Everything Happens for a Reason

“Everything happens for a reason”. This quote brings forth many questions that are often brought back to religion. Its various interpretations separate religions yet at some point bring them back together.

The Igbo religion consists of worshiping numerous gods. Each god represents a different aspect of Igbo life such as the sun, sky and earth. The Igbo people believe that if they do something to upset the one of the gods, then that god will punish him or her as necessary. For example, “we live in peace with our fellows to honor our great goddess of the earth without whose blessing our crops will not grow” (30). The Igbo people believe that if they fail to receive her blessing, then they were not meant to have a good harvest. This directly relates to the notion that “everything happens for a reason”. It is used as a means of explaining something that could not otherwise be explained. If one does wrong to the gods, then he or she will be punished with the ultimate punishment being death.

The missionaries, on the other hand, worship a single god that is not relevant to their everyday activities. “All the gods you have named are not gods at all. They are gods of deceit who tell you to kill your fellows and destroy innocent children. There is only one true God and He has the earth, the sky, you and me and all of us” (146). In Rom. 8:28, Paul explains, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are according to His purpose”. Thus it is not necessary to worship every physical aspect of the earth because God has a plan. In other words, everything happens for a reason, and if you are a believer, that reason will end up being a good one. While death is the ultimate punishment for the Igbo people, the missionaries hold that punishment will ensue after death, when one reaches the Day of Judgment determining if he or she will spend his or her eternal life in heaven or in hell.

While these two religions have major differences in respect to who is being worshiped, they are far more similar than different. Religion offers hope to aspects of life that are unexplainable. When something goes wrong, both groups turn to their god(s) for an answer and welcome the belief that any culprit will be punished, whether it be during his or her lifetime or afterwards. In essence, everything—whether it is good or bad, or breeds ignorance rather than intelligence—happens for a reason. Within religion, man cannot escape the influence of higher powers.