We highly regard tolerance in this time. In many societies, the exercise of the right to freedom of expression along with freedom to believe whatever one chooses are the core of the balance. The religious, agnostics and atheists coexist; there are no planned conflicts in public places, no beheadings or burning at the stake but respect and acceptance.
But we know that is not the reality worldwide. People are still dying by way of war and terrorism; instead of men speaking to each other in an attempt to solve their differences, it is often bombs and guns that speak. We often only see the images of the victims, but we also mourn.
It was just this week that a series of churches were bombed in Sri Lanka. Hotels were bombed also and at end of the bloodbath over two hundred were dead and more than four hundred were left injured. And last month dozens of Muslims were killed in Australia by way of the bullet by one man. The mourning is unceasing.
Through all the terror and the pain, religion continues to survive and often such events strengthen the faith of those who believe. But do those who also believe in something other than religion face persecution? Is the atheist and the agnostic free from condemnation? Or are they expected to bondage their freedom time and time again for the sake of the religious even when we exist in what we have labeled secular societies?
Easter was celebrated this week. It is the most important holiday for the believers who celebrate their saviour. A son was said to have been crucified on a cross and was resurrected. Like the sun sets in the evening and rises in the morning.
During lent, the time leading up to Easter, many believers abstain from activities they deem unholy. On Good Friday, establishments that sell alcohol are mostly closed, church services are held, and cross buns are consumed. Whether we believe or not, we are in actual fact made to comply by the wishes of those who do. The Muslim or the Hindu, the atheist or the agnostic, is expected to suspend their norms for a day that does not mean anything to them. And while some may argue that there are many secular holidays where we all engage and because of religious tolerance, a day is not too much, it still challenges the very essence of what freedom is. Why must the man who does not believe face the possibility of prosecution if he decides not to comply with a church mixed with state recipe? Why is he not given the same respect to believe as he pleases and freedom to carry on as he pleases on any day?
As I have often mentioned, we live in a very religious country. Yet we often experience some of the most gruesome occurrences. Have the religious establishments made our society any less prone to the evil that exists everywhere?
Religiousity should not dictate the actions of those who are not interested. With establishments now like Caribbean Cinemas and MovieTowne, Guyanese can enjoy watching films on the big screen. Both establishments initially announced that they would not open on Good Friday, but later they decided that they would in the late noon, which caused some Christian believers to be upset. Non-believers defended the actions of the cinemas, but believers demanded ‘respect for the day,’ ignoring the fact that Good Friday does not mean the same for all of us. Religious tolerance yes, I do agree with, but what of the tolerance for the non-believers on those religious special days? Is the non-believer less worthy? Is it not his or her right to do as he or she pleases on any day of the week, religious holiday or not?
Believers might think that others engaging in their regular activities would bring a reign of fire and brimstone, condemning us all to a fiery hell, but the Earth is estimated to be billions of years old and continues to exist. And we have not had billions or even millions of Good Fridays. And though many try to ignore how aged the Earth is by referencing creation stories dating the world to just over six thousand years old, we know that skeletons aging more than three million years old have been discovered.
How many good days have we had in this world? How many bad Fridays? Just like we cannot count the stars, we cannot count the days this space has existed and how long we have existed.
Tolerance is not a discriminatory word. Religious intolerance, where men and women are persecuted for what they believe, is never to be accepted or celebrated. But the unbelievers also must not be condemned. They should not be forced to comply with the religiousity by which they do not live. Every religious and secular holiday has been created by us. We have invented many practices that restrain and imprison us. Those with the power know that the people often will not rebel or question if they have been trained to simply believe and not think.
