Manipulation of religion dishonours God

July 10, 2020 saw the change of the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

“The conquest of Istanbul and the conversion of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque are among the most glorious chapters of Turkish history,” he announced. But his critics observe that the motive was more political than religious.

A political leader can neither play the role of a pastor to decide who is in and who is out of God’s grace, nor interpret the constitution in light of the Holy Book. His/her job is to uphold the constitution and ensure everyone is entitled to the same unalienable rights granted by God. 

Built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral, Hagia Sophia, along with a number of other churches, was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453. Sultan Mehmed II, who took this city from the Christians, is a great hero of Islam.

It was Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, who decreed that Hagia Sohpia should be a museum. In 1934 it became a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has been serving as a monument belonging to humanity, symbolizing, dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding between Christianity and Islam.

As a matter of fact, the conquests of Islam are often celebrated in the Islamic world, are seen as signs of divine blessing, proofs that Islam is the true religion. With that mindset, numerous orthodox churches were converted to mosques during the Ottoman period.

The Christian Church of the Ascension of Jesus was turned into a mosque. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Israel, were built on the Temple Mount, which, until 70 AD, had been the site of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. 

The conversion of mosques into churches of worship has also occurred for centuries, in Christianity. The list includes those churches where the original structure of the mosque no longer survives and the church was built at the site of a former mosque. It also includes those that were originally churches, but were converted to mosques and later reconverted to churches.

After Christians captured Cordoba, in Spain, in 1236, King Ferdinand III converted the mosque into a cathedral. The Ibrahim Pasha Mosque in Greece was turned into a church in 1530, and so on. 

Manipulation, triumphalism and politicking emerge as the underlying factors In  this scenario. Manipulation is associated with exercising harmful influence over others, seeking imbalance of powers. A politician can cynically appeal to religious sentiment of the faithful in order to gain political capital. Triumphalism is defined as excessive exultation over one’s success or achievements. It betrays a belief that a particular doctrine, religion, culture, political or social system is superior to and should triumph over all others.

Religion is the belief in and worship of God. It gives meaning and purpose to life, serves as an agent of social control of behavior and motivates people to work for positive change, among other reasons.

But manipulation and politicization of religion, reveals lack of conversion on both parties. Hence, one of the main antidotes can be strong commitment to religion. 

False religion gives people false illusions about God. Many believe that one must do various things to achieve blessings from God. True religion is a “let go and let God”. It means letting God to direct us and submitting our lives to Him alone.

True religion means glorifying God in everything we do; in accordance with His own nature and truth. It is, therefore, not what we do for God, but what He achieves in us. 

Jesus set us free and gives us the opportunity to live in personal relationship with God. He teaches that God is Spirit and is not tied to one location for our worship (John 4:24). Different religions build houses of worship for communal encounter with God; they must be revered as sacred space (Matthew 21:13).