As usual I always appreciate your answers

@Chrisbenogor

I have replied your mail. Stay blessed.

Ok got it and reading

Rationalism and religion
By M.A. Bello

REFLECTING on the recent articles in The Guardian on 'Rationalism' by Jide Akeredolu (August 1, 2008), Tolu Ogunlesi (August 13, 2008), Gordy Onokpite (August 21, 2008) and Leo Igwe (August 10, 2008), one can notice alarming signs of a developing polarisation between the views of 'believers' and 'non-believers' in Nigeria. Considering the importance of religion in the lives of a great majority of Nigerians today, attempt must be made by both believers and non-believers to arrest the situation.

The need for this is obvious. Throughout the ages, religions have been the cause of so much friction, hostility, conflicts and wars. With the amount of sophisticated weapons now freely available around the world, no society can afford any further polarisation based on religions. Moreover, in these days of instant global communication, the devastation caused by religious dichotomy around the globe are visible to everyone, and the word 'religion' understandably becomes provocative to rationalists and non-religious people in general.

There is however, another way of looking at the word 'religion', which makes all of us 'religious' and therefore in the same boat. If we all look at the origin of the word in Latin, 'religare', which means 'binding together', we are all, as humans, in the same boat called 'Planet Earth', and are therefore bound together by our existence in the physical universe. That existence, depends not only on the natural laws of our planet, but also on each other for protection, support, encouragement, help, care, love and understanding.

One indisputable fact is that religion, especially the doctrinaire type practiced in Nigeria, is destructive and counter-productive. That must be why these obviously serious-minded people will risk the wrath of their neighbours and families, to openly express their views in a religiously polarised and stratified society like ours. The fact of the matter is that there are no 'non-believers'. Everyone of us on our planet believes in one thing or the other, but the problem with all religious throughout human history, is that one group always assumes itself to be the custodian of the ultimate truth and labels anyone who disagrees as unbelievers.

As a humanist, whose humanism is based on rationalism, I consider myself a rationalist, which means I believe and subscribe to all the reasons that make Akeredolu a rationalist. He and I, and others like us, view ourselves as belonging to a religion known as 'rationalism'. Those in other forms of beliefs, should realize we hold to our belief, with the same passion that they hold to theirs, and so should not consider us, with such consternation and alarm of the type exhibited in the article of Onokpite. In these days of demand of acceptance and tolerance of all religions, rationalism is just one of the many religions.

Humanists/rationalists believe in basic human rights, in tolerance and in the ethical treatment of all fellow human beings. We have faith in the ability of humans to learn and improve, to mature and to become wise, and admitting that we too have a religion, called humanism/rationalism, reunites us with the rest of mankind, meaning there will be no believers and non-believers, and, thus helping to reduce friction with other groups.

Belief in an evil spiritual realm, the devil and miracles are very basic tenets in Christianity for instance, and, when these are mixed with our traditional beliefs, you get a dangerous cocktail, which a rationalist will easily dismiss as, trivial, silly and replete with mumbo-jumbo, and, having nothing to offer in terms of the 'good and moral life' that he craves. He can also easily conclude that our new-found high profiled religiosity is well and truly populated with charlatans, hustlers and tricksters, making exaggerated and outright fraudulent claims at the expense of a gullible and unsuspecting public.

The rationalist will however not be saying much because he will be missing out two vital points. The first is the motivation of those drawn to our high profiled religiosity and the quality of t heir quest for knowledge. The second is the efficacy of beliefs. The reason for having a belief in most cases is the quest for a good and moral life. Our high profiled religionists are drawn from all spheres and segments of our society, including literate and illiterate people, employed and unemployed people, young and old, powerful and not so powerful etc, all seeking answers to the route to the good and moral life.

What one religion may perceive as the silliest of beliefs by another religion may not be as ridiculous as it looks, if one thinks of the significance of mind over matter. What if the other side's 'silly belief' is held because it enables them to experience a greater sense of integration, harmony and tranquility, can one deny them that and reduce it to irrationality? As a rationalist, I am unable to make sense of spirituality for instance, but I can accept the fact that it may exist for others as a form of meaningful reality similar to the placebo effect.

While rationalists are persuaded by the intellectual revolution started by pre-Christian era thinkers such as Thales, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics, and continued later on by the likes of Copernicus and Bertrand Russell, no amount of rationalism can counter the surge of religiosity in Nigeria for as long as we have the magnet that draws people to religion in the first place. What this is in the context of our society can be gleaned from the religious advertisements all over the place - miracles for prosperity, good health etc. An effective 'Welfare State' as obtains in Britain and the Scandinavian countries, that looks after everyone's prosperity, good health and general well-being, will easily achieve in Nigeria, what no amount of reason and rationalism can in terms of weaning people from some beliefs. Thanks to the Welfare State, the pews in Britain have lost their entire congregation, while ours are filled to the brim, and in spite of this, their standard of morals and their level of integrity is much higher than ours.


