By Sorie Rahman Sesay

There are different views concerning the impact of in society, but first what is religion? Here again there are multiple definition. The most common one says religion is a way of life. I find this definition defective being that it is open and not specific. Gangsterism is a way of life; so, is it a religion? It can never be for a reason I will explain later.  The sad part is that the two predominant religions (Christianity and Islam) some of their followers have the idea that Christianity or Islam is not a religion but a way of life. The convincing definition for religion in my opinion is that — a religion is an entity of which the followers believe in the existence of a supreme being who has ultimate powers to do anything that befits his majesty. Now it is clear why gangsterism cannot be a religion, but a way of life.

Worship on the other hand can be defined as any act that is pleasing to God which one does. However, we have legislated worship and unlegislated worship. The former is the type of worship that that commanded by God for believers to do. Avoiding it renders one a sinner e.g. the five daily prayers, charity, fasting, etc. The latter is that which is not legislated but recommended — avoidance of it cannot qualify one to be called a sinner. Worship goes hand in hand with religion. In fact, it is a fundamental principle in any religion through which a believer has to prove his belief in God. In Islam it is not enough to say that you are believer without backing it up with worship and the same goes for Christianity. A believer of a religion who doesn’t worship is not a believer. All the prophets worshipped the almighty God.

Religion as some people say is the reason why the world is not at peace. I beg to differ that religion is the reason why the world is in chaos. I am not denying the fact that there are people who do inhuman acts in the name of religion, however, the reasons to these acts are more of political than religious. Islam teaches that killing one person is like killing the entire human race. Muslims are not terrorist, and terrorists are not Muslims. In Christianity, the believer should love his neighbour just as himself. Regardless of who the neighbour is whether a Jew, Muslim or atheist. The mistake people make is that they judge a religion by the action of its followers — these kinds of people should know that religion is perfect but its followers are not perfect. As I said earlier, in Sierra Leone the predominant religions are Christianity and Islam — if one wants to know about these religions, then one should look into their books (the Bible and the Quran respectively). God is not a God of bloodshed and evil. There are lot of moral teachings in these religious books that has stabilized the evil actions of society.

The importance of religion cannot be overemphasized. However, in this article I will try my best to point out some of the importance of religion and worship within the context of Sierra Leone. A highlight of these importance is unity, tolerance, responsibility, accountability, morality, respect, etc. We see the importance of religion by the display of these qualities by the people of Sierra Leone. Being that the country has 70% of Muslims and 30% Christian, it will be a perfect case study.

Unity between true believers of both faiths is apparent in for the fact that we are having an association of both religions. The unity is sometimes tampered for political reasons. The unity that is practiced by Muslims and Christians have helped the country in achieving it developmental plans. A country that is not united is disunited and disunity brings chaos that can render the infrastructure of the country into debris. It is normally said that united we stand, divided we fall.

Tolerance has a connection to unity. However, one is a means to the other. When people tolerate each other, unity will rain. Someone of another religion should not be seen as a target or an enemy and Sierra Leone maintains that very well. In other countries, someone of another religion is seen as the number one enemy; this has led to unsettled wars cause many lives to be offed. Jesus (as) and Mohammad (S.A) tolerated not only people of different faith but also people that did not believe in their God. Nevertheless, tolerance gets to the level wherein it will become ignorance. _For_ instance, a Christian going to the mosque or vice versa that is how a new religion is emerging in Sierra Leone called ‘Chrismus’. In as much as we tolerate one another, we should not break the fundamental principles.

Religion teaches people to be responsible in every aspect of life. This responsibility extends to their work places, family units, institutions, etc. Lack of responsibility stifles the development of a society. Therefore, religion should be applauded instead of being despised.

Accountability is a trait that religious people possess. Admitting your wrong and striving for forgiveness make one a true believer. Blame games for not have a room the two religions we practice in Sierra Leone. When our leaders are taking oath in parliament, the Quran and the Bible are presented to them since these books are regarded as the revelations of God.

Religion and worship are important in for mankind because it promotes morality.  This is another trait religious people portray. Both religions promote morality. If everyone becomes religious and uphold the teachings, there will no space for sexual abuse, domestic violence, media bullying, etc.

Another reason why religion is important is because it teaches it followers how to respect one another. Both religions promote the idea that the younger should respect the elder and the elderly should have mercy for the younger ones. If we put religion away, strongly believe that the level of disrespect will lead war and other similar problems.