Read this article By Leo Igwe and think twice about the religon you practice, . . .Its a long read but its very interesting. . . .


A new study conducted by the Washington based Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life says that Africans are among the most religious people on earth. The study titled Tension and Tolerance: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa was based on more than 25,000 interviews conducted in more than 60 languages in 19 countries. According to the study at least half of all Christains in Sub-Saharan Africa believe Jesus will return in their lifetime. One in three muslims in the region expect to see the re-establishment of the caliphate-islamic golden age- before they die. At least three out of 10 people across much of Africa said they have experienced divine healing, seen the devil being driven out of a person or received a direct revelation from God. About a quarter believe that sacrifices to ancestors can protect them from bad things happening. Sizeable percentages believe in charms and amulets. Many consult traditional religious healers, and sizable minorities keep animal skins and skills in their homes.

The study found that in many countries across the continent roughly nine in 10 people say religion is very important in their lives.

Do these findings surprise anyone? Surely they shouldn’t. Unless the person is not familiar with the situation in Africa.

These findings do not surprise me at all. I am an African. I was born in Africa. I live and work in Africa. I am non religious though I was born into a religious home. I attended religious schools. I had a typical (African) religious upbringing. I do not believe that Jesus will return again. I do not think that the Biblical Jesus existed and even if he did, I think he’s gone and gone forever. I can’t see the world coming under an islamic caliphate except what we have been experiencing since September 11, 2001. I have never experienced divine healing and I don’t think those who claim to have experienced it are honest to themselves. I have not seen a devil being driven out of any person except some self induced hysteria by some pentecostal con artists. I have not received any revelation from God except may be one day some godly people would claim that their god revealed this piece to me. I don’t believe that sacrifice to the ancestors will protect people from harm. Otherwise the ancestors would be alive today. I think charms and amulets are useless and consulting traditional healers and clerics is a waste of time.

The reasons why Africans are the most religious people in the world are not far fetched. Africans go through religious indoctrination from cradle to the grave. Africans are not allowed by family, society and the state to think, reason or live outside the religious box. In Africa religion is by force not by choice. Religion is by compulsion and not according to one’s conscience. Africans are brought up to believe that there is NO alternative to religion. When in fact there is. So in Africa, it is either you are religious or you are nobody-you are not a human being, you are nothing. There is too much social and political pressure on Africans to be religious and to remain religious. The social, political and sometimes economic price of leaving religion, renouncing religion or criticizing religion is so high.

So Africans are religious willy nilly. Africans profess all sorts of religious crap even when they know it is all nonsense.

At home, religious indoctrination is the first form of orientation an African child receives. At a very early and impressionable age, infants are taught to recite meaningless syllables called prayers. Children are brainwashed by parents with various religious and spritiual myths. Their minds are infused with all sorts of religious dogmas. Parents ensure that children are brought up in their faith- the faith of the family and the faith of their fathers. Children are taught to believe and follow, and not to question religious teachings even when there is every reason to do so. Some of the findings of the Pew Forum constitute the ‘sacred’ teachings which African kids receive and are told not to challenge, examine, criticize or renounce. African children are brought up to believe them and to swallow them hook , line and sinker. Not to question one’s family religion is seen as virtous and as a mark of a good child. This religious tradition is upheld and handed down unchallenged from one generation to another in Africa.

The religious brainwashing continues in schools. Most African colleges are religious indoctrination centers. Western missionaries and Arab jihadists brought formal education(the model widely used today) to the continent. They established schools to win converts and recruit new members, not really to educate Africans. So schools in Africa are covert churches and mosques. Education is faith based. And this religious tradition is still upheld in most schools across the continent. Some of the findings of the study are what African puplis are taught everyday in schools. They constitute what African students recite and memorize as part of their compulsory morning devotions.

Pupils at one islamic primary school near my house in Ibadan sing this song everyday as part of their morning devotion.

We are soldiers. We are soldiers.

