"In the name of God, ", the favorite and most used phrase in Nigeria.


God? Do we really need?

With all this religious violence, is it perhaps time to curb religion in the country. Nigeria ranks amongst the world's worst in terms of religious freedom and there's constant tension and frequent outburst of violence.



Nigerians will idly sit around and phrase "god will save us, god save Nigeria, etc", instead of getting up and doing something to make our lives better and improve the community, we wait for a divine intervention that will never materialize.


I think its time Nigeria's government removes all aspects of religion from society, ban formal religious gatherings, and shut down religious buildings, as well the administration of re-education for those who received so called 'religous education' (i.e Alhajis).


Churches and mosques should be confiscated by the government and turned to museums or demolished for the development of other property.

Extreme, indeed, but needed and justified.

Discuss?

Do you believe in freedom? If so, perhaps your ideas/proposals are a bit catch 22? You do not cut you nose to spite your own face. I think you will find that people have the right to practices whatever religion they want.

If they govt takes away such right, it would be hard to say that kind of govt. is truly the people's choice. It goes against the fundamentals of democracy, unless off course we are running a total authoritarian type of system. Where does it stop if such things where allowed? Do we stop albinos from pro-creating? Do we move hausa people up north and confined them there? I am sure you can see the chaos your ideas may bring.

On the other hand, the govt may perhaps intervene on religion if only absolutely necessary. I very much doubt a govt. intervention is needed in Nigeria right now.

For the record, I am an atheist.

The people get the government they deserve.

May I aslo add that religion violences in nigeria is more or less down to lack of enlightment/understanding and a cover for hatred funded by ethnic tension and tribalism. It is not strange to hear that hausa moslems kill a yoruba or igbo muslim simply because they are not considered "one of theirs"

What we need is proper re-educationing and reprogramming of various individual on various levels. For example, if you ever go to place like Kaduna, kabo, and similar places in countries like Pakistani etc, it is not uncommon to see an iman lecturing over 900+ of people about the quran. The problem here is that most of these 900people or student have no formal education at all, and they all end up taking the sermon of just one man. The thing is this sermon is an understanding and view of ONE man, and as such it creates loads of room for misinterpretation and no challenge. These students only go home taking his word as the ultimate truth etc.

Imagine if the iman says all christains are legitamate target during an uprising, all these student go away believing just that, How do you fight such mindset? Please go back to my idea of reprogamming and mass education!

Hope this thread won't turn to a religious tussle.

@Poster, you are so right. While the government is busy banning formal practices of religion in the country, it only makes sense that the government ban tribes since there have been making a tribal riot in the same country. Ban anything that has to do with culture or depicts practices connected to specific cultures. That is the only way to diffuse the tribal tension that exists in the country today. Brilliant!!!!

We ought to get this dude one of them Nigerian awards. If there is none, make one up fast for him oo!!

How about banning Nigerians all together? After all they are the ones that actually commit the atrocities under the cloak of religion.

I say ban religion and community organizing should be our new religion. God my ass!!!!!!! Tell that egotistical being he isn't worth shit. He is a megalomaniac slowpoke!!!! aggressive, egotistical, violent, false pride, won't change, wants power, control freak and all the features of an irredeemably imperfect being.

Back to the topic, I'll say we need everyone to feel indebted to the community no matter how small or how big. Everyone to think without him, the community will collapse thereby contributing their own to make the community stronger. Now God won't want that. He'll want Women to cover their hair (cause they make him wanna rape again), he'll want anyone who doesn't like it his own way dead. So we don't need god. The devil we know is better than the devil we don't know and can't see infact. If we can build build a community based society, we won't care what the government do cause we'll have farmers, doctors, engineers, architects and many more without government inference but hey it's a money ran world so my view might as well be tagged naive.

9jaganja:

I say ban religion and community organizing should be our new religion. God my ass!!!!!!! Tell that egotistical being he isn't worth shit. He is a megalomaniac slowpoke!!!! aggressive, egotistical, violent, false pride, won't change, wants power, control freak and all the features of an irredeemably imperfect being.

Back to the topic, I'll say we need everyone to feel indebted to the community no matter how small or how big. Everyone to think without him, the community will collapse thereby contributing their own to make the community stronger. Now God won't want that. He'll want Women to cover their hair (cause they make him wanna rape again), he'll want anyone who doesn't like it his own way dead. So we don't need god. The devil we know is better than the devil we don't know and can't see infact. If we can build build a community based society, we won't care what the government do cause we'll have farmers, doctors, engineers, architects and many more without government inference but hey it's a money ran world so my view might as well be tagged naive.

ode, olodo, oloshi alakori.

