I know I am making a big assumption here, that Nigerian parents really read and understand the religious books they like to use in training their children. The Bible and the Quran in particular. At the end of the day they often know no more than a few well-rehearsed verses that support the ministries of their religious sect leaders. Only very few Nigerians have the liver to truly seek knowledge about the validity of these religious books, and fewer still have the courage to ask very difficult questions. And when you ask them those difficult questions, they will tell you God knows and that it isn't important for them to know.

You would almost think that the religion they follow is afraid of investigating and knowing the truth.

There is however an alternative founded in evidence-based thinking. I have used the word science as a broad description for this specifically because the tenets of science are based on drawing inferences and conclusions from observations made. In effect science never really concludes but remains open, keeps an open mind to various possibilities. Science is never afraid of reversing itself and it continually updates the state of understanding once new evidences appear. If there's a tool created by God to make man come into his full nature, then that too must be science and not religion. A universal God call not have a partisan religion that only serves to emphasize the superiority of certain races of men.

A large part of the progress man has made has come directly from rational thinking and evidence-based discoveries. But these two dominant religions in Nigeria asks that you throw your brains away and simply believe... To seek evidence in the first place is to be disqualified from holding the faith. For obvious reasons, my model disciple of Christ is Thomas because he espouses the correct attitude to things.... doubt until you have reason to believe. And according to Biblical account, Christ honored his doubt, his refusal to hold a belief unless he personally confirms it. The same happened to the Berean Christians.

It is clear that religion doesn't really work for us as a country. Isn't it time that we started training our children to be rational thinkers instead of continuing to mill out citizens incapable of using their brains constructively to elevate the society? Our enter politics and yahoo-yahooism can be traced to these religions...

As a parent, which would you prefer to guide the training of your children?

For me I will prefer to train them to be rational, questioning, and curious human beings, to doubt religions but to know about them as a means of relating and negotiating with their own environment.

Science straight up

Religion is a tool to defraud us

From the post I have been seeing on Nairaland I am actually happy these days. It appears Nigeria is having a re-awakening. The young generation in particular. Increasingly Nigerian youths are seeing the lies embedded in religion. Also thanks to COVID19... All the people that had been made to believe they would die if dem nor come Church, some of them will know better now. That it's no more than using fear-mongering to cajole and dupe them.

Science straight up! I like that.

Dannieln1:
Science straight up

Religion is a tool to defraud us

The two both of them