SONGSOPTOK: To what extent do you practice ‘religious tolerance’? Since
when (how long ago)?
SILAS ABAYOMI: Socially, I will
say to a full extent, and mathematically,
I will say: a hundred percent.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you believe all religions
are the same?
SILAS ABAYOMI: No, I do not believe so; there are fundamental
differences among religions of the world. There are over ten major religions in
the world today, these include Christianity both denominational and non-denominational
groups; Islam with several brotherhoods; Hindu and its three major traditions:
Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism “whose followers considered Shiva, Vishnu,
and Shakti (also called as Devi) to be supreme deity.” Still, we have Shinto,
Taoism, Judaism, African Traditional religions.
These religions have different beliefs, dogmas, holy books,
leaders, rites, varied worship procedures, ecclesiastical systems-structured
and non-structured, and different architectures. Regardless, I listen to people different religions, more so, I
respect people’s opinions, even when they run contrary to what I believe, I
still allow individuals say their mind. However, I engage people in a more intellectual,
knowledge-focused, research-supported discussion.
Moreover, I do not allow discussion degenerate to debate;
instead, I involve people reasonably. More so, I do not allow debates end, or hurt friendship; rather,
they strengthen relationship, creating room for future engagements.
SONGSOPTOK: In case you practice
religion, do you consider all your religious beliefs to be true? What about
those of others?
SILAS ABAYOMI: I hold
all my religious beliefs to be true. With that said, yet, it does not belong to me to ridicule, look
down, berate, and mock other beliefs and their adherents. If time allows, I engage individuals with different religious
beliefs in a wholesome discussions, religious issues are carefully and
unambiguously discuss anytime they come up; without any mindset, our discussions
always end well.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you believe that all
faiths are equally beneficial and equally harmless to society?
SILAS ABAYOMI: No, I do not.
Still, when it comes to faith-based issues, I am very careful. I come
from a multi-religious society where people are very sensitive to religious
issues. Religion in my society is a-three-way-lead:
1) In some areas, it is cultural, religion has been part of some
people and their immediate environment for generations; these people see their
religion as part of their existence. To them, religion is inseparable.
2) Another way, religion has become family inheritance, there
are tens of thousands families in my country (Nigeria) that have affinity with
certain religions, and families through generations practice these religions.
3) My society allows or creates room for people to change faith
or belief for different reasons, which may include, but not limited to
marriage, education, life sudden changes, migration and other issues. Even with that, cautions are still required. Still, you respect
the person that changed his or her faith, even when you do not subscribe to the
change.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you believe all
religious groups are equally beneficial and equally harmless to their
followers?
SILAS ABAYOMI: No, I do not. From what
I have seen, read, and heard, ignorance and poverty had led millions to make
wrong religious choices; place of birth, or what I may call accident of birth
had made past and present generations gone wrong; unfortunately, however, some future
generations may not have control on choices of faith, they will make. Sad to say, these unfortunate individuals in these environments
run like a cycle, where they can barely change what their immediate society
throws at them.
SONGSOPTOK: Should members of any
given religious group refrain from criticizing religious practices of others?
SILAS ABAYOMI: Society evolves or
develops from a constant feature: "change"; critique is a major part
of this change. Although, critique is "commonly understood as fault
finding and negative judgment, it can also involve merit recognition";
moreover, it can result in providing opinion about good and bad of something,
from where corrections are made for the better.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you usually refrain
from talking about your beliefs to others? Should you be ignoring your own
religious ideas?
SILAS ABAYOMI: No, I discuss my beliefs
with people respectfully and passionately just as I listen to other people’s
faith. I do not impose these beliefs on
people; reasonably, though, I engage those who want to know where I stand on
certain matters.
SONGSOPTOK: What are the different ways religious tolerance, including
secularism, can help (or hurt) the demands of a complex world?
SILAS ABAYOMI: I believe religious
tolerance will help and promote national and international unity. We live in a
world of multiple cultures, various religions, different political, and
economic ideologies. Allowing people to practice what they believe, without
imposing other people’s views on them promote peace, unity, and concord.
SONGSOPTOK: Should ‘religious
tolerance’ be a part of the school curricula?
SILAS ABAYOMI: Yes, it should be. More
so, society should encourage cross culture exchange. Be ready to learn from others and appreciate
what they stand for; do not judge people by your subjective standards.
SONGSOPTOK: Religious acceptance and
bigotry appear to be the two sides of a coin (unbiased). People are equally
likely to choose one over the other. Do you agree with that observation? Please
explain.
SILAS ABAYOMI: People will certainly
make choices, wrong or right, but society should control and to a certain
extent regulate human behavior. This is where laws, rules, regulations, standard
public behaviors come in. When laws are broken, rules are sidetracked,
regulations are undermined, then civil institutions: the Police and judicial
system take over to protect the society. We must remember when we have a society,
we have a religion, or we have religions.
We sincerely thank you for your time and hope we shall have your
continued support.
Subhodev
Das
(Chief Advisor: Songsoptok)
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