This thread might bring a polemic to nairaland. But I would like us nigerians to ask ourselves the question as to why we are too religious even in the 21st century.
Have nigerians not yet come of age to understand that religion should not guide our daily activities?

It shocks me to read articles that are simply logical, only to read people refering always to god. The IG was talking on TV last time, and had to make reference to the Bible about Moses in a country where there leaves people of all religions and all works of life.

Why don't we ask ourselves who is this god that is represented as a white man? why are all the actors in jesus films all white men? why is everything good white and all black things bad? Are we not tired of being fooled?

When will Nigeria stop to be under the influence of religion; we are leaving in religious mental jail, which brings about big loss to our economy.

Have we asked what pastors do with all the offering they receive every sundays, how come they don't feel guilt in extorting poor people in order to ride Hummer jeeps. Company staffs robb from their companies and give to the churches.

If we make a mathematical calculus here:

suppose we have about 50% of nigerians who are christians thus making 70 million people. Lets assume that every one of them gives only 100 naira every sunday.
This represents 7 billion naira each sunday (43.7 million euros). This makes 2.2 billion euros a year.

Dont you think this is enough to build good hospitals, schools to educate our young ones for a brighter tomorrow for Nigeria ?

A few things this money can pay:

186 000 teachers with 1000 euros (140 000 Nairas)/month salary.

1/2 of an oil deep water field development (which NNPC can develop itself without needing foreign investment)

10 airbus A330 (bigger model)

2 nuclear plants of 1000MW each

In a year, we can construct 62 kilometres of automatic state of the art metro/subway (36 Million € /km) : (VI to Elekon beach for instance, or two lines Ikeja/VI)


I advice that instead of giving this load of money to the so called "man of god", nigerians should invest this money into infrastructures and public actions.
This way the never ending expectations for miracles that we go to church for, will happen quicker in our days.

i have been thinking of this


Teachers, Bricklayes, market women, capenters pays offering, thithe, the even make pledges for churches to build their universities,


and their children cant even afford it. Church universities should be the cheapest in the world cos their main aim id to get people to know God,


All we have now is business organizations,

i wrote a song on that,

http://www.centralstationng.com/krohz

and judge yourself

haters!!! your assumption and calcutation are as wrong as you are!!!! you assumed that there are 70 milion christians, but you didnt take into account the percentage of these pple that goes to church, the percentage that are infants, and the fact that on the averge, the offering of each person is 25 naira - sample all categories of churches and you will see that this is the truth. but that aside, wetin concern you with the fact that i give my money to someone more than me (God) which you probably dont believe in. Moreover , in your own litttle world, do you at any time give to the realzation of those projects you highlighted!!! why you no face pple in beer parlour that they should stop drinking and use the money on drinks for development of fahterland? why you present a biased argument againt xtian, (and not beer parlours) to spend their money on something you've never and will never spend your own money on!!!! Stop hating and make urself right with God b4 it is too late, and by the way - let the govt spend the money they have wisely on these projects b4 the xtians start thinking of giving their monies to the govt!!!

.

You see, I know you religious blind people will not see it practically.

With this level of fanatism, how will the country progress.

Yes, lets believe that there are infants who don't pay to the pastor, and other adults who give 25 naira, it is still half a billion €/year but the 100 naira/person each sunday was an average.

Indeed, what about the engineers of oil companies who give up to 750 000 naira/year (4500 €); that is 10% of offshore international salary. Bankers who give 1/10 of their salaries to the church?

I am not refering to beer drinkers in the bar palours, at least they are paying their tithes to the beer and night life industries, which creates jobs.

Am not only talking abouts christians here, but any kind of abuse of the poor man's hopes for miracles. This is robbery in disguise.

The government has its part to play, but if these churches should at least use the money showered upon them by their poor victims, in community action/programmes, at least we will depend a bit less on an inexisting government.

How can you say one is a hater just because I think that people should wake up from their slumber. You go to church on foot while your pastor comes on a newly released car that a master degree holder, qualified from a prestigious international university will not dream to earn untill after 10 years of experience.
These pastors come in imported designer suits, while you come in collectibles.

Like someone wrote, your money builds universities your kids can't afford to attend. A pastor owns TV/radio stations from your offerings and tihtes. bDon't worry, his kids are already schooling in US.

Wake up and think.

@Poster, here is the problem I have with arguments like yours and yes, you are free to LABEL me a religious fanatic, but why do you think it is your place to suggest to these people what they should do with their money instead?

If Mr Obi wants to flush his weekly pay check down the toilet everyday, what business of ours is it? If Mr Lagbaja wants to burn his own money in a drum, what business of yours is it? You may not understand this God of theirs does not mean you have him all figured out better than they can. How can you understand a delusion you deny you have a clue of? Come on!!!