Bello lives in Lagos

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/editorial_opinion/article03//indexn2_html?pdate=031008&ptitle=Rationalism%20and%20religion

very interesting thoughts here people.

this very good.

"their standard of morals and their level of integrity is much higher than ours." [from last post]
this is generalisation - and untrue - i would say we have the same capacity for immoral behaviour.

Obalende:

very interesting thoughts here people.

this very good.

"their standard of morals and their level of integrity is much higher than ours." [from last post]
this is generalisation - and untrue - i would say we have the same capacity for immoral behaviour.

same capacity, yes; same actual display of such capacity, no.
you need to check the statistics, which feeds perceptions hence stereotypes about groups of people to understand the difference.
there is greater law & order in these societies and greater probability to receive a just reward for work done , which are core religious/moral tenets, than in our holy spirit-filled country hence most people including the looters who parade themselves as leaders rush there to cool off and hide our money or seek better opportunities. For some that route is lined with almost certain death in the Sahara or the ocean.
A case of "in the abundance of water the fool is thirsty"

"same capacity, yes; same actual display of such capacity, no."
I agree.

"you need to check the statistics, which feeds perceptions hence stereotypes about groups of people to understand the difference. there is greater law & order in these societies and greater probability to receive a just reward for work done ,"
This is very true.

"which are core religious/moral tenets,"
They are core moral tenets.

"than in our holy spirit-filled country hence most people including the looters who parade themselves as leaders rush there to cool off and hide our money or seek better opportunities. For some that route is lined with almost certain death in the Sahara or the ocean."
Its a really sad situation. I couldnt agree more! I once had a friend tell me of what people do en route to europe! they drink something else when there is no water (put mildly).

May God help Nigeria!

The role of religion
By Aghogho Ekpruke

ANYONE as concerned as I am about the pathetic state of underdevelopment in Nigeria will be willing to at least listen to any theory whatsoever that postulates possible factors responsible for this situation. Any theory whatsoever. You will therefore appreciate my interest in Mr. Rotimi Babatunde's write-up on page 79 of The Guardian newspapers on June 25. He titled it: "How Religion is underdeveloping Nigeria".

As is usual with most write-ups on the opinion page of The Guardian, Mr. Babatunde's was quite a piece. It was a beautiful blend of useful education, fine articulation, blunt criticism and undisguised confrontation among others. In his thinking (which I expect to be a product of a continuous process of empirical enquiries considering his seeming advocacy for scientific methods), religion is under-developing Nigeria. Religion is lurking within the premises of why Nigeria has a poorly equipped public health care system, poorly equipped laboratories, bad motor ways, ineffective traffic policing, etc. But teaching its followers to pray to God to "descend in his full glory and solve our personal and national problems" instead of teaching them to demand for these amenities, religion is underdeveloping Nigeria.

Religion is somehow connected to the reason why our public office holders past and present including the one who just bagged a degree in religious studies (sorry; theology) "loot our treasuries and commit atrocious human rights abuses". Wow! Mr. Religion must be quite a culprit. But that's not all. Now we know why Nigeria has consistently been rated one of the most corrupt countries. Religion, of course. By "placing tags of miracle on sudden acquired wealth" instead of asking questions, religion encourages corruption. I guess religion or religious organisations (or maybe both) are supposed to adequately investigate the source of every donation they are willing to accept. And lest I forget religion discourages open-mindedness and opposes science. For all these reasons, religion is underdeveloping Nigeria.

This I perceive, is the basis for Mr. Babatunde's argument or why else would he have given it such a title? Obviously he is disgusted with religion. He was so angry he didn't even spare Mr. Fasugba who should have known better than give a rather "anti-scientific" response to Mr. Awoyokun's piece which by the way is the genesis of this controversy(?). A controversy which seems to have metamorphosed from a debate on science vs. religion to "How Religion is under-developing the world" sorry Africa, I mean Nigeria (I guess we are to take it that the developed nations of the world don't engage in religion, hence their development). Now before I go on to show how Mr. Babatunde's argument flies in the face of reason, let me separate the wheat from the chaff.

In a way, Mr. Babatunde's piece makes for what some would call "food for thought". Although he wasn't able to as much as go near proving that religion is underdeveloping Nigeria, there is a more reasonable perspective from which we can analyse his argument. His submission is pregnant with subtle questions that are begging for answers from the leaders and followers of our countries numerous religious denominations that are constantly increasing by geometric proportions. Some of these questions are: how has religion helped in the development of the Nigerian nation? Or better put, what positive contributions has religion brought Nigeria? Isn't it an irony that while we boast of such a large religious population that can frighten even the real religious nations of the world, we yet maintain a first class reputation for wrong and wicked deeds some of which are perpetrated by the same religious people? You only need take a glance at the sizable chunk of our nation's budget that is voted annually for religious programmes at federal and state levels to infer that Nigeria is a religious state, still we have repeatedly broken the world record for corruption. Could it be that the vast majority of religious Nigerians are hypocrites? (Maybe).

