ATHEISM IN NIGERIA

According to a recent worldwide poll called, The Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism, Africa is the world’s most devout region. Even with the global decline in religiosity, the black continent has the least number of self-proclaimed atheists in the world.
In Nigeria, 93 percent of the nation’s respondents say they are religious. (This percentage is smaller than Ghana’s.)
Perhaps fewer Nigerians would identify themselves as religious if there were assurances of safety if they declared themselves atheists. In Nigeria, people who do not profess any religion or belief in god find themselves in a perilous predicament. They are ostracized, maltreated and discriminated against.  The situation of atheists depends on many factors - the part of the country where you live - the Christian dominated South or the Muslim dominated North. It also depends on if you live in rural or urban areas, and your family background, gender, level of education, employment and income. Male atheists who are highly educated and are financially independent face less risk than their female counterparts.
In Nigeria, atheism is a taboo. It is abominable for anyone to proclaim openly that god does not exist. It is not safe and normal for people to admit being an atheist. Reactions range from sardonic incredulity, shock, anger and hatred. Atheism goes with huge costs -social and political consequences - which many people cannot afford. Generally atheists are not accorded respect. They are not treated as human beings with equal rights and dignity. In fact, in Nigeria it is better and more socially acceptable to profess a belief in any god or any religion than to profess no religion and lack of belief in god. Many people will not welcome an atheist to their homes. The general misconception is that atheists are horrible human beings, the agents of the devil who lack common moral decencies. People are made to believe that atheists can corrupt their minds or ‘souls’, and lead them to hell fire and eternal damnation. The whole idea of atheism is scary to many Nigerians, because most believe all initiatives should be founded on god, no matter how absurd or vaguely conceived such an idea is.

Nigerians socialize and marry along religious and theistic lines. Belief in god plays a prominent role when marriages are contracted. Self-proclaimed atheists may find it difficult to get marriage partners unless they are ready to convert, renounce atheism, or conceal their atheism. The dream of most young Nigerians is to marry in a church or mosque and have their marriages blessed by a clergy member, even though there are no indications that ‘blessed marriages’ succeed better than those contracted without such theistic theatrics.
In Nigeria, anyone who goes public with his or her atheism risks losing family support, care and solidarity. In 2003, a Muslim woman from the North who is acclaimed nationwide as liberal and progressive in her views visited a humanist stand where I was working during an event in Abuja. After a short discussion on what humanism was about, she said she would have nothing to do with any of her children if they renounced Islam.  Most children are not ready to go against what is often perceived as the divine will of their parents.
They prefer to pretend, and to present themselves as religious and theistic. In Nigeria, family and community links are very important because the Nigerian state is not as developed as states in the western world. People rely on their families and community members for care and support. Consequently, families often exert tyrannical control over the lives and choices of members.
For example, most people who are born in Christian families are brought up in a Christian way, attend Christian schools and marry Christian partners. Parents regard it as their duty to bring their children up in a theistic way. For a child to profess atheism is generally seen as parental, family and societal failure. Atheism goes with a stigma which most families abhor and do not want to associate with.
Furthermore, there is massive unemployment in Nigeria and atheists find it difficult getting jobs. Very often, employers demand to know people’s religious affiliation during recruitment process. Many people are forced to profess a certain religion in order to secure a job. Many atheists prefer not go open with their atheistic identity because they do not want to jeopardize their chances of getting a earning a living. Indeed, many atheists who do open up with their godless outlook risk being sacked, demoted, or remaining unemployed. Most businesses including state functions open with prayers which everybody is expected to say as a demonstration of goodwill. As an atheist, refusing to pray could easily be interpreted as a mark of ill will.
In the area of education atheists face many challenges.  Schools in Nigeria were originally started and are still managed mainly by Christian and Islamic bodies. Religious indoctrination is dominant in the school system, in a mixture of schooling and faith traditions. Teaching and preaching, instruction and brainwashing go together; classrooms and lecture halls are extensions of churches and mosques. Atheists in Nigeria have no choice but to receive faith-based ‘godly’ education or no education at all.