Many of these people pay their taxes. Why not demand the government use the taxes for bettering the life of the people as it ought to, while we leave the people to spend their own hard earned money as they see fit?

Freedom of religious worship is and should be one of the core liberties enshrined in any democratic constitution, BUT when that freedom infringes on the right to free unimpeded movement by the general public, as is the case with lethal regularity on the Lagos Expressway where massed vehicles and crowds of punters waiting to be fleeced by their pastors cause 5 to 10-hour traffic jams, mockery is made of the very concept of a SECULAR democracy.

I could not care less if there are ten million Nigerians gullible enough to repeatedly hand over large chunks of their hard-earned income to fat, bible-thumping con-men presiding over sprawling livestock enclosures dotted along the Lagos expressway one mile apart, BUT those vehicular crowds should have NO RIGHT, in a true secular democracy which by definition MUST recognize the constitutional separation of church and state, to block ANY highway for agonising hours on end, exposing motorists of ALL religious faiths to dramatically increased risks of automobile accidents and armed robbery.

The surviving growth industries in Nigeria are slowly distilling down to crude oil diversion, advanced fee internet fraud, armed robbery and RELIGION -  a thought-provoking commentary on a nation blessed with so much potential wealth in natural and human resources.  Worryingly, similar words have so often been used to describe the Democratic Republic of Congo, which as a consequence of being "blessed" with even greater riches than Nigeria, today lurches back into the throes of genocidal civil war.

@kobojunkie

I think we should stop being ignorant as regards to how people spend their money should be no one's business. Religion palaver in Nigeria ofcourse needs to concern all and sundry.

I'm not forcing my ideas on anyone, but I'm only concerned at the level of backwardness, and the extent of this deep and unanalysing beleive in god in the country.
The country is infested by religion that even engineers, doctors, other well educated entities allow these mostly uneducated individuals to fool them.

Our universities are no longer a place where thinkers are trained, a place where we are supposed to bring up world level entities who can make a difference (do remarkable things in the economic/scientific etc fields). We only groom bandwagons who can't even get up to challeng the system that is ruining and hording our ressource and income for even their 5th generations.

Go to the University of Lagos on a normal day, you often fall on traffic on campus. Why? because the mosques and church are having either seminars or prayers.
Students skip lectures only to attend prayer meetings. Friday afternoons are lecture free period because our muslim counterparts have to go for worship.

Nigeria is the right climate for religious extrimist programmes. Its not really the people's fault but a govt who does not see the need to be concerned of its people's wellfare, a govt who is not concerned about its position/place in the world.

Students who graduate from our nigerian universities are not taken seriously outside our shores. Why will they be taken seriously when they don't take themselves seriously either.

When we read on the net and in books on religion, Nigeria is mentioned 3rd after Brazil and one other country. These unrepenting deceivers bounce on citizens whom their futur have been left in the hands of fate by their irresponsible govt.

We copy US as religious model. We can not even think seriously and try to know the thinking ability of a basic american who simply can not place their country on the world map.

Nigeria is too old for time wasting and thus should not spend its precious time to train daft minds. This Nigeria is you and I

Dumb nigerians and how religion is destroying them.

I have witnessed several occasions where politicians go to political or state events and when people start murmmoring about their bad leadership, the next thing these politians do is to shout "praise da lord" and everywhere will be as quiet as a graveyard. The next talk will be "god knows why he put him there". Sam egwu of ebonyi state succeeded with this technique.
As for the pastors; they simply tell their stupid flock that if they dont pay, "holy ghost fire" will destroy everything they love. If you dare question their intentions, they will quote a bible verse that says touch not my anointed.

nuzo:

Dumb nigerians and how religion is destroying them.

I have witnessed several occasions where politicians go to political or state events and when people start murmmoring about their bad leadership, the next thing these politians do is to shout "praise da lord" and everywhere will be as quiet as a graveyard. The next talk will be "god knows why he put him there". Sam egwu of ebonyi state succeeded with this technique.
As for the pastors; they simply tell their stupid flock that if they don't pay, "holy ghost fire" will destroy everything they love. If you dare question their intentions, they will quote a bible verse that says touch not my anointed.

Very True, many of the dumbs ones live here on nairaland and frequent the religious forums 

@poster
i dont know if you r a christian or not,but ill advice you to be very careful in apportioning blames,church leaders are not the cause of nigeria's woes rather you should direct the vitriol at the proper people, first of all how many christians are leaders in the pdp or yar adua's kitchen cabinet?is the president a christian?is the finance minister a christian go back and check the sensitive ministerial/govt positioans and se how many are christians,
that is even secondary ,more importantly is that the i.g and other politicians always use the name of GOD and the bible to perpetuate their many evils because of the population of christians and how nigerians believe in GOD,there was a time when the former governor of ogun state who is a staunch muslim(aremo segun osoba)and a high chief came to redemption camp and shouting praise the lord like 1 billion times, thats why u see them endering themselves to the reddemed overseer,winners e.t.c politics is a game of numbers and politicians will shamelessly allign themselves with anywhere/religion that is practised in high numbers, note george bush calling himself a born again christian to appeal to blue collar evangelicals

the politicians/leadership are the problem innigeria and the earlier that is acknowledged rather than christians or their leadership the better, while i agree that many churches are not seen to be doing enough in their soial responsibility,the fact that they r doing anything should be commended considering our so called leaders siphon billions of dollars abroad without doing anything to better the lot of nigerians

