It beats my imagination how despite all the travails our nation Nigeria has and continues to go through, we remain not just the happiest but almost the most religious, with each passing moment the picture is even clear.
In the next few paragraphs rather not touch or discuss, my reason is not to court controversy, but I am sure some folks would be upset and no matter the side of the divide, my intent is to open up a conversation and broaden our learning experience positively.
Ever been to Aba the commercial nerve centre of Abia or visited a local crude oil pipeline village in Bayelsa on Sunday, everyone is in church, all well dressed, venerating to the clergy's vituperations at the devil and worship of God.
You could almost hear a pin drop on the streets of most South-eastern states, as every kidnapper is seeking forgiveness for the past week's adventure while seeking aid for the forthcoming week.
If you are privileged, you want to be in Kano or Katsina, on a Friday, and see how thousands of faithful are running to meet Jumat service, you will not be able discern how a population all running about with ablution rites will not hesitate to perpetuate abominable acts without any sense of remorse.
From the cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Sokoto, you are greeted with billboards of revivals, conventions, conferences, seminars, workshops of various faiths and advertising superstar men/women of God.
Every major celebration comes with either a multi or a non-denominational church service on Sunday, preceded by a Friday mosque service.
We are not short of Catholics, Anglicans, and Pentecostals, on one divide and then Izalas, Nasfat, Ansar-ud-Deen, Anwar- ul Islam, Jamatu Nasiru Islam (JNI), The Jama't Izalat al Bid'a Wa Iqamat as Sunna (JIBWIS), on the other. I have on purpose left out the traditionalists and pagans.
A nation that prides itself with a politically active Witchcraft Association, I have been to many a funeral where different cult groups are fighting for the corpse.
For all sorts of reasons we are compelled to fill forms, stating whether we are Christians or Muslims, in some cases it is narrowed down to us spelling out which sect or group we belong to.
It is a Nigerian society where two-love bird cannot marry because they are from different religion or sects. However the heads of the families involved will not hesitate to steal public funds without recourse to their faith.
So much sentiments to our faith, after all it is supposed to be the essence of our existence, but the fact is that in practice, do we preach what we practice, or practice differently what we preach. A Christian steals and is conveniently defended by a Muslim lawyer, and we call it the profession, the practice,
Yet we are grey with anger when a list is released as we try to fragment the list between how many Muslims and Christians and if the Chairman is a Christian, or if the Secretary is an Ogboni member. Just reflect for a minute my dear reader and answer, is Nigeria as a nation, a Christian or Muslim?
Ever attended a function, and then watch the comic of a Muslim having to pray and then a Christian too having to pray, and it’s amazing as we try to play God.
The new wave of the moment which is private universities are mostly run by Churches and Mosques but the tuition charged are almost impregnable for the masses despite the fact that the widow's mite in many cases make these schools possible.
I know it’s a sore area, no one wants to talk, I dare ask, how has the Christian presidency of Jonathan helped Christians or Muslims, are we better as a people because the Senate President, SSS, NSA, COAS are Christians,
Was it not a Muslim Abacha that brought the Pope, did the Yar'adua presidency benefit Muslims or Christians?
We have become a nation that prays more and works less, forgetting that miracles are no magic, that faith and fate are different concepts.
Both leadership and the led simply forget that the basics of life bare no religious colouration. Good roads are not for Muslims alone; quality hospitals are not the reserve of Christians.
HIV/AIDS does not discriminate between religions, we are sensitive about the Arabic inscription on our notes, yet no Christian ever went to the bank and refused to collect the money because the cashier was Muslim.
One only needs to listen to all the conspiracy theories of Islamic Banking to appreciate that as a nation we are mostly religious bigots, as the noise has faded into the weather.
A falling educational system is not because Muslims did or Christians did not,
The simple preserve of live and let live, love your neighbours as yourself, do unto others as you would have them do to you is lost on us.
We forget that there is a simple reason why God chose us to still co-exist together and it is fate, as long as we are one and remains one, there is need to look at ourselves.
The things that trouble Nigeria are neither Christian or Muslim, corruption, greed, nepotism and ethnic jingoism and parapoism, mismanagement perpetuated by Christians, Muslims, Witches, Wizards and all sorts.
If only we practice the injunctions laid out by our various holy books, our society would be a reflection of our lives. Sadly we are with our various faiths trying to cut our nose to spite the face.
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Religion has not helped Nigeria;