In politics, atheism is also a hindering factor. A few years ago, a Nigerian president said that nobody who opposed Islam could succeed politically in Northern Nigeria.  In the same vein, I submit that no self-proclaimed atheist can succeed politically in contemporary Nigeria. Atheists stand little or no chance of being elected to an office. Nigerians vote and ‘politik’ along religious lines. Nigeria has never had an atheist president or governor and may not have in the foreseeable future. Political Islam is very strong in the North while political Christianity is strong in most parts of the south. Religious affiliations play key role in the nomination, election and appointment of political candidates. Going public with one’s atheism is making oneself politically unelectable; it is like committing political suicide.
The situation is even worse in Muslim dominated communities in Northern Nigeria. Muslim majority states in this part of the country are implementing sharia law. Under sharia law, apostasy is a crime punishable by death. To be an atheist is more or less to be an apostate, an infidel or a criminal. There is really no space for atheists to operate. Being an atheist is a matter of life and death. In Muslim sharia-implementing communities in Nigeria, there are two places an atheist can be - in the closet or in the grave. Proclaiming oneself an atheist is passing a death sentence on oneself, like handing oneself over to be executed.
In addition, atheistic expressions are often regarded as blasphemy, which is another offense punishable by death or long prison sentence. An expressive atheist can be branded a blasphemer, and risk being imprisoned or murdered in cold blood by Allah’s self proclaimed foot soldiers. In 2007, a Christian teacher in Gombe state was murdered by a Muslim mob for defiling the Koran. In a region charged with Islamic fanaticism and bigotry, atheists are an endangered species and cannot survive in the open, public space. The result is, in Muslim communities, atheists live in constant fear of their lives. At the very least, they are socially and politically invisible. People who know they are atheists, treat them as third class citizens.
I do maintain, however, that there are some positive signs out there; the situation of atheists in Nigeria is slowly improving.
The poll I mentioned earlier recorded a reduction in the number of Nigerians who identified themselves as religious. That means more people identified themselves as atheists or as non-religious than in an earlier poll. 
This development can only be attributed to three factors: 1) The advent of the internet which has provided an alternative ‘safe’ space for atheists to ‘come out’, to meet, organize and express themselves in a way that has never been the case before. 2) The destructive wave of religious extremism ravaging the country has caused many Nigerians to begin questioning religious and theistic claims and pretensions.  3) The growing visibility of the New Atheist movement - driven by the bestselling publications of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and late Christopher Hitchens - has emboldened many atheists to leave the closets.
Still, atheists in Nigeria have a long way to go before they can be treated with full dignity and respect. Improving the situation of atheists will not be an easy feat to achieve. It will require a lot of courage, sacrifice and struggle.

By Leo Igwe

THE UNREPENTANT SINNER

IN Romans, Paul says God imputes righteousness by faith alone based on David’s assertion in Psalm 32: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Romans 4:7-8).  But this is a gross misrepresentation of David. David does not say God imputes righteousness without works. He says God for-gives sinners who re-pent: “I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5).
However, confession of sin and repentance are glaringly missing from Paul’s personal life.
Paul never repents of his sin of killing innocent Christians. He persecuted Christians and, even after converting to Christianity, Paul still boasts he was blameless under the law. He says: “Concerning zeal, persecuting the Church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:6). How in heavens name can a killer of the innocent be blameless?
Paul’s self-justification does not wash. God says in the Law of Moses: “Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.” (Exodus 23:7).
When Paul recalls his past sin of genocide, he always has a ready excuse. He says: “I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” (I Timothy 1:13). However, nobody obtains mercy for killing people “ignorantly.”
God says the exact opposite of Paul’s lame excuse. He says in Isaiah: “It is a people of no understanding; therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, and He who form-ed them will show them no favor.” (Isaiah 27: 11). He also says in Hosea: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me.” (Hosea 4:6).
Paul even goes as far as to ascribe a special distinction to himself because of his sins. He says: “I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (I Timothy 1:16). This is per-posterous. There are many others who received forgiveness in Jesus’ ministry before Paul and in far more exemplary fashion.
For example, before healing a paralytic, Jesus said publicly to him: “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mark 2:5).
Then he said to the scribes sitting there: “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” He then said to the paralytic: “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” (Mark 2:9-11).
Blaming sin
Paul says the law is to blame for making him a sinner. His rationalization is a classic in self-deception. He says: “I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’” (Romans 7:7). He then gives “sin” a separate and distinct personality. Sin is an evil person fighting against Paul’s will.
Listen again to his bogus double-think: “Sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.” (Romans 7:8-10).
Members of the jury, says Paul, sin is the culprit: “Sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.” (Romans 7:11). We are back here to a new edition of Adam’s excuse in the Garden of Eden. Paul admits no personal culpability.
The guilty party is this sin-person who is at war with Paul. He says: “In order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.” (Romans 7:13).  Are Christians really going to buy this balderdash?
Not guilty
Paul then declares himself not guilty by pleading: “I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do.” (Romans 7:14-15). Since he does not understand his actions, he cannot be held responsible for them. Now we come to his masterpiece in self-exonera-tion.
Paul says disingenuously: “What I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” (Romans 7:15-17).
Now we can  see why Paul never repented of his sins: he was innocent of them. When he sinned, he was not the sinner but the victim.
The sinner was this sin-person of his creative imagination that inhabited his flesh and imprisoned his mind; making it impossible for him to control his act-ions.
James quickly refutes this nonsense and warns us not to be deceived by such sophistry: “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved bre-thren.” (James 1:14-16).
Paul’s pathetic excuse for his sins is an unacceptable alternative to genuine remorse and repentance, and it has no place in the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Jesus says categorically to sinners: “Repent or perish.” (Luke 13:1-5).
A bogus salvation
However, Paul says: “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” (Romans 11: 29). This means the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. This is not true. The birthright of Esau was revoked, as was the calling of the House of Eli, the high priest. Judas was call-ed, but his apostleship was also subsequently revoked. (Acts 1:15-22).
Jesus says: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22: 14). If not all the called are chosen, then the calling is surely revocable.
Since Paul maintains the calling of God is without repentance, he and Silas led their Philippian jailer to Christ without asking him to repent. The man asked: “‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your house-hold.’” (Acts 16:30-31).
According to this bogus prescription, his faith would save him without the need for repentance. But compare Paul’s fallacy to the truth of the genuine apostles: “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’
Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will re-ceive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:37-38).