Taking this further why is it only few of our religious leaders who have openly criticised the wrongs of our political leaders choosing instead to remain silent? And why oh why, for heavens' sake do people in the name of religion create hardship and pain for their fellow men as is the case of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway whenever the churches situated along that route gather? Why are some churches so poor at events management? Could it be that they lack the requisite wisdom and capacity to effectively and efficiently organise, conduct and manage their activities and programmes in such a way that would make them a model to even secular organisations? Mr. Babatunde may have gone off point in his argument but an unbiased judgment would at least concede that a fraction of his outburst is justified don't you think?

In a way this is a wake up call to religious organisations all over the country, especially to the churches as the "loud undertone" of Mr. Babatunde's write-up made it clear which religion he is really referring to. As a Christian I feel challenged. It was Martin Luther King (Jnr.) who said that "religion should be to the society what the thermostat is to the electric pressing iron" and I agree. Religion should play a functional role in society in a way that enhances its development to the acknowledgment of all including the atheists. I therefore urge my fellow brethren to be more sensitive in their dealings with their fellow men and society at large. And a good start would be the correction of the "Lagos-Ibadan expressway ill" and other cases of poor church programme organisation be it in street corners, residential areas or wherever. This is as far as I can go with the merits of this case. Having done that, let's go on to fault it.

The fundamental problem with his write-up is the glaring disharmony of the text and the title. Whereas he was quick to exaggerating religion's emphasis on prayers, highlighting the flamboyant lifestyle of some pastors, insisting that religion and science are in opposition, reminding us of how prelates of the mediaeval church burnt scientists for their open-mindedness, tongue-lashed Mr. Fasugba among many others, he failed to address the fundamental issue which he raised which was: how religion is underdeveloping Nigeria. He failed to show how the practice of religion in Nigeria has resulted in the lack of standard social amenities and infrastructures. Reading his write-up made me wonder whether he understands the concept of development/underdevelopment as it applies to a nation. If Mr. Babatunde insists that religion is underdeveloping Nigeria then he should come up with a more objective argument.

Secondly, Mr. Babatunde seems to be condemning religion from a narrow point of view and this should not be the case. Is it not wrong to condemn religion based on the excesses of bigots and extremists, the hypocrisy, ignorance and imperfections of its apologists, and acts of the like of Rev. King? Granted that people commit evils in the name of religion but does that justify its outright condemnation? Even common sense prescribes that we isolate the principle of an idea from the process or practice of that idea in order to make correct judgment. The acts for which Mr. Babatunde is condemning religion are not the only acts for which religion is known and they are definitely not acts that religion promotes. I think it is necessary to highlight some of the activities of churches. Activities which even Mr. Babatunde will agree deflate his bogus claim.

Churches have been involved in community development programmes (since we are talking about underdevelopment). These include the provision of food, pipe-borne water and clothing to communities, provision of free and subsidised treatment of sicknesses and diseases, building and equipping of clinics and hospitals, building, renovation and funding of academic institutions, donation of materials to the police, including economically empowering its members through loan. Mr. Babatunde needs to know that some standard schools and hospitals are owned by the very orgnisations he calls the "bastions of the crude tendency to ignorance".

I dare say that even he has been affected directly or indirectly by the positive development programmes of religious organisations. At least someone either in his nuclear or extended family, ancestral lineage or line of friends, associates or colleagues must have been a product of a missionary school or a patient of a hospital affiliated to a church. Mr. Babatunde may have been right in some ways but he is wrong even more. I hope he comes to terms with this.

Finally on the debate between science and religion, I think people miss the point. Although, it is true that science and religion are quite different from each other, it is wrong to draw differences as though comparing between a computer and typewriter. They are different tools with different assignments. Science relies on man's, intelligence while religion deals with faith and intuition. Whereas science is guided by logical permutations and calculations that are restricted to the five known senses of the human mind, deep men (and this include scientists) understand that there is more to life than the human mind can define, explain or even perceive, beyond what scientific laboratories can contain, hence religion.
Both science and religion can be useful to man where and when correctly explored, the mistakes of religious extremists or the scientific theory that men are the grandchildren of apes, notwithstanding. This artificial battle between science and religion is quite unnecessary. We should instead concern ourselves with more productive activities that can help develop Nigeria which by the way is one way where both science and religion can shake hands.


Ekpruke is an alumnus of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

Source: http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/editorial_opinion/article02//indexn2_html?pdate=061008&ptitle=The%20role%20of%20religion