Fighting for Islam. Fighting for Islam

In the name of Allah, we shall conquer, we shall conquer

Every morning these children are made to recite that they are muslim children ; that they believe in Allah and Mohammed as his messenger. What do you expect from these children as adults after going through this religious drilling and being brainwashed with these superstitious messages? Do you think they will ever grow to say that religion-in this case Islam is not important in their lives? As in their homes, African students are taught to blindly accept the so called divine revelations without questions. They are induced to try and have some encounter with God or to have some spiritual experience as a manifestation of faith or piety. Children and youths are made to believe that professing articles of faith is a mark of a good student. And that education is not complete without religion or belief in God. So why should anybody be surprised that most Africans attach so much importance to religion.

This religionizing continues in politics and in the state houses across Africa. State power is used to endorse, promote and privilege religion. In Africa, prayer, piety and politics go together. Religion and politics mix. States are not separate from churches and mosques. So there is very high political pressure on individuals to be religious-and to remain religious and faithful even when they are not convinced of the religious teachings or would prefer to be faithless. Many African countries have adopted a religion or some religions as state or official religions. For instance in Morocco, the King is not only the president of the country, but also the commander of the faithful. So every Moroccan is under political pressure to be a faithful – an islamic faithful, particularly a sunni islamic faithful. The president of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh is addressed as Dr, Alhaji, Sheikh …, among others. Some years ago he added to the list of his presidential duties praying for the citizens and trying to heal the sick including those who have HIV/AIDS using some verses in the Koran. In the self-styled islamic republics, anyone who is not a muslim cannot be president. Is there any special value being a muslim adds to the post of the president? None. In Gambia, the government erected magnificent mosques in all public schools in the country. Meanwhile these are schools without good classroom blocks, no libraries or laboratories.

In Africa, politicians have made it look as if to be a good citizen one must be religious or expressly pious. African politicians have made it seem as if theocracy, not democracy is the best form of government. And that the Bible and the Koran are the best constitutions. In fact the Bible and the Koran are the best constitution no country ever had. African politicians strive to ensure that state legislations are based on these‘holy books’ and that any policy, program or proposal that is not in line with the sacred texts are thrown out. Another reason why there is high level of piety in Africa is because most Africans do not think for themselves. They allow clerics to think for them. Africans consult their priests, bishops, sheikhs, marabous, traditional medicine men and women whenever they have problems or when they want to embark on a major project. And they accept whatever they give them including charms like holy water, olive oil as solutions and remedies. They do whatever they recommend they do including carrying out ritual killing and sacrifice.

Lastly Africans are deeply religious due to lack of human rights particularly religious freedom in Africa. This may sound like a contradiction. But it is not. Some may argue that the high religiosity in Africa should be due to ‘too much religious freedom’. No, it is not so. Rather it is due to no guarantee of religious freedom, no protection of freedom of conscience. Africans do not enjoy or exercise their freedom of religion or belief. Africans are denied with impunity this basic human right by state and non state actors. Africans are forced to be religious or to remain religious. That is why they are ‘too religious’. The mechanisms to protect and defend the full human rights of those who change their religion or renounce or criticize religious beliefs or those who do not profess any religion at all are weak and non existent. Religious believers and non believers are not equal before the law. Many Africans are religious because they don’t want to be in the minority. They don’t want to renounce what the majority upholds. They don’t want to denounce what the state or society revers. Many Africans are religious because they just want to play along.

Africans are among the most religious people on earth due to failure of family upbringing, failure of human rights and the rule of law, failure of educational system, social and political pressure and bad governance. Africans are religious because they cannot but be religious.

mazaje:

Pupils at one islamic primary school near my house in Ibadan sing this song everyday as part of their morning devotion.

We are soldiers. We are soldiers.

Fighting for Islam. Fighting for Islam

In the name of Allah, we shall conquer, we shall conquer

now I for one, believe that. i have personally witnessed this kind of behaviour near my home city too.