By Femi Aribisala

WITCHCRAFT IN THE CHURCH

Emmanuel Okonjo had had enough. His email to me from Abuja said as much. “That is the last parish of that church I will join. I am now convinced the church is a cult.” What was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for Emmanuel. The pastor came to church that Sunday morning and laid down a decree “ex cathedra.” “Anyone who speaks against our church or against our G.O. (General Overseer) is going to die.”
Emmanuel went to the pastor and challenged him after the service. “How can you say something like that?” he demanded. However, the pastor had a ready defense. “I am not the one saying it,” he insisted. “That prophecy is from the G.O. himself.”
The pastor’s logic was impeccable. The G.O. was an impregnable defense. Nobody in his right mind would dare question his judgment. If indeed it was the G.O. who said it, then it must be from God himself.
Emmanuel took the choice of least resistance. If the G.O. is god, then he must resign from god’s church in order to find the one true God. So resign he did. After the blind man whose eyes Jesus open-ed had been excommunicated from the synagogue, then the Lord met him and revealed himself to him. (John 9:35-38).
So let me ask you a question. Does your pastor practice witchcraft? Has he ever implied that when he decrees a thing it is established instantaneously? Has he ever instructed you to speak prophetically to your offering? Has he ever told you God is going to make you a slum-dog millionaire, provided you make a few down-payments to the church? If “yes” to any of the above, then your pastor is operating in a time-honoured tradition of using witchcraft on his congregation.
Players get played
Bishop Wale Oke of Christ Life Church, Ibadan, is also the South West coordinator of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN). Sometime ago, PFN pastors from the South West were assembled at the Guiding Light Assembly in Lagos to elect a new executive. But there was something strange about that election; nobody knew the candidates.
At the last minute, a list was circulated with the names of certain pastors assigned to the different posts. We were then required to vote for only the people on the list.
Bishop Wale conducted this sham of an election. He suddenly declared that certain critical posts would not be by election but by selection. Then in full-flight oratory, he referred us to John 6:28-29.
In that scripture, the people ca-me to Jesus asking him what they should do to work the works of God. Jesus replied: “This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent.” Bishop Wale then turned to us: “God says you should believe in us,” he declared triumphantly, referring not to Jesus but to him-self. “We have fasted and we have prayed and we have decided who should be the elected officers of the PFN in Lagos State.”
There was some kind of poetic justice in Bishop Wale’s manipulation of PFN pastors. We use this kind of witchcraft time-and-again on our church-members. But somehow that did not make it any more palatable when someone decided to use it on us. It was also sobering to discover that our modus operandi as pastors was actually no different from those of the Action Congress of Nigeria and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Babalawo pastors
When most people think of witchcraft, they think essentially of the hocus-pocus of “babalawos.” However, witchcraft is also a manipulative device widely used in the churches by pastors who aspire to be gods in the lives of men. Many Christians have been hypnotized by pastors. Day-in day-out, we pastors practice witchcraft on our church-members; making them submissive to our will.
In the churches of today, the fear of the pastor is the beginning of wisdom. Christians are simply scared to death of pastors. Many are required to worship us even more than God. We manipulate our congregants so effectively they believe to disobey us is to disobey God.
Illusion is every-thing. The pastor is larger than life. We admit no human failings. We quote choice-scriptures dramatically to great effect. Every so often, we declare grandiloquently: “thus says the Lord.” Sooner than later, people become convinced we are imbued with supernatural powers. When we tell them to jump, they jump. When we tell them to empty their wallets, they do so readily. We control their lives even to the ex-tent of determining who they marry.
God describes us succinctly: “Among my people are found wicked men; they lie in wait as one who sets snares; they set a trap; they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich. They have grown fat, they are sleek; Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked.” (Jeremiah 5:26-28).
Unrighteous decrees
Recently, a video of Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners’ Chapel, Otta, went viral on the internet. In it, the bishop is ostensibly conducting deliverance on a group of teenage girls alleged to be witches. The girls are made to kneel submissively in front of his holiness, the bishop. However, to his annoyance, one of them has the audacity to contradict him.
The girl says defiantly: “I am not a witch. I am a witch for Jesus. My own witch is for Jesus.” This response angers the bishop no end. He shouts at her: “You are a foul devil. Do you know whom you are talking to?” Then, consumed with rage, Bishop Oyedepo does something I would not have believed had I not seen it with my own eyes.
He gives the girl a very hard slap. He then condemns her to damnation, even though she came to him for deliverance. He barks at her: “Jesus has no witch-es. You are a devil. You are not set for deliverance and you are free to go to hell!”
Would Oyedepo have slapped the girl if she were Mike Tyson? Would he have slapped her if she were rich and powerful? Would he have slapped her if she were one of the major benefactors of Winners Chapel? I doubt it very much.
Isaiah says: “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who write misfortune, which they have prescribed.” (Isaiah 10:1). The bishop must be unaware of this scripture, because he boasts in another video: “I slapped a wit-ch here last year. She came back in February to apologise. She begged me to forgive her. She went back to her witchcraft company and they told her: ‘Ah, if the man says you are dead, you are dead. That small thing can kill you forever.”
What conclusions are his congregants expected to draw from this boast? Bishop Oyedepo implies he is so powerful; he can kill people eternally with his tongue. But surely, that is not the way of Christ. When James and John asked Jesus to call down fire from heaven to destroy a Samaritan village that denied them free passage to Jerusalem, Jesus rebuked them. He said: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” (Luke 9:55-56).
Whatever manner of spirit is behind Bishop Oyedepo’s outrage, it does not commend him as a disciple of Christ. A disciple must be careful to bridle his tongue. Jesus warns: “Every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemn-ed.” (Matthew 12:36-37).