Nigerians are religious ppl and our corrupt Politicians take advantage of that.Most often than Not,every thing that comes from the church is true and accepted without doubts or questions by the masses so even when a criminal comes into church and wears a holy cloak,ppl dont question him.Its quite sad.

nypha:

@kobojunkie

I think we should stop being ignorant as regards to how people spend their money should be no one's business. Religion palaver in Nigeria ofcourse needs to concern all and sundry.

This has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with ignorance but is more a case of trying to impede on people’s freedom to do as they choose with their own property? What next? We decide to tell people what they can buy or not buy with their hard earned money? I think we have more bigger problems to deal with than continually trying to suppress the freedom of those whose actions we do not understand, no matter how LEGAL these actions are.

nypha:

I'm not forcing my ideas on anyone, but I'm only concerned at the level of backwardness, and the extent of this deep and unanalysing beleive in god in the country.
The country is infested by religion that even engineers, doctors, other well educated entities allow these mostly uneducated individuals to fool them.

Does it ever occur to you that the reason why you label it backwardness is because you do not like or subscribe to this idea and are not willing to accept that it is legal and a part of these people’s right to be as religious as they choose to be?

I for one happen to be educated, not in Nigeria and I only recently started paying my tithes and what not to the church. No law stops me from giving the same money to some friend or some state but I choose of my own free will to give it to the church. Are you telling me I am wrong for doing so?? On what basis? The law or just your opinion?

nypha:

Our universities are no longer a place where thinkers are trained, a place where we are supposed to bring up world level entities who can make a difference (do remarkable things in the economic/scientific etc fields). We only groom bandwagons who can't even get up to challeng the system that is ruining and hording our ressource and income for even their 5th generations.


Go to the University of Lagos on a normal day, you often fall on traffic on campus. Why? because the mosques and church are having either seminars or prayers.
Students skip lectures only to attend prayer meetings. Friday afternoons are lecture free period because our muslim counterparts have to go for worship.

I am not exactly sure how religion is to blame here when you specifically state here that students SKIP lecture to attend prayer meetings and what nots. Friday, in that country has always been for muslim prayers, so when did it suddenly become a problem for these people to choose to spend a couple hours of their day praying based on their belief?

Another problem with the educational system is we have schools loaded with next to illiterate schools these days, I am not even sure skipping lectures for prayer meeting or the likes is really the problem in Nigerian schools.

nypha:

Nigeria is the right climate for religious extrimist programmes. Its not really the people's fault but a govt who does not see the need to be concerned of its people's wellfare, a govt who is not concerned about its position/place in the world.

Students who graduate from our nigerian universities are not taken seriously outside our shores. Why will they be taken seriously when they don't take themselves seriously either.

When we read on the net and in books on religion, Nigeria is mentioned 3rd after Brazil and one other country. These unrepenting deceivers bounce on citizens whom their futur have been left in the hands of fate by their irresponsible govt.

We copy US as religious model. We can not even think seriously and try to know the thinking ability of a basic american who simply can not place their country on the world map.

Nigeria is too old for time wasting and thus should not spend its precious time to train daft minds. This Nigeria is you and I

I am not exactly sure how America comes into this? If a Hillbilly chooses not to know where on the map his country is, it ain’t gonna take JACK from him. I have met people who have never been outside their states for most all their lives and these people live well. So I fail to see how that has anything to do with Nigeria.


But again, what has religion to do with this? You make it clear that the situation that country has more to do with the bad government we have had for a long time but your post continues to point fingers at religion as if people need to give up their religious ideologies for things to work in that country. I totally disagree with that.

I happen to consider myself a seriously religious person so forgive me when I say I have no idea how you make these statements and then point an accusing finger on religion. I still say we need to focus on the REAL problems and not try to point accusing fingers on these people’s religious ideologies. I mean, sure there are bound to be extremists out there, no matter what idea you cling to but to blame it all on religion? Which one?

Sure, this Nigeria is about you and me. Can’t we just forget that I am religious and choose to give my money to Pastors and churches?? I still do not understand how that has anything to do with you, no matter how bad my decision may seem to you. Do you get what I mean? As long as I am not illegally funneling tax money to the churches, I believe we need to stay out of people’s PERSONAL BUSINESS and respect their freedoms, even as we push to change things in that country for the best.