PAGAN 9JA:

now I for one, believe that. i have personally witnessed this kind of behaviour near my home city too.

This is serious ooo , blind parents are leading their kids OMG!!!

Good read.

My point. Good read !!! Africans are blinded by religion and detached from reality.

[b]If this is the kind of thing religion teaches our kids in schools, then do we need any more evidence to show that religion is immoral?! What is moral about a religion that promotes human sacrifice, celestial dictatorship, compulsory love/hate, and slavery?! We don't need to look too far to find what a definition of core immorality is, religion itself is immoral!

I stand to be corrected, but in my humble opinion, there is a definite correlation between the mad craze for religion in Africa, and the lack of development in most African countries as compared to their western counterparts. If we use Nigeria as a case study, it is blatantly obvious that religion has done more harm than good; the average Nigerian wilfully prefers to rant like mad elves rather than use his/her inherent reasoning capacity.

I have never been one to cast blames on our colonial masters for our current fate in Africa, I have always strongly believed that the blame for everything happening in Africa today starts and ends with our current leaders. BUT, a part of me totally believes that religion (especially the Abrahamic faiths) is a curse placed on us by the colonial masters which has contributed greatly in hindering our development.

As far as the African continent is concerned, religion is not only immoral, it is also a curse![/b]

When my child was infant, I used to get an empty box, put a coin or something inside it, close the box and shake it so that she could know that something is inside the box. Then I would give her the box so that she could figure out how to get the coin out of the box. The mystery inside the box would keep her busy for a very long time while I engage in whatever serious work I needed to do. This reminds me of how foreigners have given us this package called religion to keep us very busy, while they go on to engage in more serious things. This package has kept us sooo busy that certain parts of our brain , responsible for healthy skeptism, are not being allowed to develope.
The MUMUFICATION of the primitive tribes of West Africa is complete.

According to Tai Solarin Africa and Nigeria most especially is dying because of religion, anything that man wants to do must be done by man himself. . . .No God /Gods has ever done anything for any society and No God can ever make any society develop, but our very superstitious and God believing society and continent is too blind. . . .

Exactly! Nail on the head. Just look at how our religious bros fight each other over nonsense like whose god is real and who isn't or over some forking books being truer than the other, while their worlds - in which they live - continue to decay and collapse around them while they wait expectantly - with their faces turned towards the sky - waiting for some messiah to come galloping down through the clouds to save them and repair the damages caused by their immense stupidity.
Religion is a method of diverting the attention of the masses away from the really important stuffs in life. . . like how to make our world a better place to be through our own endeavours. Absolutely spot on. Africans have been well and truly "mumufied" with "holy" books to prove it.

globexl:

When my child was infant, I used to get an empty box, put a coin or something inside it, close the box and shake it so that she could know that something is inside the box. Then I would give her the box so that she could figure out how to get the coin out of the box. The mystery inside the box would keep her busy for a very long time while I engage in whatever serious work I needed to do. This reminds me of how foreigners have given us this package called religion to keep us very busy, while they go on to engage in more serious things. This package has kept us sooo busy that certain parts of our brain , responsible for healthy skeptism, are not being allowed to develope.
The MUMUFICATION of the primitive tribes of West Africa is complete.

I'm a Christian and i very much believe in God.

OP is right though, African children are forced to accept their parent's religion at an early age.
One is not expected to ask questions in matters of religion.

When i was a kid, all questions i tried to ask was settled with a response " the bible says we should not engage in vain arguments".

I've heard of homes where a so called pastor comes and tells a family that a child is possesed.
At the end of the day, the pastor ends up collecting large sums of monies from these parents to ''deliver'' their child.
These things happen to even very educated parents.

Everyday, i see Catholics, Anglicans and Pentecostal abuse each other all in the name of my own is better than yours.
I've seen young, beautiful, educated people being brainwashed my a semi illiterate pastor.
I've seen people go hungry whilst giving all their money to their pastors.