1) Christianity has destroyed our culture in Nigeria. We are not historically a christian country, many young people have no idea of the traditions or religion of our forefathers. I am an atheist but I feel that it is important to know ones culture, at least to be able to explain it to foreigners. For example, we had many sculptures and art of our traditions but now it has dwindled because of christianity. Christianity will call those sculptures idols and idol worshipping while hypocritically putting up statues of Jesus christ on the cross.


2)We are now even more divided with christianity and islam in the south and north. We have seen battles in Kaduna and Jos that have left many people on both sides dead


3) Extremist muslims in the form of Boko Haram are killing Nigerians and also giving Nigeria a bad name internationally. Soon, we will become referred to as a terrorist country if we are not careful.

4) We also have christian pastors who rob the poor masses that come to their churches for hope. They use money from the offering to buy private jets, build mansions and atart businesses. These pastors are like cocaine dealers but the drug is different. They get thousands of church members hooked on hope and salvation while extorting offering money and gifts from them. However, these pastors are smart. They know that they will face condenmation from skeptics and so, once in a while, they do some public charity to show that they help the poor. But then, charity begins at home; why not help your church members who are poor regularly?


5) The worst part bout all of this is that many European and Americans (USA) look at Nigerians as backward country people. Of course, they are partly right and they won't say it directly but we can see the sentiment when they talk about the scientific studies that show the link between religion and intelligence/poverty. They talk about how the poorest countries are the most religious. Furthermore, christianity and islam are two religions that enslaved Nigeria. They are slave trading religions. Islam came first to take slaves from west Africa while Christianity expanded the transatlantic slave trade . Why should we as Nigerians embrace these two foreign religions that enslaved our forefathers? Read the Koran and the Bible and you will see that the religions are focused on Arabs and Jews From Adam to Jesus/Mohammed.


6) Religion can only be a force for good if religious people accept that human beings come first before the belief of God and that their religion is a mixture of good and bad. Religions cause slavery and wars. Why do you still believe that your religion is totally good?

Human beings come before God;

-If a man is dying of starvation and the only food that you can give him within the next few hours is pork. Do you give him pork or let him starve because your God hates pork?

-If you are hanging off a cliff and a devil worshipper or satanist offers to pull you away from falling off the cliff are you going to reject his hand because he is a devil worshipper?

No it made Nigeria wore. Chritianity gave Nigeria a white Jeus and deciple now many outh Nigerian worship white people and now they are mental slaves. They think black is evil and white is good and it give them an inferiority complex. We need to WAKE UP!! Go back to Spiritualty but religion i NO Good.

logicboy: Religion has not helped Nigeria;

1) Christianity has destroyed our culture in Nigeria. We are not historically a christian country, many young people have no idea of the traditions or religion of our forefathers. I am an atheist but I feel that it is important to know ones culture, at least to be able to explain it to foreigners. For example, we had many sculptures and art of our traditions but now it has dwindled because of christianity. Christianity will call those sculptures idols and idol worshipping while hypocritically putting up statues of Jesus christ on the cross.
\

5) The worst part bout all of this is that many European and Americans (USA) look at Nigerians as backward country people. Of course, they are partly right and they won't say it directly but we can see the sentiment when they talk about the scientific studies that show the link between religion and intelligence/poverty. They talk about how the poorest countries are the most religious. Furthermore, christianity and islam are two religions that enslaved Nigeria. They are slave trading religions. Islam came first to take slaves from west Africa while Christianity expanded the transatlantic slave trade . Why should we as Nigerians embrace these two foreign religions that enslaved our forefathers? Read the Koran and the Bible and you will see that the religions are focused on Arabs and Jews From Adam to Jesus/Mohammed.

