I KNOW that most of us, if threatened by death, would easily give up on the one thing we should truly hold dear – religion – just for survival’s sake. This is probably because we are not sure about the afterlife (if there is even one) and can’t trust that everything our religion says is true.

Given the fact that religion is the belief in and worship of a ‘higher power’, and seeing as I’m a Christian, that would be God, my faith in Him should not be a gown of convenience. 

We should not only embrace our faith or belief when it’s only convenient for us, we should also be in the position to fight and be ready to defend it should the time come.

Abandoning your faith in a moment of do or die is an act of cowardice. If I was faced with the situation of choosing life over my faith, I would actually choose faith because what is life without faith? Faith or belief gives one a sense and reason for living; it actually gives life its true purpose. Besides faith being the driver of life’s purpose, I would actually die for my religion not because I want to be a martyr but because I believe I have a right to choose what to believe in and if that right is questioned, I would actually be willing to die if my right to choose is taken away from me. 

For instance, the social media out cry for the release of 27-year-old Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman facing the death penalty, for abandoning her Islamic faith just because she married a Christian is justifiable. Besides having a right to choose who she should marry, the mother of two also has the right to choose which religion to embrace. 

Although religion is aimed at giving society the foundation of belief, moral and ethical structures to respect, it should not be used to persecute or limit people from exercising their rights and freedoms to make an informed choice.  Religion is importance to us as human beings. In an online debate "Does religion play a vital role in modern societies?” a respondent said: "Religion is so important in modern societies because we live in such a hopeless world. People are constantly losing their value and purpose in life. This is seen through the increased rate of suicides. Religion is a way of uplifting many, giving them something to look forward to in life. Therefore, religion is vital in giving meaning and purpose to the lives of many.”