The one where I am ushered into the holy land

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I got to thinking about religion the other day. My life here is saturated with religion all around me. 95% of the Gambian population is Muslim; about 4% are Christian, and about 1% practice traditional religions such as animism. It is not uncommon for someone to ask me upon our first meeting, “Are you a Christian”? Christianity here is different than the traditional Christian living we associate with in the United States. It’s not Jerry Falwell, born again, hand raising in church Christians. By saying you are a Christian basically just says you are not a Muslim. It doesn’t matter if you believe in Buddha, buddy Christ, or St. Christmas as your personal god. If you believe, and you are not a Muslim, you are a Christian. Saying you don’t believe in god, religion, or just saying you are not a religion opens up a whole new can of worms. This is a concept the Gambian mind cannot wrap itself around. If you cannot definitively state a religion, you are marked as an atheist. My friend’s father approached me this weekend and expressed his deep desire to talk with me about Islam, and converting me to “the holy side”. I thought about it, lit a cigarette, and politely declined.

What is it about religion that makes all of its followers think the religion they are in is the only way, the best way? What makes the followers in a religion view outsiders as “not seeing the light”? I’ve been contemplating this over the Van Morrison song “If I Ever Needed Someone”. He wasn’t a Muslim, maybe not even a classified Christian, but he absolutely had a personal god as expressed in this song. The way he sings out to this god is beautiful, emotional, and personal. Maybe I will never know what god he is singing to, maybe he didn’t even know when he wrote the song. But I think the most important fact is that he had an emotional and spiritual connection to a higher being. Why do we give two craps what that higher being was.

There are too many discrepancies in religious texts as to what heaven is, what followers are to do, and how to worship god. Why is it necessary for people to box themselves into a religion and try to convert others to it? Some believe the Qur’an is the right way, some believe the Bible is the right way, some believe meditation is the way to righteousness. Between all of these varying degrees of rightness, how is an educated mind to discern what really is the way?

If god is sovereign, and omnipotent, why are we to believe he is only in one religion? God is not a religion, a church, a text, or a hymn. If God is loving and kind, why don’t more people believe he is the god of everyone, and will be gracious to everyone, not just a specified religion? My “religion” is not in what I say to people to convince them to believe in God, it is not in memorizing texts and reciting psalms, it is not in repentance. My religion is in thanksgiving, in humanity, in living “god” through my actions- actions that matter to people, and in seeing people as people, looking past the lines of segregated religions. I can’t help but wonder, what is this religious conversion and fundamentalism really all about?

Quote of the post:
You know we've got to find a way,
To bring some lovin' here today. -Marvin Gaye (What's going on)

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Comments

[Aleksandra]

Hello :)
Hey! I am doing a research about Gambia for my final project and I found your travelblog! It is so interesting to read first hand experience from there. I subscribed to your blog :) Aleksandra from Estonia

[jill]

The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qur'an is mute If you burned them all together you'd be close to the truth - four winds by bright eyes

[al gal]

Hi Alexsandra: I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get back to your message. I would like to talk with you more about your ideas for your film. Also, If you have any specific questions for me you would like answered feel free to ask. The best way to get to me is through email, [e-mail]. Thank you so much for reading and your interest. I look forward to talking with you soon.