True they enslave us and we accept their religion under their ideology..SMH

igbo2011: No it made Nigeria worse. Chritianity gave Nigeria a white Jeus and deciple now many outh Nigerian worship white people and now they are mental slaves. They think black is evil and white is good and it give them an inferiority complex. We need to WAKE UP!! Go back to Spiritualty but religion i NO Good.



True they enslave us and we accept their religion under their ideology..SMH

I quite agree with you!

Op,thank you very much.
You hit the nail squarly on the head. these are the truths some us of try to convey in our daily lives and on this forum. We are often labelled as militant or evangelical atheists(if there is such a word).Infact, when I look at the situaton in nigeria, I'm almost inclined towards a superstitious belief that Nigeria most be a dumping ground for condemned souls from another life. There is just no way to explain the wide disparity betwen our display of religiousity with the realities of our national character.
For instance, if you drive past area F police station in Ikeja on any given morning, you will be confronted with deafening chorus of songs and prayers coming from detained armed robbers doing their morning devotion from their prison cells.

There is a moral schitzophrenia. We cannot seem to reconcile our outward religious creeds( or pretences) with our thoughts, words and actions.

The pre-eminence of any philosophical or religious system can be measured by the superior value of its output.For those who claim to see any good in religion, I ask, where are the good to be found in religion. If religion only puts man against man here on earth,how would it do otherwise in heaven or paradise.



Something is definitely wrong with our national psyche.

NO, We are just de-grading and sinking more and more into mental prison and physchological disdain.

OF COURSE NOT, BECAUSE BOKO HARAM USE RELIGION AS AN EXCUSE FOR VIOLENCE

HEY BROTHER, HOW CAN I GET OPEN HEAVENS ON BLACKBERRY?

THANKS.

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Absolutely not!

Religion never changed anyone.
Baff a pig. . . clothe a pig. . .
Well, 'quack-quack'!

the problem is not any religion itself.
the problem is not even atheism.
the problem is the heart of man.
all men are evil in the heart(including all
pastors and imams in Africa )
.religion seek to address the problem of evil in
every mans heart, but men (esp in Africa,
because most Africans are not educated, they
mixed up things with tradition ) totally
misunderstand the religion (the Bible and the
quran ) they profess, that is why religion has not
made nigerians any better.
infact, the presence of religion made Nigerians corrupt the more

Personally, I dont live in sin ..... Am not an advocate for sin, BUT RELIGION hasn't done people any good, beacause they have stray from what the Bible Originally Teach about the True God , religion will tell you that I can burn my own child with fire and still be called a " Loving father" , what a crock ! Imagine if a man burn his son, i wonder if he wont make the headline of Punch Newspaper , this doctrines are devilish and full of satanic stired hatred for fellow humans!!! No wonder many have turn to atheist, and agnostics ....... I even wonder at all if God is with this religions , an example is this : On December 2011, they went to religious houses to pray for a good new year , whats the result In 2012? Subsidy Removal , and that big strike !!! Dey went back again on December 2012, Result in 2013 ? ASUU STRIKE ... Are u following? On december 2013, dey prayed again, result in 2014 ?? O boy, Ebola ni o .... Chai, wats up for 2015 and yet dey will still do that yeye prayer !

Nigerians are very good when it comes tp prayer and fasting.

Adeboye told his followers to fast for 100 days this hear and did you see that nigeria become a better country.

The people should learn that God want that they should learn to help themself and not hopping that God will change nigeria.


Since this new churches become so big the corruption is rising because all what this so called man of God preach is money money money and what they forget is one word and that is love, a heart of stone can never feel love.

Sometimes I have the feeling that many nigerians didnot pry to God they pray to the angel of the light because this angel looks like he is God and he love money.