By Femi Aribisala

NIGERIA: ABOLISH STATE SPONSORSHIP OF PILGRIMAGES

The Nigerian Constitution provides for the freedom of thought, conscience and religion as a fundamental human right. Under the Constitution, everyone has the right to observe, practice and adhere to his/her own religious creed, in private or in public in so far as such practices do not infringe upon the fundamental human rights of individuals.
The constitutional guarantee was dictated by the multi-ethnic nature of the Nigerian State where people from irrespective of their religious inclinations, ethnic backgrounds and languages are free to interact and live in any part of Nigeria. The Constitution does not impose any  State religions on any individual, as it is done in theocratic states. Nigeria is a secular State with a secular constitution and the state sponsorship of pilgrimages is an aberration of the secular status of the State.
Pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place. A pilgrimage is a term primarily used in religion and spirituality of a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of most every religion participate in pilgrimages. In order to facilitate annual pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem, the Federal and State Government  established the Pilgrims Welfare Boards in the States that profess the two orthodox religions in Nigeria: Christianity and Islam. But nowhere in the Constitution is it stated that government shall be responsible for sponsoring pilgrimages to the holy land in either religions. It is not an obligation but a duty done by adherents of both religions.
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In the Oriental World, pilgrimages associated with Taoism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Hinduism are not sponsored by the State but by individuals. Recognizing the fact that religion is an individual commitment to deity, pilgrimages are seen as individual endeavours. This is not to say that a benevolent administration, with a buoyant economy cannot subsidize the cost of such pilgrimages. Basically, however State sponsorship of hajj or pilgrimage in any religion is discretionary. Sadly, In 1989, Nigeria was smuggled into the Organization of Islamic Conference in spite of the multi-religious nature of the State. The adoption of Sharia negates the supremacy of the constitution under which every other law subsumes. That was why civil society and other advocacy groups lampooned the introduction of Sharia with a view to unmasking the suffocating veil of this vile and evil law. It is therefore, unconstitutional for State Governors to sponsor religious pilgrimages.
In Islam, he hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The five pillars are the five duties that every Muslim must follow in order to be a true follower of Islam. It is the pilgrimage to Mecca - the holiest city for all Muslims in the world. Every able bodied Muslim is supposed to make at least one trip to Mecca in his lifetime. However, if he can't do it himself, he could have somebody else go on his behalf. In fact, Islam supports that an individual should not make the pilgrimage to Hajj if it causes inconvenience to his family members or friends.
The Pilgrimage to Mecca, therefore, is one of the essential constituents of the Islamic faith with the important, provision that its performance is possible and accessible in any given circumstances. The Pilgrimage to Mecca is also a sign of unparalleled magnitude. It provides unimpeachable proof of God’s existence, for it was as a result of His wishes that Prophet Ibrahim left his spouse and infant son in this desolated desert. Prophet Ibrahim got reward for this unstilted submission to Allah, by a promise from Him to make this uninviting land into a place of promise and plenty.
It is well illustrated in the Koran how a Muslim should carry out the pilgrimage as an article of faith. When a saint arose, he tried to locate the cobbler and found him out in a remote corner of the country. This person told the saint that for years he had been yearning to perform the pilgrimage and had saved the certain amount of money for this purpose. However, on the eve of his departure for Mecca he heard the cries of children from neighbouring houses for want of food and nourishment. He was so moved by the plight of the children that he gave up the idea of Hajj and gave the money instead to the mother of the children. This illustrates that God is merciful and shows mercy to those who do likewise to his creatures. Thus participation in the Hajj can acquire greater significance and meaning if it inculcates in the person the virtues of sympathy and compassion for the needy in society.
In Christianity, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is the pilgrimage par excellence. It is a journey to the very source of Christianity, to the very place where "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us". Visiting this pre-eminent spiritual destination is truly an experience of a lifetime and something not to be missed. The pilgrimage affords the person a unique opportunity to see the places where Jesus walked and walked his talk and performed miracles.
For Christians, Jerusalem's place in the life of Jesus gives it great importance, in addition to its place in the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible. Jerusalem is the place where Jesus was brought as a child, to be presented at the Temple (Luke 2:22) and to attend festivals (Luke 2:41). According to the Gospels, Jesus preached and healed in Jerusalem, especially in the Temple courts. At the end of each of the Gospels, there are accounts of Jesus' Last Supper in an 'upper room' in Jerusalem, his arrest in Gethsemane, his trial, his crucifixion at Golgotha, his burial nearby and his resurrection and ascension. But in all the significance of Jerusalem and the individual’s perception about salvation is a personal experience. Human beings therefore need to be aware of the essential transience of this world and its pleasures. Christians are therefore encouraged to see themselves as 'pilgrims and strangers on the earth', 'temporary residents' whose true home is in heaven. During periods of exile, pilgrimage to Jerusalem took on additional emotional and spiritual significance. As the most important part of an pilgrimage is its spiritual education that you receive.