I've seen a young lady sell her new car and give the proceeds to the church. She started using okada and had a fatal accident. Today she walks with a bad limp.

I've seen so many foolish things happen to people all in the name of religion.
People should question their religious leaders if they disagree what he tells them.

BlueDiva:

I'm a Christian and i very much believe in God.

OP is right though, African children are forced to accept their parent's religion at an early age.
One is not expected to ask questions in matters of religion.

When i was a kid, all questions i tried to ask was settled with a response " the bible says we should not engage in vain arguments".

I've heard of homes where a so called pastor comes and tells a family that a child is possesed.
At the end of the day, the pastor ends up collecting large sums of monies from these parents to ''deliver'' their child.
These things happen to even very educated parents.

Everyday, i see Catholics, Anglicans and Pentecostal abuse each other all in the name of my own is better than yours.
I've seen young, beautiful, educated people being brainwashed my a semi illiterate pastor.
I've seen people go hungry whilst giving all their money to their pastors.

[b]I've seen a young lady sell her new car and give the proceeds to the church. She started using okada and had a fatal accident. Today she walks with a bad limp.[/b]I've seen so many foolish things happen to people all in the name of religion.
People should question their religious leaders if they disagree what he tells them.

Have you ever thought that if this god of yours exists, he MUST be a jerk ( trying to be nice  )
Why would an "omnibenevolent" being reward this young woman's devotion with an accident and physical deformity? Seriously!
Or maybe it was the "devil".

My God is not a jerk sir.
On the contrary, he rewards each and everyone accordingly.

God did not tell the woman to sell her car, her pastor probably did.
People blame God and the devil for almost everything in this world.

However, God just gives guidance, and all decision are ours to make.

Thank you for this intelligent comment.

In their pride though, they will never get it, for pride is a stumbling block in their pathway to the TRUTH !!

globexl:

When my child was infant, I used to get an empty box, put a coin or something inside it, close the box and shake it so that she could know that something is inside the box. Then I would give her the box so that she could figure out how to get the coin out of the box. The mystery inside the box would keep her busy for a very long time while I engage in whatever serious work I needed to do. This reminds me of how foreigners have given us this package called religion to keep us very busy, while they go on to engage in more serious things. This package has kept us sooo busy that certain parts of our brain , responsible for healthy skeptism, are not being allowed to develope.
The MUMUFICATION of the primitive tribes of West Africa is complete.

I laughed till my ribs ached when I read this

frosbel:

Thank you for this intelligent comment.

In their pride though, they will never get it, for pride is a stumbling block in their pathway to the TRUTH !!

My friend stop talking about truth because you obviously do not know what it is. . . .

BlueDiva:

My God is not a jerk sir.
On the contrary, he rewards each and everyone accordingly.

God did not tell the woman to sell her car, her pastor probably did.
People blame God and the devil for almost everything in this world.

However, God just gives guidance, and all decision are ours to make.

Of course he's not a jerk, he only rewarded accordingly with permanent limp.
Maybe it was god that gave her guidance to give her car to the pastor. Maybe the pastor got his guidance from god. Or maybe god didn't give guidance to neither one and he just watched the pastor use his name to defraud the poor lady who ended up breaking her leg. Maybe god isn't there.

frosbel:




I laughed till my ribs ached when I read this

You really are slow!!! The joke is on you so why are you laughing? You are the african that has been "MUMUFIED".

mazaje:

My friend stop talking about truth because you obviously do not know what it is. . . .

ROFLMAO

I was about to say the same thing.

You really are slow!!! The joke is on you so why are you laughing? You are the african that has been "MUMUFIED".

The type that ramble on and on about matters of which they have no full comprehension.

Intelligence turns into foolishness when it starts to disprove reality and fact.

