Religion: Lost Of Faith

In 2001, there were 2.1 billion Christians, 1.5 billion Muslims, 900 million Hindus, 380 million Buddhists and many more others. These were the number of people 'active' in the major religions in the world. As of now, countless billions more will have entered Christianity and Islam and Hinduism would have entered the billion zone. However, are these people of these fantastic faiths misunderstanding the correct terms of religions? Are these people losing the true meaning of their faith and faith itself?

All religions, not cults, preach on the values of life and the life hereafter. Many have prophets, others deities and some use messiahs to lead them to the path of good. Putting it bluntly, all religions want their followers to be morally good people and to be happy with their lives. Alas, then why is everybody, or at least most of the people I know, tend prefer or do the opposite? Why do loads of people tend to see the negative sides of religions. Not in the sense that religions are wrong and all that, but in the sense that they use religion as a medium or tool to instill fear? You dig?

I was brought up in a religion and many teachers(?), I dunno what to call them, abuse the stories of this particular faith and terrorize us kids with tales of how we will be so and so or else end up in hell or whatever. They are suppose to guide us and teach the religion in a way that is reasonable and well, the way it was meant to be taught. However, many of these older wise folk, tend to focus on the bad side of religion: the punishments. They tend to scare little kids with tales of how one is punished if one does something wrong. They think that by doing so, those little kids will be frightened and not commit religious crimes or whatever. Instead, the opposite is done. When those little kids grow up and under the influence of their religious teachers, they feel frightened about their faith and ultimately deny it.

All these people who have denied their faiths or rejected the whole idea of religions have done so because of their up-bringing. The up-bringing not by the enviroment of kids their age, the whole gang thing, no...instead their teachers, and to a lesser extent parents, have not taught their children the right stuff about their faith. They do not tell them about the good things about their religions, they do not teach about the flexibilities or certain morals about the religion instead they use stories to terrorize the kids and make them scared. They avoid the important stuffs in religions: being a good and happy person. Instead under their method, they produce:morally good but frightened people. Thus if you have a frightened person, that person is naturally defensive and their mindset towards things are negative. Therefore they lead a conscience or subconscience life of negativity. Also a frightened person would want acceptance. And they would take any opportunity to be accepted to any, and I mean ANY, society or group. Thus, this is where the whole idea of people neglecting their faith and turning bad is brought up.

Therefore, what I'm trying to say is, loads of people, especially the older generation, complain that the younger generation has lost their faith. They complain and criticize the younger people and do whatever old people do. However, I say: The reason for this lost of faith is the up-bringing of these younger people. They can complain that the up-bring is destroyed due to gangs and TV and whatever. But weren't they children or kids of some family? Not all of them were born to gangsters off the streets. They were children of decent people. However, when the matter of religion came, they weren't nurtured the proper way. Their teachers taught them wrongly and they didn't go with the programme. The more the teachers forced them to accept something...the more the young people rejected. Therefore, the lost of faith and interest of faith is brewed.

Call me bias to the younger generation, but I am cos I am them. I was brought up in a way that made me unhappy about my faith. I often questioned my faith. But I realised that it wasn't the religion...it was the people who taught me. They taught me what they wanted me to know, not what I wanted or was supposed to know. So lemme just finish off by saying that often you have to look at both sides to understand the problem and that society and up-bringing plays an important role in everything.

Further more...I don't think prophets, God(s) or messiahs meant for religions to be taught the way its taught now. They probably want people to embrace it not be forced onto it.