In Nigeria, there is nothing to show that the pilgrimages have had any positive impact on the well being of society. The practice has been that the same group of corrupt power holders compile a list of unworthy disciples to embark on pilgrimages. The state sponsorship of pilgrimage has been so politicized that people now use it as a means of obtaining money, while the spiritual essence of the exercise is lost. If the pilgrimages were having some positive effect on the public morality, government would have been encouraged to assist pilgrims. But this is usually not the case. There is no established relationship between pilgrimages and morality in the Nigerian society. 
Pilgrimages to holy places do not translate to economic growth. In a Country like Nigeria, which is wrestling with power supply and the provision of social amenities, it is immoral for government to spend the tax payers money to sponsor pilgrimages of very few people. After all, pilgrimages will not contribute to the achievement of our national vision 20: 2020 or the Millennium Development Goals. The sponsorship of pilgrimages is not part of the seven-point agenda of the present administration. Nigeria faces very fundamental development challenges such as diminishing standard of education, poor healthcare system, and other social services.
Nigeria is a nation known for religious extremism and there have been so many religious crises  in Nigeria. Nigeria has recorded more than 1,350 religious crises since independence. From the Maitasine riots to the Boko Haram, what Nigerians have benefited from are the monumental destruction of lives and property. The implication is that Religion has never helped the economy of the country. The spate of religious riots have done violence to the economy of Nigeria. Anytime there is crisis, government and philanthropic organizations are compelled donate relief in cash and materials. These could have been spent in shoring up some critical sectors of the economy.
The most recent crises are the Kano, Bauchi and Jos crises which led to monumental destruction of lives and property.  If the several pilgrimages we have made in Nigeria cannot bring about peace and stability. On the contrary, religion has precipitated serious crisis that has caused the populace pains, loss of lives and property. I accept the Marxian view that religion is the opium of the masses. If it were not so why would any right thinking person kill in the name of religion?
I strongly canvass the view that States should stop the sponsorship of pilgrims and deploy such resources to develop other critical sectors of their economy. Already, the Edo State Government has taken the lead and we expect all States in the South-South geo-political zone to follow. The South-South is the most disadvantaged zone in terms of heavy infrastructure and federal presence. The monies spent on pilgrimages can better be deployed to ease the delivery of essential social services.
With specific reference to Bayelsa State, there is no need for the State to sponsor Pilgrimages for individuals, when the State relies almost solely on the Federation Account, with very low Internally Generated Revenue profile.  It is the suggestion of this writer that the monies earmarked for pilgrimages to the holy land should be spent on the rehabilitation of Primary schools in the eight Local Government Areas of the State. Over the years, monies spent on pilgrimages have not created any positive impact on the effectiveness of service delivery. Government is grappling with the challenge of paying students’ bursary, seeking Foreign Direct Investment and devising ways of building the capacity of youth to equip them to be gainfully employed. It is therefore preposterous for Bayelsa people to protest that government MUST sponsor pilgrimages. For me, this is a clear case of misplacement of priorities in a period of economic down turn.
In other developing countries, government pick the bills of the sick especially people who have problems with heart conditions, kidney problems, liver diseases and cancer. In Nigeria, this is not the case. Healthcare should be a responsibility of the State and not religion. This is because a healthy population contributes to increased productivity. A healthy population builds a nation but a religious population encourages laziness.
The act is a negation of Nigeria as a secular State because if adherents of the  orthodox religions are sponsored to embark on pilgrimage, what happens to those who adhere to the African Traditional Religion, Hinduism, Buddhism and religions other than Christianity and Islam? In the face of daunting development challenges, It is the responsibility of government to prioritize its policies and programmes and to implement those policies that would yield maximum benefit to the greatest number of people in a utilitarian sense. There is no doubt that religion has its positive sides, but in our clime, religion seems to have been titrated to mean more of exploitation of the people.
In Nigeria, religion is no longer a touchstone of goodness and morality, which are essential for nation building, It has been transformed into a divisive element and an instrument of violence and  people fight, maim and destroy lives and property because of religion. It will be understandable if people protest for better working conditions. Religion and the pursuit of salvation is an personal affair and should not be made an obligation to the government. It is high time we distinguished between the obligations and duties of government. Bayelsa State should emulate the good example of Edo State and stop the State sponsorship of pilgrimages. It is a cheer waste of scarce resources that can be invested in other critical sectors of the economy.
Idumange John, is a University Lecturer and Activist

