All problems of this world emanate from religions. The brotherhood of humanity can only be possible without religions. But before qualifying this statement, let us first highlight the definition of responsibility.
Responsibility implies taking blame
What is called culture is actually determined by the behaviour of those concerned. The usage of public facilities can be used as an example. In public toilets, the authorities try to instill responsibility, by adorning such facilities with public notices such as:
“Kindly leave the facility in the way you would like to find it.”
Such notices may help in a limited way. Most people pay no attention to notices that require exercising responsibility. They want toilets in sparkling clean condition. But they expect someone else to do the cleaning, giving all sorts of excuses for inability to clean up their own mess.
In communal lands, one village may have toilet facilities. But as long as its neighbourhood uses bush toilets, that village is also exposed to the resultant diseases, in that environment. This describes the current civilization into which we are born.
Those from the so-called developed countries are known for lampooning politicians from the so-called Third-world countries, for ineptitude. The lampooned politicians insist that such poor management is caused by unending isms. (Racialism, colonialism, imperialism, socialism, bourgeoisie or capitalism, whatever the case may be?). Both groups refuse to take responsibility.
Without anyone taking responsibility, this world remains in its current mess. Like contagious diseases, irresponsibility is communicable. In other words, the more there is someone else to blame for whatever is wrong, instead of self, the next generation maintains the status quo.
One of the United States’ Presidential aspirants, Donald Trump, uses regulatory banishment of Moslem visitors to USA, as his campaign manifesto. But, such a manifesto abdicates responsibility. Bear in mind, problems emanate from failure to take responsibility. To qualify for irresponsibility, other people have to be blamed, than self.
True Religion
Unbelievably, all religions are faulty, because of not taking responsibility. In short, all problems emanate from taking no responsibility. James declares:
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27) KJV.
No rituals implied. No politics implied, No blame game. There is no desire to take credit, or being financed to do what is required. But simply fulfilling what is required by those in need. In other words, if the fatherless needed clean toilets, a responsible person simply cleans those toilets, without need for someone paying tribute.
But, who are the fatherless and widows? In my view, all humans generally fall into this category. It is a question of taking responsibility to identify needs, without being religious or choosy.
Paul, a convert from religion, also declared:
“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ.) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
Paul invalidates all religions here, by being everything to everyone. The idea is that, for this world to be better than what it is, religion is not required, but responsibility.
True identity
Human beings were created in God’s image. But, what is God’s image? Our physical eyes mislead us. What we see in our fellow humans tricks us into failure to appreciate what God’s image is. Some people blame failure to appreciate this reality, to Satan. But I choose to blame it on failure to take responsibility. All human beings are born with moral sense of right and wrong. This is conscience; which prescribes humanity’s Godly image, including those professing atheism, or committing serious crimes, as can be imagined.
When Jesus took the responsibility to die for all humanity, He was displaying what responsibility implies. Jesus did not deserve the punishment of dying on the cross. We deserved that. But Jesus took the responsibility upon Himself to die on the cross. What can be described as having been lost at the Garden of Eden is recovered in Jesus. And that is the work of RESPONSIBILITY.
The deception of all time is in Christianity. We hardly find responsibility in Christianity, as characterised in denominationalism. The Evangelicals blame the Pentecostals. Sabbath-keepers blame the non-Sabbath keepers and vice versa. You also have the splinter groups, characterised in sects, blaming each other and being blamed by the established orthodoxy. These are Christians purporting to represent Jesus, who took the responsibility to die for the entire humanity?
From where did Christianity pick up the tag of religion to identify its activities? While scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments declare Jesus as King, Christians portray Jesus as a religious leader? Instead of taking responsibility, Christians condemn Atheists, Moslems and other religions for World’s problems. Unfortunately, Christians are not torch-bearers, but serve to dim the torch that they are supposed to bear.
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Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing reliefs to those having witnessed strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social instability. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long awaited providential oasis of hope.
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