

Religion became a way of life to some groups of people. It even has an extreme impact unto their lives. Religion is their life.

As we were tackling our lessons in Philosophy of Religion, we run into Religious Ethnography as a different approach to the study of religion. Religious Ethnography is the study of religious phenomena within a particular tribe or group in their ritual, conceptual, ethical, social/communal and personal dimension. And images began to flash on my head, remembering a distant blurry learning from the book I read. There is this religious practice in Southern India that widow were burnt alive on her death husband’s pyre. This was adapted from the story of women in Hindu Mythology believing that they could bring back their husband in replace to their own life.

Every tribe has its own unusual practices of their beliefs. It is how they respond to their religious experience. If their practices survived till now, meaning to say, there were really proven effects on the practitioner. It could be something unnatural. It could be a miracle. It could be something to bring on and to be proud of. They put their own life on this beliefs and what goes with, experiences, thoughts, emotions, actions—their Religion basically influenced them.

Religion became part of their lives. well, to understand them is to understand their own religion. and there were so many religions around the world with different beliefs, practices, and rituals. and somehow, sometimes this creates conflict. and sometimes one thinks its superiority to the other that also causes discrimination. it is funny to think that Religion which main goal is to guide people in holiness becomes a reason for conflicts and even wars to exist.

Muslims and Christians had a long history of conflicts already. The Nazi thought that Jews are a poisonous race. In India, Animists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims & Sikhs are also in conflicts. Various conflicts that heat up periodically producing loss of life. Christians are regularly attacked in Orissa province by militant Hindu extremists. In South Africa, Animists murdering believed to be Witches that practicing black magic. And many other discrimination.

I am born as a Catholic and very devoted to my Religion. Primarily my parents taught and disciplined me by the ways of catholicity. I grew up in a Christian perspectives and I am happy with it. My Religion helped me to become what I am now. But what if I was born with different orientation? with different Religion? would I be feel the same way towards God?

There is a point in my life knowing that there were many Religions, with different beliefs, rituals, and practices, that I began to question what I believed in. Why is there so many Religions? Did God revealed not in the same manner of group of people. Is the God of the Christians is the God of the Muslims? Or is it that I was born in the 20th Century and everything is already in structure and my conception of God is just a result of this structured society? 

Then what is it for me to live?

I don't really know what the truth is but one thing I am sure is that my God helped me to become truly happy. The more I have questions that more I desire Him, the more I want to be closer to Him, the more I want Him. The more I love Him. I know that someday somehow I could ask these questions to Him. And as a pilgrim person, I have to prepare myself for that encounter.

        That is why we have to respect each other’s religion. No matter what it is. No matter what our races are. No matter what our ethnic groups are. We are one because we are just one embodying the universe, a creation of God. Though we different interpretations of Him, different sides of knowing God is and with different expressions of love to Him we should take consider that we belong to each other. I know each religion have its conception of what Love is. And sometimes this concept is attributed basically to God. That is why let us make ourselves an instrument of peace. Who are we not to love?