PASTORS ARE THIEVES AND ROBBERS

THE bus was going from Lagos to Benin and it was waylaid by highway robbers. They got on the bus brandishing automatic weapons. “This is a stick up,” declared the leader of the gang in a menacing tone designed for maximum effect. “Is there anybody here who has been paying his tithes? If you have been paying your tithes raise your hand.”
A few passengers raised their hands sheepishly. He told those who did to move to one side. Then he declared: “Those of you who have not been paying your tithes are thieves and robbers. You have been robbing God. Therefore, we are going to rob you.” The robbers then carted away the money and other valuables of those passengers who had not been paying their tithes.
Forgers of lies
You might not have heard this story before. But, in all probability, you might have heard a similar version of it. Different versions are common in the churches. Those who tell it insist it really happened. But every time you hear such stories know for a fact they are fiction. They are no more than the figments of the imagination of money-grubbing pastors.
You need to know that we pastors specialise in telling lies in order to “encourage” people to come to our church, stay in our church, and give us more and more money. That is why, as in the “parable” above, we even go as far as to use a thief to preach our own gospel. But only a thief would employ a thief to teach the way of righteousness.
Jesus warns believers to be wary of thieves and robbers. He says: “I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.” (John 10:7-8). Who precisely are the thieves and robbers of whom Jesus speaks? Is he talking about men who mug us in the streets? Is he talking about highway robbers who snatch our cars? Is he talking about those fraudulent “yahoo thieves” who rob us blind with a keystroke of the computer on the internet? Or is he talking about those who break into our houses in the dead of night?
Listen and understand. The thieves and robbers that are of primary concern to Jesus are the pastors of our churches. Jesus’ message is that pastors and other so-called “men of God” are thieves and robbers. According to him, we pastors have turned our churches into dens of thieves.
Jesus says: “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Mark 11:17).
Dismissed
In the Old Testament, when God speaks of pastors, it is in condemnation. He declares: “Woe to the pastors who feed themselves instead of their flocks. Shouldn’t pastors feed the sheep? You eat the best food and wear the finest clothes, but you let your flocks starve.” (Ezekiel 34:2-3).
How does God intend to remedy this situation? Solomon says we should be wary of a situation where God is said to lead his people through more than ONE PASTOR: “The words of the wise are like prodding goads, and firmly fixed in the mind like nails are the collected sayings which are given as proceeding from ONE PASTOR. But about going further than the words given by ONE PASTOR, my son, be warned.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11-12).
Accordingly, God proclaims the summary dismissal of all pastors to be replaced by one solitary true and faithful Pastor. He says: “I will establish ONE PASTOR over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their pastor.
And I, the LORD, will be their God.” (Ezekiel 34:23-24). He repeats this again: “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have ONE PASTOR.” (Ezekiel 37:24).
That one true pastor is none other than Jesus. Jesus says: “I am the good pastor; and I know my sheep, and am known by my own. As the Father knows me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear my voice; and there will be one flock and ONE PASTOR.” (John 10:14-16).
This means those of us still parading ourselves as pastors today are, without exception, impostors and frauds. There is only ONE PASTOR in the church of God and it is Jesus.
David says men gave gifts to the Lord: “When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you RECEIVED gifts from men. (Psalm 68:18). But Paul changes this to say men received gifts from the Lord: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and GAVE gifts to men.’”
(Ephesians 4:8). He then uses this deliberate distortion as the basis for creating the unauthorized post of pastors in churches. (Ephesians 4:11). Jesus says: “He who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” (John 10:1).
Evangelical  rogues
A thief broke into a man’s house and held him at gunpoint. After collecting as much of his valuables as he could, he asked the house-owner a question on his departure: “Have you given your life to Christ?” The miserable house-owner replied in the negative.
“I don’t believe in God,” he said. The armed robber became concerned about the man’s salvation. So he sat back down and decided to have an extensive chat with him. For the next one hour, he preached to him as persuasively as he could, “the gospel of salvation.” Then he left with the man’s belongings.
Do you think the house-owner became a Christian? If he did, what kind of Christian do you suppose he became? Think this through with me. What kind of righteousness can one expect to learn from a thief? Thus, Hosea says: “The priests are like a gang of robbers who wait in ambush for a man.
Even on the road to the holy place at Shechem they commit murder. And they do all this evil deliberately!” (Hosea 6:9). Today, there are even gangs of Catholic priests raping young boys.
The pastor was fed up. He had watched with dismay the brazen manner in which the senior area-pastor converted church funds to his personal use. Finally, he confronted him and told him, in no uncertain terms, that he would no longer countersign any cheques with him.
The area-pastor responded in a most unusual manner. He scheduled a meeting of all pastors and church-workers under him. Then he pointedly challenged the pastor to repeat publicly what he had dared to say to him in private.
However, the junior pastor refused to be intimidated. In the presence of everyone, he detailed chapter-and-verse the area-pastor’s expropriation of church funds. He revealed, in particular, his diversion of $30,000 to his daughter’s wedding in the United States. As a result, he insisted again, he would no longer countersign any cheques with him.
The other church-members present were aghast. “What’s going on?” they demanded. “What kind of church is this?” The area pastor was completely taken off-guard. This was not what he intended. He quickly decided on a change of strategy. He begged the people at the meeting to pray for him. “I am only a man,” he pleaded.
Isaiah says: “They are as greedy as dogs, never satisfied; they are stupid pastors who only look after their own interest, each trying to get as much as he can for himself from every possible source.” (Isaiah 56:11).

