Religion can be defined as the belief in and worship of a god or gods. In some other quarters religion can be defined as beliefs that concern the origin of the earth and all that surrounds the earth. Religion has for many years been a hot topic all around the world since it touches on people's beliefs and ways of life. Through religion there has been bloodshed in the middle East, in the Gaza strip and also places like Somalia in Africa. Through religion too, many places have witnessed a ceasefire and signed new peace treaties that have withstood the taste of time. most notorious in the religion war is the unending conflicts between Christians and Muslims. in the American society Muslims have not been fully embraced and are still looked as suspiciously while in the Arab world Christianity has not been fully appreciated. These are some of the areas of discriminatory treatment that make peaceful co-existence a tall order.
Different religions are differentiated by many factors such as the varied dress codes that their followers have, the kind of common beliefs that they share which in a way differ from the rest, their behaviors, priestly hierarchies, different holy places and different scriptural references, for instance Christians refer to the bile while Muslims refer to the Quran. Muslims dress in white free clothes with a white cap while some protestant Christians dress in multi colored attires. Common beliefs like Jesus either being a prophet as Muslims perceive pr Jesus being the son of God also brings out that difference amongst religions.
There are many different types of religions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The two religions harboring the highest number of believers are Christianity and Islam. In Africa Islam spread so much in the North and West while in the East and the South Christianity is dominant.
Though there have been numerous conflicts all around the world religion has played a crucial role in terms of development and humanitarian aid. Take for example the setting up of schools in the marginalized areas of Kenya. Many people have had a chance to go to school courtesy of church organizations ending up to be successful and independent in life. Moreover many dispensaries and mission hospitals have been built to help the less fortunate access health care at reasonable rates. Making a thorough check, one might not fail to note the fact that provision of water through digging of boreholes has been done in some areas courtesy of religious organizations.
It is rumored that the warring factions in the Christian and Muslim camps will never come to a ceasefire but as the world becomes a global village, who will go on fighting as the rest of the world develops? Different religions through their leaders- that is protestant Christians through their bishops, is believed by their followers and acted upon. This means that through these leaders we should be able to live in peace and harmony as different religions but under one universe.