Sorry to say , but I yearn for the day when you and your gang of rampaging godless fanatics are delivered from your blindness to spiritual matters.

frosbel:


The type that ramble on and on about matters of which they have no full comprehension.

Intelligence turns into foolishness when it starts to disprove reality and fact.

Sorry to say , but I yearn for the day when you and your gang of rampaging godless fanatics are delivered from your blindness to spiritual matters.  

Don't hold your breath. You have a better chance drowing a fish than me becoming an ignoramus like you.

The mind of the African is still evolving. We are still stuck back in the dark ages and have .not reached the age of enlightenment yet.

And africans will never reach enlightenment until they shake off this persistent and debilitating mind virus called, RELIGION, from their lives.

manmustwac:

The mind of the African is still evolving. We are still stuck back in the dark ages and have .not reached the age of enlightenment yet. 

lol  one would have thought thay after all these atheist yapping they would have atleast prove to us how their lives are better off being atheist, since they are enlightened pls atleast use your enlightenment to invent some solution and improve your lands of origin, when you are able to show how this ignominious pit u have chosen can improve lives in Africa they we would take atheism seriously,or are your brains yet to evolve to enlightenment? well i am off to do what every African knows best PRAISE ALLAH! 

^^^We are unable to because people like you and other religious nuts are in the majority and dont allow us to build a truly secular and modern society which will benefit our progeny. What people believe is our business as it affects us all. What Africa needs is enlightenment and a new definition of who we are and were were we plan on going.

vedaxcool:

lol  one would have thought thay after all these atheist yapping they would have atleast prove to us how their lives are better off being atheist, since they are enlightened pls atleast use your enlightenment to invent some solution and improve your lands of origin, when you are able to show how this ignominious pit u have chosen can improve lives in Africa they we would take atheism seriously,or are your brains yet to evolve to enlightenment? well i am off to do what every African knows best PRAISE ALLAH! 

This man is completely gone in his delusion. . . .How has praising Allah helped in improving the cesspool that is Africa today? How have the people's excessive religious beliefs helped them? Last time I checked most of the countries in Africa still have some of the lowest life expectancy in the world, no?. . . .A lot of solutions are there to help improve the lot of Africans but how do you improve the lot of people when majority of them believe that the world is going to end during their life time?. . . .Its already a lost case. . .Until Africans do away with religion nothing will change, the developed nations were once like that, once they did away with religion and embraced enlightenment, they started making progress. . . .

Africans are among the most religious people on earth due to failure of family upbringing, failure of human rights and the rule of law, failure of educational system, social and political pressure and bad governance. Africans are religious because they cannot but be religious.

What a sad conclusion (smh)

Africans for the most part are/were very spiritual and even in the absence of Christianity/Islam they were/will still be observing certain rites pertaining to their individual god(s). I don't necessarily believe that a person of faith is somehow redundant mentally compared to those who have swallowed every precipitate that Science/Technology has rendered.

Until Africans do away with religion nothing will change, the developed nations were once like that, once they did away with religion and embraced enlightenment, they started making progress.

What an utterly silly statement.

America is one of the most religious countries in the world and is also the most advanced. I will give you a long rope to try and refute this so that I can 'hang' you with it. 

Saudi Arabia and Dubai are also ALLAH countries even though I shiver to say they are also well of and advanced.

Britain , Germany etc were until the last few decades ( and in many cases still are ) very religious countries.

Tell me where you get your daft ideas from  !!!!

frosbel:

What an utterly silly statement.

America is one of the most religious countries in the world and is also  the most advanced. I will give you a long rope to try and refute this so that I can 'hang' you with it. 

Saudi Arabia and Dubai are also ALLAH countries even though I shiver to say they are also well of and advanced.

Britain , Germany etc were until the last few decades ( and in many cases still are ) very religious countries.

Tell me where you get your daft ideas from  !!!!

