THE TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION
By: Ifeoluwa Orimoloye
loveorims@yahoo.com

Let us assume that by the virtue of the nature of our environment or society, it may be wrong and ungodly to impose the payment of tax on worship centers. Let us say that because we live in a hyper-sensitive society with a very high craving and penchant for religious activities, it may become absurd to request for taxes from religious bodies.
Yet, the question that we must begin to ask ourselves is, what then would be the responsibility of these religious bodies to their immediate society?

What would for instance be the responsibility of ABC miracle center to its immediate society, if a vast majority of the congregation cannot afford to enroll their children in a school that is closely affiliated with the parish?
How would the same ABC miracle center justify its soul-winning and evangelism activities, if let us say, after boasting of a gigantic cathedral, it cannot still contribute to the construction of the road linking the church with sensitive areas within the community? A road which has, by the way, transformed to a death trap.

Again, assuming without conceding, that the motive for the establishment of these worship centers is only to win souls for the creator or progenitor, but how possible is it to, like the popular saying, give a piece of cake to a child with the right hand and simultaneously hold a cane with the left? How do we practice religion or proselytize without considering common incentives needed for conversion?
It would be pertinent to cast our mind back to the very active roles played by the missionaries who brought some of these religion to us. They behaved in the manner in which progressive societies behave.

Among other community services, they established schools and in fact made it affordable. All these charitable services in turn got the attention of our people.
It is a known fact that priority and focus of worship centers has for instance changed such that religious concerns are only directed at structures, derivative politics and nothing else, in contrast to charity which even the holy book(s) preaches.