What is God’s religion?
A week ago, I got into a taxi with my wife. As is my habit, I sneaked a look at the name of our taxi driver. He had an unusual name, something like Abdullah Chew — I don’t really remember.
I wondered if it was the name of our taxi driver or someone else. Sometimes taxi drivers drive illegally under another person’s name. The ride continued until I couldn’t resist asking the Chinese man, “Sir, are you Muslim?”
He excitedly nodded and I proceeded to ask how long he’s been Muslim — 20 years, and how he converted. He pointed to a slip of paper he’d stuck to back of his seat, and asked me to visit a website called The Deen Show. It’s an Islamic education website which interviews Muslims passionate about their faith.
He asked me to search for a Chinese man on the website. I was a little disappointed because I would rather much preferred hearing his story than another stranger’s. It reminded me of a Catholic acquaintance who kept asking me to read Scott Hahn’s conversion story instead of sharing with me his own.
Then this taxi driver asked me a question which stumped me. He said, “What religion are you?”
I was tongue-tied, not knowing how to respond.
“Are you Christian? Or Taoist?” he probed further.
I still didn’t know how to respond, so I fell back to the answer my father always gave when I was a kid. “I’m a free thinker,” I said.
The taxi driver then said to me, “Then you better go and think some more.”
Long after the ride, I found myself pondering the same question. What religion am I? I still don’t know how to answer that question and I wondered if it was important to know the answer.
Choosing just one religion doesn’t appeal much to someone who believes that God is bigger than any one religion can contain. Adhering to what just one religion teaches is difficult for someone who believes all religions reveal different perspectives of God.
Perhaps next time I shall respond to the question with this answer: “What is God’s religion?”
If you like what you just read, please hit the ‘Recommend’ button below so that others may chance across this story.