It's a myth that America is the most advanced country in the world. They have the highest rate of poverty in the developed world, the highest infant mortality, the highest rate of illiteracy, the highest crime rate, the lowest life expenctancy, the worst health and educational systems, etc. Their demographic statistics are simply awful compared to those of Western Europe or even Canada. The US is a great place only if you're rich and most Americans aren't. It's the welfare of the people that decides a country's level of development, not how powerful its latest fighter jet is.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are only developed because of their oil money which is several times more per capita than Nigeria earns. They don't have a real or sustainable economy. Saudi Arabia's health statistics are just as bad as any other 3rd world country. In addition UAE only seems developed when you ignore the huge numbers of migrant workers (who actually outnumber the indigenes). The level of inequality in that country is shocking. What they have there is nothing less than a system of modern slavery.

It's a myth that America is the most advanced country in the world. They have the highest rate of poverty in the developed world, the highest infant mortality, the highest rate of illiteracy,

Please post your sources to verify the above info !

the highest crime rate, the lowest life expenctancy, the worst health and educational systems, etc

.




Worst educational system and yet their tertiary schools dominate the top 10 in the whole world.

America has the one of the best healthcare systems in the entire world, of course there is an issue of affordability but the poorest of the poor have free medical care.

Even the British elite go to the US for treatment now and again.

Their life expectancy is about 80 years , is that not healthy in your opinion.

Oh common , you can do better.

Still waiting for your sources !

The problem with Africa is that the continent is retar.ded in the old (or french) meaning of the word, i.e. slow. We are lagging behind the developed countries of the world demographically. The west used to be just as religious and superstitious as we are now but they grew out of that a century or two ago. On the other hand we are still stuck in the dark ages.

There are many possible explanations for this: economic exploitation by the west (e.g. slavery); ethnic fragmentation leading to wars (also caused by the west); the high disease burden; the harsh tropical climate; etc. There are a few signs that we're catching up with them and a few countries are nearly there (Botswana, Rwanda) so I'm optimistic for the future. One thing is sure though, for Africa to develop religion has to take a back seat.

^^


avoiding my evidence and repeating the same atheist lie , aye

frosbel:

What an utterly silly statement.

America is one of the most religious countries in the world and is also  the most advanced. I will give you a long rope to try and refute this so that I can 'hang' you with it. 

Saudi Arabia and Dubai are also ALLAH countries even though I shiver to say they are also well of and advanced.

Britain , Germany etc were until the last few decades ( and in many cases still are ) very religious countries.

Tell me where you get your daft ideas from  !!!!

It is a LIE America is NOT the most religious country in the world the most religious countries are to be found in Africa. . . .According to this research published on CNN it says even the least religious country in Africa is more religious than the USA. . . . . .

Africans among world's most religious people, study finds
By Richard Allen Greene, CNN

That puts even the least religious countries in the region ahead of the United States, which is among the most religious of advanced industrial countries, the study's authors wrote.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/04/15/africa.religion/index.html?hpt=Mid

frosbel:

Please post your sources to verify the above info !

Google is your friend.

Worst educational system and yet their tertiary schools dominate the top 10 in the whole world.

American school age children routinely test well below their peers in other developed countries in reading, comprehension and maths skills. Nobody measures educational development using the tertiary level. The vast majority of people don't go to college.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0923110.html

America has the one of the best healthcare systems in the entire world, of course there is an issue of affordability but the poorest of the poor have free medical care.

Even the British elite go to the US for treatment now and again.

Best has many meanings. They may have the best machines and the most expensive equipment but when tens of millions cannot afford even basic preventative care, its a bit difficult to claim that they're the best. Also, the bolded above is a barefaced lie. Stop watching Fox News.

Their life expectancy is about 80 years , is that not healthy in your opinion.

Their life expectancy is 78.3 according to Wikipedia. They are 36th in the world right behind Cuba, a third world country. Macau is actually 27 places above them! I said that they had the lowest life expectancy in the developed world but it turns out that Portugal's is slightly worse, my bad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy