RELIGION AND THE (YOUTH OF) 21st CENTURY

RELIGION AND THE (YOUTH OF) 21st CENTURY

I have always had this in mind, and tried to understand it anywhere possible. Religion as we know it expects us to understand some things without actually knowing the complete ins and outs of it. Islam and Christianity are very prevalent in the part of the world I come from, and I know for sure that in Christianity, one is told that without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, some Divine concepts cannot be understood. In Islam, belief in the 'unseen' is part of making your faith a complete one.The 21st century world is also full of Scientific and technological advancements. In science, having 'faith' in something alone to prove its existence and potency is not considered conclusive, unless it is verified through acceptable methodologies. The youth, or the people of today are drifting away from religion, as was practised a few years ago. The devotion the youth of today have is generally not comparable to that of the older generation. This is the truth, whether you choose to accept it or not. I once watched a little interview, where a lot of people suggested that religion should be rebranded, or at least, some teachings should be abrogated. They think that those teachings or practices are not scientifically or civilly acceptable, and if the concept cannot be proven, then it must be discarded. Most of them were Jews and Christians.
The Muslim youth on the other hand, cannot suggest a change to the teachings, or even daily practices of the religion, even if the individual is not in support of it. They have a much more interesting approach. They rather choose to accept what they would, practise what they can, and leave the rest. After all, 'there is no compulsion in religion'.I am a Muslim, and would limit myself to Islam in the meantime. I attended an Islamic high school too, which had followers of many Islamic sects, and this cuts across. Most youth are drifting away from the religion and after speaking with a great number of the youth, I identified the problem to be how most elders of the faith present the faith to the youth, and how judgmental they tend to be, and how rigid they are on things, which in reality are not that rigid.I memorized the Qur'an when I was a boy. I did not understand it then but I do now. I have read some of the sayings of the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw). Some of his practices which I have had the chance of reading, and some books of some of the scholars of Islam, does not in fact present the Islam the youth are exposed to. I understand that light and darkness cannot coexist, and also that the world is like a prison for the believer, but I have also read that there could be 'heaven on earth' if we actually did what we are supposed to.I have also found out, to my utmost surprise that there is no institution or a setup as flexible and considerate as Islam. Just consider this, the name for human being in Arabic is 'Insaan' which has its root in the letters that also represent forgetfulness. So the Creator knows that humans were actually created weak, which He has stated in the Holy Qur'an, so He commands us to ‘remind’ ourselves of the teachings, the nature of religion, and not to pronounce someone as hopeless and devoid of the mercies of God. Even when we have wronged, He says that His power to forgive and to show mercy is more vast than anything, so we should hearken to His call, turn to Him, and ask for forgiveness of Him, and He will turn to us with mercy. This is backed and further explained by the Holy Prophet who says that if a servant takes a step towards God, God takes two steps towards a servant too. And if he goes to Him walking, He comes to him running. These show that the Creator understands His creation, and if He is so merciful, why are we not told not to lose hope but to keep trying?. Inasmuch as these things are there, it must be understood that religion is also an institution and as such has laws which govern it. I definitely do not mean that even if someone clearly breaks the rule, he should be urged on. The mistake should be addressed, discouraged, but not the individual. I strongly think that even though the elders have some blame here, the youth are also to take a bit of it. Learning never hurts, and what would be so wrong if a little time is dedicated to the study of religion all through our lives? It is our responsibility to learn, and to understand what religion actually is, so that not just anything can be told to us as religion. Remember, knowledge is just a stretch of hand away.