The Dividing Line Between Tradition And Religion
Traditions are beliefs and principles that people in a particular society or community have transferred from generation to generation and continually believe in them.
Religion is based on humans having faith and worshipping or reverencing a supreme being called God, which is agreed to be bigger than them in all aspect.
I was having a chat with an elderly Yoruba man and I asked a question "What's the difference between Tradition and Religion" I think I really needed to ask that question so as to satisfy my long time curiosity and I got the answer the answer I wanted. He said "We met Tradition but Religion came to us. Religion in Yoruba means ẹsin while tradition is called asa".
Let me give a breakdown of what differentiates culture and tradition from religion.
This two looks really close, in most cases they are not easily differentiated. The difference between your faith and your belief is one way to differentiate them.
Most cultural values and traditional ethics are based on beliefs that have been passed on from generation to generation. These beliefs are told orally and in few cases in writings. On the other hand, Religion is based on faith. Religion is never built on beliefs, it is considered a process of revelation through scriptures.
Tradition is known to evolve from one person and so regarded as an evolutional belief while religion is agreed to be a process of revelation from God.
Culture and tradition do more of entertainment and fun to worship. Traditions do more of festivals, dance nights, moonlight tales, harvests and more compared to religion which is based on worshipping a higher authority.
Religion sees every wrong doing as SIN and does not advocate measures that harm their followers because they go contrary to their laws either physically or psychologically. The only feeling a religious person feels after indulging in sin is guilt, and religion has created a way of coming back to the track.
Tradition sees wrong doings as TABOO which when defaulted is attached with stiff punishments. When a taboo is committed, the offended is molested and put to shame if they escape being sentenced to death.
Cultures and traditions vary with the passage of time, they are prone to changes as time passes while it is impossible to rewrite the laid down basic and fundamental structure of religion because they are written and are reverenced as holy.
Conclusion
Either Tradition or Religion, Non should be regarded as dark or barbaric, because of Our inability to see their Distinctive values or characteristics between them.
Sometime traditions exist based on religion. Something just happened because you used to do it, and you do it with the guide of religion. And that become tradition. IMHO
The post is very great and very extraordinary. Thank you for sharing this knowledge
You've said it all. Good differentiation. Thank you sir!
This post really captured my personal values and creeds that i hold in high esteem. I dont see any difference between my christianity and our the religion of our fore fathers...i am of the opinion that the ancestral shrines should be preserved and not destroyed. Culture is life for a peoples way of life evolved via culture.
However, i tracked you @gbenga to commend you on your onerous effort towards bringing more of our compatriots to steemit program. Although i joined this program in May while reading one article. however i was inactive because i throuly didnt know what it is until early july when i stumbled upon a whatsapp based group. I heard it and had to go back and dust up my membership details and begin active participation.
I am here to appeal for stronger alliances and social bridges amongst all Nigerians within this community. I read about the SIN project and want to commend you and other organisers.
The first thing i did after joining steemit was to introduce my whatsaap based friends to the program. So far, i have been able to make more 67 of them fellow steemians. You can get to know them via this post:
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@eurogee/a-personal-effort-towards-a-more-virile-steemit-community-introducing-67-new-steemians-in-one-swoop-vol-1#@ronaldmcatee/re-eurogee-a-personal-effort-towards-a-more-virile-steemit-community-introducing-67-new-steemians-in-one-swoop-vol-1-20170730t031145544z
I look forwards to a stronger alliance. Thanks
@eurogee, thank you very much for your time to write this post. I really salute your effort towards growing the community. I like to see Nigerians on steemit. I'll take a look at your blog.
Keep on writing original content, remeber to reference your pictures and posts you get from other sources and do not forget to use the #nigeria tag
Cheers...
From your boy @gbenga
Religion engenders followers but God, disciples.
Hey @gbenga , would love to offer to come onto my podcast sometime.
It is all about entrepreneurs; what you are doing, believe in and what difference you are making in the world.
Here is the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5CpCNPna6p95oJfKPew0N3ZT0k-khdgg
It is audio only over skype. Does this sound of interest to you?
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