On Sunday mornings, I enjoy taking leisurely strolls through my neighborhood, unto the major road to pick up my sunday newspapers. Aside from being less crowed and less traffic chaos, I enjoy amusing myself as I walk through the streets, count the number of Churches, and listen in on their sermons as I pass by.
Over the years I have seen many house fellowships turn into semi-mega churches. I have seen scrawny and skinny little pastors grow fat cheeks and beer bellies in a matter of months. I have sen a handful congregation grow to several hundred in a matter of months. I have seen parking lots with okadas and no cars become filled with cars and big jeeps over time. I have seen pastors with no cars transform into pastors with big jeeps in a matter of months.

I have heard every type of prayer, every type of supplication, every type of promise of material boon. From every side of the streets, I have seen stamping of feet, shaking heap of heads, jumping up and down, banging on the wall, spraying of holy water. You name it, I have seen or heard it in these churches that dot my neighborhood.

Just to and fro from my house to the newspaper vendor on the major road, the equivalent of about 2 city blocks, I counted about 18 churches, some on top of each other in a building , and many directly opposite each other.

But most importantly to me, I deliberately walk slowly so that I can hear and perhaps reflect on the sermons and good teaching of jesus as I make my way.
I always long to hear the sermons about the importance of virtues like steadfast love, charity, kindness to others, honesty and truthfulness, etc.
Always in vain. I see a lot of shouting, a lot of singing and dancing, a lot of long, windy prayers, but no sermons about the above mentioned virtues.

It appears that the religious market place has changed since I used to go to church. Preaching virtues and personal responsibility is no longer in demand.
The market place and consumers of religious X#@! want and demand instant gratification, or at least a promise of it.

As someone who has always had an interest in religion, and who, at present, an atheist who delights in mocking religion, I cannot help but periodically reflect upon ,empathise and try to understand this wave of religiosity( if one should call it that).

As I walk past these churches and their maddening shouts and prayers, I ask me myself, is this really religion, is all this what Jesus supposedly sacrificed his devine blood for?
Is all this what God supposedly created the universe and 100 billion stars for? So that people can do this every sunday? It never makes any sense.

On further reflection of this issue, I recalled the phenomena of cargo cults that I had read a long time ago.

I went to wikipaedia to get a definition of Cargo Cults, and ..... , BINGO!
Please read this paste below, read again, and then read it slowly one more time. By the third time it should sink in.


A cargo cult is a religious practice that has appeared in many traditional pre-industrial tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. The cults focus on obtaining the material wealth (the "cargo" of the advanced culture through magic and religious rituals and practices. Cult members believe that the wealth was intended for them by their deities and ancestors. Cargo cults developed primarily in remote parts of New Guinea and other Melanesian and Micronesian societies in the southwest Pacific Ocean, beginning with the first significant arrivals of Westerners in the 19th century. Similar behaviors have, however, also appeared elsewhere in the world.

Cargo cult activity in the Pacific region increased significantly during and immediately after World War II, when the residents of these regions observed the Japanese and American combatants bringing in large amounts of matériel. When the war ended, the military bases closed and the flow of goods and materials ceased. In an attempt to attract further deliveries of goods, followers of the cults engaged in ritualistic practices such as building crude imitation landing strips, aircraft and radio equipment, and mimicking the behavior that they had observed of the military personnel operating there.


Words to reflect upon and compare:

1. Religious practice
2.Traditional pre-industrial tribal societies
3. In the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures.
4. The cults(churches) focus on obtaining material wealth of the advanced cultures. (jeeps,BBs, Iphones,kfc and other bling blings)
5. Through magic(prayers), rituals(vigils) and religious practice(speaking in tongues, tithes)
6. Practioners believe that wealth was intended for them by their deities and ancestors.(sounds familiar? god intended for you to have this and have that)

Having observed the religious practice of christians in other cultures and nations, the penticostal invasion of African is not a religious revival of christianity, no. definitely not.
Most Nigerians have very little idea of what christianity is about, and really do not care about what true means or entails.

What we have today, courtesy of the Pentecostal Fellwoship( or Fraudsters) of Nigeria is the revival and modernisation of the Cargo Cult Phenomenon.

The "name it and claim it" Bling Bling theology is nothing but a primitive cargo cult, with modern twists in favour of conmen.
Nothing more!

Nice write up.

And noteworthy the recognition the flavor of 'naija christianity' is a bastardized one. I'm coming to think all this chasing after fools gold is merely an outlet for the frustration that is called living in Nigeria. Keep taking those walks though...if not anything it is good for your health .

Beat them or join them

the problem has been concluded. it is religion in all forms. it must be eradicated, the religious are bound in slavery of religion, they must be freed.

i'm a christian but i agree with everything you wrote.

I saw the following write up on the internet sometime ago

''The church started as a movement in Jerusalem, it got to Greece and became a philosophy, went to Rome and became an institution, spread to all Europe and became a culture,It finally got to America and became a BUSINESS....A VERY BIG BUSINESS''.

Its the business model that is spreading like wildfire all over Nigeria and the deep poverty in the land makes Nigerians susceptible to the wolves.A revival of truth is brewing in christianity and if it takes an atheist to start it,all well and good.

@OP, i read a lot of your posts and i commend your open mindedness and civility.

You might have stopped believing in him but permit me to still say God bless you

Candour: i'm a christian but i agree with everything you wrote.

I saw the following write up on the internet sometime ago

''The church started as a movement in Jerusalem, it got to Greece and became a philosophy, went to Rome and became an institution, spread to all Europe and became a culture,It finally got to America and became a BUSINESS....A VERY BIG BUSINESS''.

Its the business model that is spreading like wildfire all over Nigeria and the deep poverty in the land makes Nigerians susceptible to the wolves.A revival of truth is brewing in christianity and if it takes an atheist to start it,all well and good.

@OP, i read a lot of your posts and i commend your open mindedness and civility.


You might have stopped believing in him but permit me to still say God bless you

Thank you.

plaetton:


Thank you.

good one men.