By Samson Adejoro
Lets not be a divided country, people who are divided are very easy to rule- Sean Hannity
Religion is the opium of the people- Karl Marx
As the topic reads, religion has now become a DO-OR-DIE affair in this country, it has become the basis on which politicians now capitalize on to win elections, it has now serve as an instrument of division instead of an instrument to foster unity, it has now become the basis on which terrorism has its base.
Religion should not be a basis on which people are appointed to major posts, credibility should be. The gullible masses are the one at the receiving end, it is so sad that our politicians play politics with virtually everything including religion all because of wielding what will one day become vanity called POWER, they prey on the weakness of the unsuspecting masses. The president being a Muslim or a Christian isn't what matters, what really counts is SOUND and EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP.
Religion should not be a yardstick on which our fate is determined as a nation.
Not only the politician prey on this misnomer their various "FATHER IN THE LORDS" have chosen also to throe in path of capitalizing on the weakness of their members, we see men of God flying on private jets worth billions of naira that is capable of feeding almost all the members of his church, building universities that well to do members of his church can't afford, IS THAT NOT ROBBERY ALL IN THE NAME OF RELIGION? We now see fake prophets everywhere because they know our people can be cajoled with a mere prophecy that has ceased to exist. In the city of Lagos churches and mosques are springing up in every nooks and crannies all in a bid to indoctrinate people with false doctrines and dupe people who are looking for quick and overnight success.
The problem with our people is that they are becoming fanatics all in the name of religion, Nigeria is the most religious nation but still underdeveloped, Religion has taken us nowhere because instead of channelling our beliefs in the right path we have chosen to imbibe on ourselves self-acclaimed belief which never exist anywhere, I was reading a lady's post on Facebook that says "Muslims should not greet Christians on Christmas day" when I pressed further by asking for her reasons she told me because a cleric told her that the Christians are unclean. Really! On what basis did the cleric draw the inference that he himself making the comment is pure. We are all Nigerians we are one, when politicians make useless propaganda all in the name of religion we should be able to critically look at it, think about it and make the right decisions. Or what is the essence of voting for a CHRISTIAN that knows next to nothing about how to lead? I have found out that a nation like ours love the popular saying thus; "HE IS FROM MY RELIGION" then you make your assertions because he attends the same church with you and you fail to look at his wherewithal, you fail to remove the religious blinder that has been kept on your eyes that makes you see nothing other than RELIGIOSITY.
Philosophy of religion emphasizes on abstaining from religious intolerance and fanaticism. Hence, regardless of what we might believe in, we should encourage unity in our religious diversity; that is the essence of humanity. A country hinged on religiosity will never progress as it will surely be dogmatic in its approach to some situations. A nation HIGH on religion cannot possess the requisite sanity of mind to reason a way out of mess when it presents itself. Nigeria has everything that can make it a better nation but religion has continued to divide us. I have always insisted that our colonial masters never wanted any good for us, there is nothing they gave us that has bettered our nation, I strongly believe our colonial masters knows the effect of what religion will do to our country.
Religion has done more harm than good, it is good to embrace morality and not hinged on one opium that any spiritual father tells you somewhere else, you are the owner of your mind and the captain of your soul, if you can think critically and reason, you would observe that MORALITY pay. Is there anything bad in greeting your fellow Nigerian be it a christian or a muslim, but that won't happen in a nation that has been deeply enmeshed in the razzmatazz of RELIGIOSITY. Is it not when we came to world that we heard what we call religion? That is why in the university when taking a course in philosophy, you will be asked by your lecturer to keep your religious beliefs outside and come in with a mind willing to think in a moral, rational and sane way. God will never answer to the yearnings of a country who embraces fanaticism at the expense of wisdom, that is why some people have been fooled into believing that without requisite hardworking and sound leadership if we pray to God, he would answer, my readers it doesn’t work like that. That is typical of our nations problem.
The writer of this treatise is not an atheist or someone who doesn't believe God, all I am saying in essence is that different religion carries different beliefs and can two walk together except they agree? (Amos 3:3). Absolutely NO, we the citizens of this nation should not be fooled into believing one religion is better than the other for we are all equal in the face of God, God is not asking for an advocate, if he needs one he wouldn't hire you.
The main reason terrorism has ceased to never stop existing is because none of us will shelve our religiosity nature and embrace peace. Terrorism doesn't start in a day, it starts gradually from mere arguments like JESUS IS THE MESSENGER OF GOD and the other person will say no MOHAMMED IS THE MESSENGER OF GOD, from there argument will sprawl up and terrorism will start, churches will start being burnt, people would start being murdered in the pool of their blood and thoughts of how to start fixing and countering the terrorism that has been caused will then arise thereby resulting in waste of resources to equip the army, rebuild damaged properties, feed those whom have been left homeless by these terrorist sects.
Moneys that should have been spent on ailing our dying economy, rebuilding our already collapsed tertiary institutions, building schools, equipping our deteriorating health care systems, rebuilding our roads full of potholes are being spent on some useless problems caused by the inability of us to embrace morality over religiosity.
God bless Nigeria.
Samson Adejoro writes in from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-iwoye, Ogun state.
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