Is religion subversive or oppressive?

Sir,

There is a great debate between two camps. One camp says religion is used for ‘subversive’ purposes, while the other group says religion is used for ‘oppressive’ purposes, so, who is right or wrong?

As an independent observer, I won’t take sides; instead, I prefer to make my own submissions as a positive contribution.
As for those who said religion was used for oppressive purposes, they give the example of early missionaries, who came to Africa to spread the Word of God.

They said these missionaries used religion as an opium or drug, I mean as a ‘divide and rule’ strategy to make Africans submissive to authorities but I do not know if that was true or not, as I was not there in those days.

Change

As for the group which said religion was used for subversive purposes, I believe such people were well-fed and I guess their likes are empty.
The word religion has an element of change or being born again.

So, people anywhere cannot be ruled by ancient laws e.g. the Dutch law decrees, the Roman Empire’s laws, etc, so laws are modified or upgraded to suit modern times, or to be in time with the times, thus meeting international standards.

Agendas

Why don’t people leave religion alone? Do they use it as their platforms to pursue or further their own personal agendas?
Please do not touch religion or Christianity!

Peter Sibeko,
Luyengo

Dear Peter Sibeko,

All widespread ideologies began being perceived as subversive ideas and ended up being accepted as self-evident truths. Christianity and other religions were not exceptions.

As to whether religion is subversive or not, it depends how it is used. The gospel of Jesus; that human beings should love each other, was subversive in ancient days, for example, because it went beyond the traditional family and cultural boundaries used to separate people into ‘us’ and ‘them’. Previously, religion tended to be an expression of one’s role in society rather than an expression of one’s individual faith. By focusing on the individual believer rather than the social practices, Christianity turned the notion of religion on its head; subversive.

However, after another 1 500 years of ideological domination by the Catholic Church, Christianity was once again being channeled into a single form of expression, which caused people to cry ‘oppression’. Thus, the Protestant Reformation arose; subversion again. Ideas are like tools, it depends how you use them. There are very few ideas which are inherently subversive or oppressive, although historically it is the call for equality which seems to be considered most subversive.

- Editor

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