By Femi Aribisala

RELIGION, WOMEN AND MALE EGO

Ordinarily, men take certain actions that defy reason and logic; but the man who argues that he has God on his side while embarking on the weirdest of actions is the man to watch. Yesterday, the BBC carried a piece of news that caused me considerable discomfort- Bello Masaba from Bida in Niger State who is already “married” to some eighty-something wives is planning to take the count to a hundred. His argument remains that Allah told him in a dream to do so.

Again, ordinarily I would dismiss this Imam as a raving lunatic, but when a man clings on to serious claims relating to a Divine plot, I can’t help but get worried. According to Mr. Masaba, “a man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah”-really? As I always make clear, it would be wrong and impertinent of me to doubt any man’s claims to having an unfettered access to God’s court in his quest for salvation; however I will make haste to delve into the morality of such claims as it affects the wider society of our primate. I view Masaba’s claims as a sinful attempt to stretch the cords of hyperbole a bit too far; it is a clear testimony that men with the connivance of religion still treat women as chattels. This is immoral.

The male ego to me remains one of the most striking proofs that religion is man-made. Across all religions of the world, we see coy machinations introduced by deluded men to keep women perpetually quartered as things to be possessed and romped with glee. I am yet to see any religion that treats women as being in the same pedestal as men; in Christianity, there is still that debate especially amongst the traditional ones [Catholic and Anglican] on the roles of women. Islam stands out as the religion that amongst other unsound practices treats women as specie to be partially seen and not heard at all. This explains why women of the Islamic faith are mandated to cover up always not minding the vicious dictates of the weather, this is why countries like Saudi Arabia forbids women from driving!

The male ego remains a part of us we males would rather not ditch despite our achievements in many fields of human endeavors. Our African society uses many obnoxious ploys to continue the practice of enslaving women and denying them that right to an egalitarian existence. So many traditional practices formulated by our stone-age ancestors are still being used today by modern day Nigerians to relegate women to the background. I may find it in my heart to pardon some of the excesses of our traditional practices by arguing that they remain a dying part of our dark and primitive past, but what do you say about the institutionalized inferior status which our modern day religions have assigned to our women? As primates, we are in an eternal pursuit of excellence even though our achievements remains marred by time-constraints; it makes one sad that the foreign religions calling the shots in Nigeria remain culprits in the sin of enslaving women.

It is on this note that I find it somewhat comical that the Muslim clerics that are engaging Bello Masaba only disagrees with him on the number of women a man can keep as wives-Masaba is claiming that Islam does not make it a “sin” to marry more than four wives whereas the clerics are pointing out that it was only Prophet Mohammed that had the right to marry more than four wives. Is this not a case of men being allowed to decide on how best to demonstrate their randy nature while cherishing their primitive acquisition tendency? Why does any sane man need more than one wife if not immotarlize that “variety is the spice of life” saying? To take the case of the mundane nature of religion a step further, we observe with some tinge of shame that even the Christian Bible treats women with scorn- it stipulates when a man can divorce his wife but is conveniently silent on when a woman can divorce her husband. Religion is really the handiwork of some smart men at work. There must be something in we males that pushes us to go the extra mile to amass as much property as possible [especially women] while being stern in matters that would someday call us to give an account of our actions [like evading the EFCC].

The BBC news item on Bello Masaba ended on a comical note-some of the wives of that randy old hand took turns to debunk those suggestions that there could be some strong dose of rancor amongst them. Without any trace of shame, they all echoed that Masaba makes use of an unwritten time-table in consorting with them; this keeps mischief at bay while giving each and every one of them a periodic feeling of being consummated. To the glory of men and their tall ego, there are millions of women in the mold of Mr. Masaba’s harem who have been seduced by societal dictates [skillfully designed by men] to accept a life of mediocre existence; needless, to point out that women in Africa and elsewhere appear to be engaged in a deadly game of “self-destruct”.

