Allison Cross, journalist in Sierra Leone, faces the scrutiny of being agnostic in a traditionally religious culture.
Photo: Allison Cross
God is everywhere in Sierra Leone.
Sometimes he’s Jesus and sometimes he’s Allah, but words praising his existence are plastered all over NGOs, schools, hair salons, stores, restaurants and vehicles.
I hear him everywhere I go, as gospel music blasts from massive, low-quality speakers on the streets and as Muslim calls to prayer ring out five times a day.
If the power happens to be on, one of my favourite restaurants in Bo district plays the same set of Christian music videos over and over throughout the day. I unconsciously hum to the tunes as I munch on rice and fish.
God even finds his way into the exchange of pleasantries. Ask someone how they are in Sierra Leone, and you’ll quickly receive the answer: “Fine. Thank God.” Sometimes they’ll skip the “fine” and just thank God.
This atmosphere of religion doesn’t just come from inside the country.
Hundreds of relief and capacity-building organizations in Sierra Leone are funded by church ministries in Europe, Canada and the U.S. There aren’t many other foreigners in Bo district, but the first ones I met were Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness missionaries.
About Faith
Approximately 10 per cent of the population of Sierra Leone is Christian, while 60 per cent practice Islam and 30 per cent practice African tribal religions.
Photo: Allison Cross
The three live fairly peacefully with one another, although there is some pronounced resentment and skepticism expressed between belief circles. Muslims outnumber Christians, but the former are more visible and vocal because of their focus on recruitment.
Few of the people I’ve met know quite what to do with me when I say I’m neither Christian nor Muslim.
My first night in Sierra Leone, one of our drivers, a loud and joyful man named Lamin, asked me if I was a Christian.
I told him that technically I was, as I had been baptized in the Anglican Church. But I told him I didn’t practice any religion and that in my country, people subscribe to many religions. I told him that many subscribe to nothing at all but consider themselves spiritual.
He leaned towards me, a sober look on his face. “Muslim. Christian. It doesn’t matter what you are,” he said. “But you have to pick one.”
Relationship With The Divine
I’ve been invited to church on many occasions, and despite being very curious about the services, I’ve always declined. The obliging Canadian in me wants to say yes, but I know if I give in to one Sunday service, the invitations will only increase.
Photo: Allison Cross
I have difficulty explaining the fact that I don’t go to church. No reason I give seems to satisfy the people perplexed by the fact that I spend my Sundays at home. I sometimes explain that I wasn’t raised going to church.
If I’m feeling brave, I’ll say I don’t agree with the teachings of the Bible and the inconsistent manner in which people follow it. If I want to create confusion, I’ll try to explain that I’m spiritual, and that I believe in “something” – but that I’ve never been able to say what that something is.
They find their joy and satisfaction in their relationship with God, I tell my critics, and I find my joy and satisfaction in my relationships with people, my work, and the world around me.
But most people still don’t like this, and will launch into a diatribe about how I need God in my life. I’ll explain that I have incredible admiration for the devout and for their willingness to help people and to support each other when they need it.
I try to explain that this respect doesn’t mean I am willing to join them in their faith.
It’s a precarious position to be in, one I’m sure is experienced by people living in their own countries and by people living abroad: to attempt to respect the beliefs of those around you, while firmly holding on to your own.
What are your thoughts on god abroad? Share in the comments!
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7 Comments... join the discussion!
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Such a good topic, Allison. I’m an Atheist and often find myself having to answer questions like the ones you described, although more often I have to deal with the disbelief at home rather than abroad. I don’t understand why saying “I am not religious” can’t suffice. Because I was raised Catholic and have a Spanish last name, people like to deem me as such, which I suppose I could just use to silence the questions except for the fact that it’s a lie and offensive to real Catholics.
How hard is it to live and let live? Why must we all subscribe to the same circle of belief systems? The man who told you “pick one” echoes much of what I’ve heard growing up. Does our unwillingness to “believe” in pre-determined codes make us an outsider … or a threat?
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If you’re familiar with Myers-Briggs temperament sorting, you’re familiar with the temperament known as “The Guardian.” You’ll find them in different varieties–and they are one of the largest groups of human beings.
To a Guardian, there is little more important than upholding the structures of society. They are highly motivated to cooperate with the larger group–be it the nation, the town, the organization or the church–and are frustrated that many of us prefer to go our own paths. “Follow the rules and submit to those in authority or all will go to hell in a handbasket!” is their constant admonition.
Those of us non-Guardians, I think, just need to come to grips with the fact that they exist, and are going to come after us sooner or later. But we always have the authority to say, “Thank you, no.”
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Wonderful topic for us non-religious spiritual vagabonds.
I tread a thin line of being respectful and being plain old fed up with arcane and often constricting notions of God, what God wants and who God likes.↵ -
I find it so very difficult sometimes to actually state what I believe. I want to allow others their opinions and beliefs but I am often afraid of sharing mine. I have an incredibly deep and beautiful personal spirituality which bothers some people. They either believe you are a New Age nut or are trying to suck them into some religious cult. Neither of which renders a fair description. If people would allow themselves to be more tolerant and open minded and respectful of whatever another person chooses to believe – most of the wars would never happen.
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Similar to defending your spirituality abroad, I often find myself deliberating over whether or not to comment on these kinds of posts.
I am a devout Christian, and while I believe that what I believe is true, I often find myself debating whether or not to try to defend it in an online venue. The discussions almost always spiral out of control, with lots of finger-pointing and stereotyping from all sides. In my opinion, this does little to breed understanding amongst the different points of view.That said, I think I could try to sum up my thoughts on the topic at hand as follows: You should be prepared to defend something. All worldviews (religious and non-religious), contain propositional truth, which you either do or do not believe. We could all be wrong, but we cannot all be right. The man who told you it doesn’t matter which one you pick strikes me as someone who understands neither Christianity nor Islam very well. They do have a few similarities, but also some very fundamental differences. Thus, if I’m deciding how to align myself on matters such as God, life, death, heaven, hell, etc.; I’m going to need more information than “just pick one.”
Even if your worldview differs significantly from that of the other person, they will generally respect you more if you can articulate (at least to some degree) why you believe what you believe.
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Back when I didn’t have the choice about whether to go to church, I used to do internet searches late Saturday night, find some appropriate quotes from inspirations atheists and agnostics, and tape them to my bedroom door for my parents to see when it was time to “save” me. Didn’t take.
I’ve encountered similar problems trying to justify my beliefs or lack thereof when they don’t seem to fit into any category. In the end, I just choose the closest: Buddhism. However, I have been meaning to pretend I’m Hindi if Jehovah’s Witnesses or Evangelicals come calling:
“Do you believe in Jesus?”
“Yes of course. He is the son of Shiva, brother to Buddha. Praise God.”
“No, no, no; he died for your sins. Do not speak such blasphemy.”
“Ahh, brother, I understand you. Jesus forgives all. Are you saying you do not believe.”
“What?? I…”
Well, maybe…
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