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The recent carnages that occur in various countries around the world because of religion as the western media claims to be the case must be a lesson to all South Africans. The topical religious attacks in France cannot be avoided by a democratic country that emboldens an integral human right that is freedom of speech. Did we, as South Africans got this one right or are we ourselves heading towards a muddle society which may lead to disruption of stability in our communities around the country?
I have been observing various issues around the country (South Africa)that are latent enough to destabilize the country as a whole. Kindly allow me to list them for you in their chronological order; not that I want to dwell on them in this particular article, firstly we as South Africans might have a catastrophe caused by political subvert, xenophobia attacks aptitudes, racial attacks but not genocides and lastly religious differences. Well I personally think we as a country should be wary of political subverts as our politicians have started to lay hands on another in our parliaments, it might come down to mass killings because of our political differences. This also will affect those with no political parties nor associated with any political party. With that being said, it must be stated that we are a country that is comfortable enough to overtly call any prominent political leader with any offensive name available to us without being executed. That is a good thing; we surely do conform to the trend of freedom of speech but we are a bit extreme in doing so.
Different religions in South Africa have “We Okay” type of relationship with each other because no religious group has its mouth and eyes on the next religious group. Meaning; Muslims bother themselves with Islamic things rather than commenting on Christian matters, same thing goes with Christians and all other religions. Although I have to make an allusion of one group that finds comfort in offending and insulting Christianity, that particular group is atheism. The atheists all over the world do not attack any other religions except for Christianity. Is it because Christians have the capacity and harmony to take offensive slurs or is it because atheists find it the most “irrational” religion in the world? Even with that puny atheists and Christianity relationship, it’s not so authoritative enough to jolt massacres similar to that one of France. Even if it was a puny relationship between atheists and Muslims, I refuse to think it could end up that terrible. Subjectively I don’t believe it’s because we do not love our deities but because we have accepted our religious differences.
To harmonize our differences, let me firstly address the political differences. I am not political, I don’t vote, I don’t have a political party and I believe it’s my democratic right to share my political sentiments with the world. To pursue that political stance I cannot go around calling voters fools because of my political understanding, but I can share with the voters why I don’t vote. To me that is a definition of political harmony in a “democratic society”. I am one Christian who constantly debate with atheists around the world on social media; on issues concerning evolution, nature and religion as a whole. I know how disrespectful and offending atheists can be most of the times but as a Christian I don’t have to retaliate by talking with them in the same way they do to me till they rationally interact with me in the same respectful manner as I do to them. The Pavlov behaviorism paradigm is what I always consider when an atheist goes”you are a fucken moron” on me, in this instance I teach an atheist how to debate me by not using loutish language as they do to me. They actually end up learning to calm down and addressing me like a respectful person I see myself to be. You cannot join them but you can beat them in a way rational way that seems weak to the weak minded ones. I think from personal interactions with anyone anywhere to religious interactions, we need to be mature enough to share what we are about but respectfully enough to not try to change our different believes. If our beliefs are the truth; they need not to be used to change the beliefs of other people, they can independently bring changes in that particular person. From a Christian perspective, Christ said “Go ye into the entire world and preach the gospel to every creature” and preaching does not mean change someone but make it known to someone. With the same mentality in politics, if your political views are the truth all you have to do is to tell the truth and then it will set the other person free. Free from the political lies they have been incarnated to for so long, with this approach comes harmony and a feasible freedom of speech that does not hurt or offend anyone. Let love win all the time.