Summarily, while saluting the monstrous energy and stamina of Mr. Masaba and his ilk, I find it too curious that his God chose to demonstrate some sense of humour in endowing him thus. “Allah gives me the strength…” is a wonderful boast which I am sure many randy men will be wishing to be making in this regard too. Well, women should once again come together in another “Beijing Conference” type and start formulating their own plots too- maybe then, we will start seeing lovely cases of women being able to marry up to four husbands and an occasional burst of a deranged female specie shouting that God enjoined her to marry up to a hundred husbands. Until such a time comes, there will remain randy lunatics like Bello Masaba and similar buffoons armed with some religious creeds and warped ideas rubbishing women and all that they stand for.

 

by John Chikadibie Okafo

MY PEOPLE! MY PEOPLE!! THIS WITCH HUNT MUST STOP

The potentially dangerous activities of a new local church in Cross River-Akwa Ibom states axis of the country should be of concern to all people of conscience in Nigeria and beyond. This church, which habitually starts the themes of its crusade with “My Father! My Father!!...”appears to be on a fast track to causing a new wave of witchcraft related abuse, torture and killings in the region.
 This church is owned and led by a boyish upstart pastor who addresses himself as ‘God’s Prophet’ and as ‘Prophet of signs and wonders’. It is not clear when and how he came about these titles, but like others in the business of penticostalism, these appellations have become the trade mark of this evangelical entrepreneur. From an apartment in Calabar, Cross River State, where it started, the church has grown so rich that it now organizes its meetings in some of the most expensive hotels in the region. But the issue is not whether this ‘My Father Church’ holds its events in cheap or expensive venues but what these programs are all about.
Recently, the prophetic ministry joined the vanguard of witch hunting churches that are fueling witchcraft related abuse in the region.
In what appears to be a clear and targeted attempt to undermine the progress which government and non-governmental agencies have made in the fight against witch hunting in Akwa Ibom, the church organized in March a crusade tagged ‘Uyo Festival of Fire’ at Ibom Hall in Uyo, the state capital.
The theme of the crusade was ‘My Father! My Father!! That Witch Must Die’.
Anyone who knows the Bible could easily notice a connection between the theme of the crusade and the biblical verse-Ex 22:18- which says ‘Suffer not a Witch to live’. What is particularly disturbing is that the church staged the event at a time the state government is frantically battling to address this tragic situation. The crusade was a literal declaration of war against alleged witches and an unequivocal endorsement of witch hunting in the state.
Belief in witchcraft is very strong in the region. Witchcraft accusation is very common and witch hunting often erupts in this part of the country. Belief in witchcraft has caused many people to attack, abuse, torture, or kill their children or parents or grandparents whom they blamed for their misfortune.
In 2008, the government of Akwa Ibom came under international pressure following a documentary on the problem which was broadcast worldwide. The government hastily passed into law a bill that criminalized child witch stigmatization and took some measures to address the problem. Some non-governmental organizations embarked on programs and projects to rescue victims and enlighten the people. In the past two years, significant progress has been made in persuading the local population from engaging in witchcraft related abuses.
At a time the efforts of government and non-governmental organizations appear to be yielding positive results, the Uyo Festival of Fire which literally sanctioned the execution of alleged witches, could re-ignite these horrific abuses, erode the gains that have been made so far and roll back the wheel of progress.
We must note that similar witch hunting crusades and revivals by self-styled prophets, evangelists and apostles in the past decades turned the region into a killing and abusing field.
 Sadly, the government of Akwa Ibom, as in the past, stood by and allowed this campaign of hate and violence to be staged in the state.
Local authorities should as a matter of urgency start monitoring the activities of pastors, prophets, and evangelists in the region and ensure that their so called deliverance sessions, revivals and festivals are not used to incite hatred and violence against innocent citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly, in the name of witchcraft. State governments should not see this as interfering with the freedom of religion of these persons. In fact, freedom of religion does not include inciting hatred and violence against persons in the name of one’s religious belief or inflicting torture, inhuman and degrading treatment on others in the name of religion. Freedom of religion is a human right and should be promoted, protected, defended and guaranteed. But inciting abuses or inflicting harm on people in the name of religion is a crime, and perpetrators should be punished.
For instance the government of Akwa Ibom should not have allowed the organization of the Festival of Fire. Even now the program is over, the authorities could still arrest and prosecute the organizers for inciting hatred and violence or for aiding and abetting witchcraft accusation and child witch stigmatization. Local authorities should ensure that those who engage in witch hunting or those who fuel these savage crimes are made to face the full wrath of the law. Akwa Ibom and Cross River states have a long history of witch hunting. The authorities should be aware of this, and remain vigilant. They should do everything they can to ensure that the wave of witchcraft related violence and abuses that swept through the region in the past decades does not reoccur.
 
In conclusion, I say to the government and people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River and the entire Niger Delta: My People! My People!! This Witch Hunting Must Stop! My People! My People!! Those witch hunters must be arrested and brought to justice without delay.
For the sake of our women, children and elderly persons.

By Leo Igwe