We confront each other on social media, raining curses, abuses, insults and instilling trepidation in the minds of readers. Who made us this way? - Aisha Ajekigbe

On Religious Tolerance, how tolerant are we?


Religious toleration is people allowing other people to think or practice other religions and beliefs. In a country with a state religion, toleration means that the government allows other religions to be there. Many countries in past centuries allowed other religions but only in privacy. This has become rare. Others allow public religion but practice religious discrimination in other ways.


Traditional Tolerance values respects and accepts the individual without necessarily approving of or participating in his or her beliefs or behaviour.


This brings us to the pertinent question, how tolerant or approving of another's religion are we?


Have you ever sat to think about how 'religious drunken' we have become as a nation. How our lives, thinking, deeds, words and actions are warped when it comes to matters that revolves around religion. Some can't even think straight with their medulla, what was it made for? Decoration? Me think not.


I've never really being a party to discussions where people tear at each other's throat, or make vile comments on posts that bores down to religion. We confront each other on social media, raining curses, abuses, insults and instilling trepidation in the minds of readers. Who made us this way? Why are we so full of hate against other religions? What's the yardstick to measure which religion is the best? Why do we find it so hard to tolerate others? Why can't you live and let me live too?


In all the 3 most popular religions in Nigeria, the traditional worshippers are the most tolerant, they worship their gods with so much calmness. You hardly find them tearing other religions down or making vile comments so as to antagonise or make their religion feel supreme even when people come at them with the thoughts that their own religion reigns supreme.


I've had to make friends with few of them on social media and I tell you, they have the warmest of hearts.


I've watched too much of Nollywood movies to see how the traditional religion is rubbished and made to look like their gods are dead or powerless, hell no, they are not, whatever they believe in works for them because they have faith in Eledumare. Have you ever given it a second thought like I do if these set of people decides to petition Nollywood or NBC on how their religion is being portrayed in movies, don't you think they have every right to?


If it was my religion or that of my second cousin, hell will be let loose by now, probably Nollywood would have gone into extinction. My religion and yours wouldn't allow for any kind of degradation or insult even if the plot is to reveal how religious leaders brainwash their followers or use black magic to deceive people, we will still find some 'sheeple' who will argue for blindly. That is how blind as a bat we have become.


Have we ever tried to respect or value other people's views without descending so low as trying to shove your religious or sect belief down other people's throat. I've seen and been a victim of this as an undergraduate and even at my former work place. I've been tagged a 'Boko Haram' at a place I submitted my CV while I was in Port Harcourt simply because I am a Muslim, the man didn't even look at my qualifications, the only thing he saw was my religion, I felt so downcast for days.


Even at some organisations, we allow sentiments based on religion to come at play instead of employing capable hands. An example was a Muslim school my younger sister attended before we decided it was time she left. The teachers were sound in Islamic teachings but that was what it was, they didn't even qualify to teach the topics they taught, trust me, I'll fair better teaching them, it was that bad. I know the school would have done so well if religion sentiments hadn't blinded them or played a huge part in employing their teachers, they could have employed neutral teachers who are well qualified and certified to teach in their own areas of specialisations and leave the Arabic and Islamic study to a Muslim teacher, I hope you get my drift.


It's high time we tolerated and accept other people's views with civility and decorum. No one should force anyone to participate in his or her beliefs or behaviours and stop threatening others with the fear of hell fire if they fail to do so, you ain't God and he needs no spokesman or a judgmental mortal to fight his cause.