9jaganja:

I say ban religion and community organizing should be our new religion. God my ass!!!!!!! Tell that egotistical being he isn't worth shit. He is a megalomaniac slowpoke!!!! aggressive, egotistical, violent, false pride, won't change, wants power, control freak and all the features of an irredeemably imperfect being.

are u talkin abt God?If u r, its rather unbelievably AND UNWARRANTED!
@poster.
i feel lik agreeing to ur point but if u look beneath ur point, there r a lot of loopholes. for one thing i know, the only thing that Nigerians believe in right now which i beliv keeps them goin is GOD (mind u, not religion!). when everythin fails and there' s nothin to believe in again, u can only turn to GOD. agreeably, religion is the root of most religious/cultural clashes but i beliv this applies to Islam who are nothin but petty fanatics. i mean no insult but thats the straight truth.dont expect muslims to agree with me.
i hav said this before, the only way to rid naija of all issues/problems is a total change in attitude and mentality of the populace which can only be achieved only by re-education and enlightening.

waleab:

ode, olodo, oloshi alakori.

If that's who I am to you, why would I want to prove you wrong? I don't like you that much. If you want to see me, I can come over but tell your god to show up, he won't be there therefore doesn't exist to me.!!!! an example of a dysfunctional mind is that with an imaginary friend. So 99% of Nigerians have dysfunctional mind and we are trying build a nation? I'm sorry but we need to change the way people think before we can better the nation.

foye57:

are u talkin abt God?If u r, its rather unbelievably AND UNWARRANTED!
@poster.
i feel lik agreeing to ur point but if u look beneath ur point, there r a lot of loopholes. for one thing i know, the only thing that Nigerians believe in right now which i beliv keeps them goin is GOD (mind u, not religion!). when everythin fails and there' s nothin to believe in again, u can only turn to GOD. agreeably, religion is the root of most religious/cultural clashes but i beliv this applies to Islam who are nothin but petty fanatics. i mean no insult but thats the straight truth.dont expect muslims to agree with me.
i hav said this before, the only way to rid naija of all issues/problems is a total change in attitude and mentality of the populace which can only be achieved only by re-education and enlightening.

You know all those imperfect and unnatural characteristics describes god really well. But since we are too blind to see what's real and what's not, we make it the norm. millions of people loved MJ after bleaching his skin but that doesn't make it normal. Billions love this God therefore making an abnormality normal. If only one person love this god, the person will quickly be taken to Psychiatric hospital.

Nigeria's problem has nothing to do with God. People always need reasons to hate each other and tribe and religion is the a great means in Nigeria. These two means work well for politicians and those that gain from it.

ElRazur:

Do you believe in freedom? If so, perhaps your ideas/proposals are a bit catch 22? You do not cut you nose to spite your own face. I think you will find that people have the right to practices whatever religion they want.

If they govt takes away such right, it would be hard to say that kind of govt. is truly the people's choice. It goes against the fundamentals of democracy, unless off course we are running a total authoritarian type of system. Where does it stop if such things where allowed? Do we stop albinos from pro-creating? Do we move hausa people up north and confined them there? I am sure you can see the chaos your ideas may bring.

On the other hand, the govt may perhaps intervene on religion if only absolutely necessary. I very much doubt a govt. intervention is needed in Nigeria right now.

For the record, I am an atheist.

I believe in the social contract (Jean-Jacques Rousseau), and that contract has been broken, religion in an organized fashion in Nigeria is irrelevant at best, dangerously violent at worst.

Notice most riots happen on fridays? After prayers?

Ban Nigerians completely!!! Do you not notice that those praying, and then going out to riot, are Nigerians?? 

Kobojunkie:

Ban Nigerians completely!!! Do you not notice that those prayer and then going out to riot are Nigerians??

You are onto something.


I would ban tribalism, and all forms of it, with heavy repression and re-education of the "tribalised" nigerian mind, that in itself is a form of banning "nigerians" if you will.

We will never have a working, functioning nation until we consider ourselves, Nigerian 1st, and igbo/housa, etc 2nd.

Ban religious affinity, ban tribal association and outlaw outdated tribal practices, for a better future.

A fool in his heart says there is no God. You have no right to say God does not understand. God is not the source or cause of any individuals woes. God and Religon are two different things. If you dont know ask and it will expalined or demonstrated to you.

If you dont know ask and it will expalined or demonstrated to you.

would u mind demonstrating or explaining?

Yes ooo!! Ban ! Ban!! Ban!!! Ban !!!! Bannity!! . . . .

That seems to be the one solution we have for all problems and are willing to pass bills for . . . . roflmao!!

blacksta:

A fool in his heart says there is no God. You have no right to say God does not understand. God is not the source or cause of any individuals woes. God and Religon are two different things. If you dont know ask and it will expalined or demonstrated to you.

my points exactly. God and religion shdnt be confused. this is wat the atheists on NL are doin, confusin God and religion.