African/Middle Eastern Group:
Joseph Baru Uri, Joseph Kachelewa,
Hani Polus Yonu Al-Jameel, Hedwing Musanga Ataku
Our discussion was focused mainly on the theme of religion and morality, the attitude of the youths towards religion and sensibility among the educators in presenting religious matters.
We realized that the youths are conscious of the existence of God and in one way another they all sense of spiritual life among the youths. Each member of the group contributed from his/her personal experience of the awareness among the youths in regard to the experience of God. We realised that the youths are always searching for a meaning in life. This desire for a meaning in life has no ready-made answers.
There is however the need to strike a clear distinction between religion and morality. This is important because it appears that most of the youths do not practice their religious beliefs or have a fear of belonging to institutionalized religion since they hardly can draw the difference between what is religious and morality. The question that halted the group is the “why” of such resistance or rather resentment towards religion by the youths! The group being composed of four members from different nations and cultural background, was able to notice that such attitude among the youths comes from the way religion is being introduced to them either by parents, catechists, religious men and women or the hierarchy of the church.
It is very interesting to note that institutionalized religion and morality can hardly be separated; they need each other thus going hand in hand. The moral concepts make possible living the religious values and practices. However, we observed that equilibrium should be made between religion and morality. If morality is over-stressed, they you end up have a common phrase like “I live in God and live religiously, but I do not want to belong to a specific religion.”
Africans, for example, are said to be “notoriously religious” and religious practices permeate all cultural aspects. This means religion is part of our culture and we are brought up in that. It is a very rich culture that makes it even easier to accept the moral implications.
What we need to do, therefore, for the young is to find the means of communicating the Christian message or even the religious message without creating in them the fear about belonging. Prudence in explaining our religious beliefs should help us to understand that “religion is profoundly connected with moral values and morality helps us to live our religious practices”. This is the role that educator/parents are called to do.
Submitted by: Joseph Baru Uri, Joseph Kachelewa
Photography by Slawek: Festival of Light, Zambia 2007
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