Are we praying our lives away?

Tue Oct 01, 2013

Editor: I happened to be passing outside one of the leading secondary schools while assembly was being held and was very disappointed to hear a student on a microphone insisting that his fellow students take part in devotions. As far as I know, prayer is not part of the curriculum, hence the choice as to whether or not to participate must be up to the individual student.{{more}} This is a democratic country, hence we cannot force our beliefs upon others.

I am of the opinion that our brightest children must be exposed to different beliefs and allowed to formulate their own. Trying to indoctrinate them into believing that we were created by God is tantamount to throwing belief in evolution out of the window. As students, especially in the field of science, they should be able to critically analyze both belief systems and determine which seems more logical.

I often get the impression that we are always looking for an easy way out of our problems. Almost every day a new church opens its doors, yet we are becoming more and more violent. Is it that prayers are no longer working, or would I be given the usual story that if we were not praying, things would have been worse? We cannot afford to forget that there are persons in hospitals praying all day for some relief and nothing is happening.

Certainly, I am not against religions, but I am of the opinion that it is causing us to lose sight of our real goals. To me, it has become a distraction and we are seeking refuge in our religion each time we are confronted with a challenge. The power to overcome difficulties must come from within; hence we must develop that inner strength as a people. Unfortunately it seems that slavery has weakened us; hence I am hoping that the leaders of the Reparation movement are also seeking an apology from the colonialists for forcing us to accept their religious belief, which happened to be Christianity. Unfortunately, some may see this as one of the positives coming out of the slave trade.

I do get the impression that we are simply praying our lives away, hoping that something would happen, but most of us would die in disappointment.

Mystic