Religious tolerance: Youths share experience

The Council of Protestant Churches of Cameroon last Wednesday in Yaounde organised a meeting amongst youths and clergymen.

After Kumba in the South West Region, Bafoussam in the West Region and Garoua in the North Region, youths in the Centre Region have also exchanged views on how they feel about schooling with their peers who belong to different religious denominations.

Last Wednesday, May 25, 2016 the Council of Protestant Churches of Cameroon organised a round table discussion between youths and clergymen from different denominations (Roman Catholic, Protestant and Islamic) on the theme; “Peaceful Cohabitation of Members of Different Religious Denominations in the School Milieu”.

The National Secretary of Protestant Private Education, Reverend Fomuso Buma Foncham noted that the idea of the round table discussion was to see how to inculcate in children the possibility of living together whether belonging to Roman Catholic, Muslim or Protestant faith.

While explaining that religious beliefs and practices must not separate people, Rev Fomuso noted that in some families, the man is Roman Catholic, wife, protestant and children at times Muslim; there must not be war in such a household because individuals belong to different religious denominations. “Such should be the situation in the school milieu,” Rev Fomuso added.

The National Secretary of Protestant Private Education narrated how he grew up in Nso, in the North West Region where in the early 50s the Roman Catholic and Protestants Christians lived like enemies. “If such is maintained today, the country will be divided. We have realised that it is easier to prepare children so that when they are adults, they will be different from the bad doctrines we had when growing up,” Rev Fomuso told Cameroon Tribune.

During discussions, students expressed their feelings studying with others who belong to different religious denominations. At the end, children are expected to be ambassadors of peaceful cohabitation wherever they go.