Our friend posed this question: "If you did not remain faithful to Islam, what will you do with Christianity? May God guide you. Please do not lead others astray."
Our response:
Dear friend, I strongly believe that our fidelity should not be to a religion per se, but to truth. It is not hard to stay true to a religion. For instance, consider someone from India: he is faithful to his religion because his father was Hindu, he is Hindu, and his children will also be Hindu. Therefore, staying true to one religion is not inherently difficult. However, true allegiance to the truth itself is a much more formidable task.
Loyalty to the truth is challenging because truth often brings discomfort and provokes challenges. It can confront the desires and expectations of both individuals and our broader society and culture. Embracing the truth might require us to abandon the comfort of well-trodden paths and venture into the unknown, which can evoke fear and apprehension.
Moreover, truth can strain our relationships with others, as speaking truthfully demands courage and honesty, even when such truths may distress others or endanger our own well-being. Essentially, the truth can disrupt our comfortable lives and guide us down paths fraught with hardships and discomforts.
If you were to read the messages I receive, you would see that many of our Afghan brothers and sisters hurl insults and slander. Who enjoys being reviled? Some label me an infidel. Is not each person’s faith valuable to them? Some threaten my life. Is not my life precious to me too? I am far from my homeland and family. Is not such separation and distance painful to me as well? Indeed, it is! But I am willing to bear such a steep cost for my belief in the truth of the Gospel and for sharing it with my fellow Afghans.
My dear friend, I am not intent on misleading our people. Instead, I urge them to stay true to the truth, to seek it out, discover it, and remain steadfast in it.
Your friend,
Samir Afghan
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