₦airaland Forum

I read this article on vanguard and was wondering if taking alcohol is a sin
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/09/alcohol-sales-surge-in-nigeria-despite-rising-religious-beliefs/
here is the article from the site.
Alcohol sales surge in Nigeria despite rising religious beliefs
On September 3, 2012 • In Finance
12:50 am
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Alcohol sales in Africa are surging because of economic and population growth, a trend rubbing against the grain of another demographic factor defining the region: intense religiosity. By almost any measure, Africa is an exceptionally devout place and the major growth area for Christianity and Islam.
This should have implications for investors, especially in the fast-growing retail and beer sectors: they must navigate sacred sensitivities in areas such as marketing and factor the faithful into forecasts and demographic profiles for the continent’s population of just over a billion.
Brewing executives have said they tone down their advertising campaigns in Africa and these do tend to be conservative. In Nigeria for example, scantily-clad women tend not to feature on billboards promoting beer brands.
Instead, a man in a suit is portrayed sipping a refreshing cold lager, or more often than not, the ad shows just a giant bottle and glass. According to a 2010 report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, the number of Muslims living in Sub-Saharan Africa rose 20-fold from 1900 to 234 million.
Christianity has grown at an even more blistering pace, with numbers soaring almost 70-fold over the same period of time to 470 million from just 7million. And in the case of Christianity, much of this growth has been concentrated in Pentecostal churches and other evangelical denominations which, like Islam, tend to frown on alcohol.
The Pew survey also questioned people in 19 African countries about their views on alcohol consumption and found that majority in all but three countries – Cameroon, Chad and Democratic Republic of Congo – found it morally objectionable.
“Views on this issue are related to how religious a person is,” said Neha Sahgal, a Pew research associate. What we found is that in most of the countries those who pray several times a day are more likely to find drinking alcohol morally objectionable than those who pray less,” she told Reuters in a phone interview.
Against this backdrop of piety, the conservative approach to advertising seems to be working. Home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies, Africa’s thirst for beer and spirits is surging: analysts estimate beer volumes rose around 7 percent last year. Excluding the mature South African market, growth reached more than 10 percent. Drinks companies want to maintain the momentum.
SABMiller is investing up to $2.5 billion over the next five years to build and renovate breweries on the continent. African sales of rival Diageo, the maker of Guinness, have risen by an average 15 percent in each of the last five years, accounting for 14 percent of the group’s total.
Nigeria’s 160 million people are now the world’s second biggest consumer of Guinness, after Britain, and analysts expect it to take the number one slot within a couple of years. Cameroon, with a much smaller population of around 20 million, is the fifth biggest.
In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, which is evenly divided between Islam and Christianity, church and mosque numbers are exploding alongside beer consumption. Beer turnover in Nigeria is growing faster than its economy. “At the moment, beer consumption is about 19.5 million hectoliters in 2012 and growing at about 8-9 percent per annum,” said Esili Eigbe, an analyst at Stanbic IBTC, who covers the brewery sector.
A number of factors could explain this. Africa’s population is young and many of the region’s converts find their religious zeal only as they grow a little older. In any case, most people’s drinking peaks in their 20s. And a lot of Africans, like a lot of people on other continents, are both religious and thirsty.
“People’s sense of morality sometimes doesn’t correspond with their behaviour. This is not unique to Africa,” said Sahgal, an expert on polling on religious issues. Some Africans are perfectly comfortable with this fact. “Islam advises against alcohol but does not force you. I drink to help me relax after a hard day’s work,” said Wasiu Abudu, a 42-year-old auto mechanic who lives in Lagos.

No wonder Jesus Christ looked at the crowd and had sympathy on them. All he saw in the crowd were bunch of hypocrites spending time and resources to hear the word of God and looking for miracles but their heats were far away from him and that's the present state of modern day christianity.

I had a chat with a friend of mine, i told him that the population of christians in Nigeria is @ least 60 million if not more. Out of this 60 million, about 40 million attend church services on sundays yet the corruption keeps soaring up. I keep wondering what we actually learn in church,or do we just go there to give offerings,sing hymns and listen to sermon then leave behind that self in the church.

Simply Hilarious Logic

http://kennethamaeshi./2012/08/20/ghetto-elitism-and-the-culture-of-hypocrisy-in-nigeria/
I will like everyone in the house to try and read this article. many of us claim to be religious but of a truth we re nothing but simple hypocrites

Kenneth Amaeshi

Nigerians do God. It is almost impossible to find a self-professed atheist in Nigeria. Mosques and Churches are usually filled to the brim on Fridays and Sundays, respectively. Loud chants of God are flamboyantly rendered, literally, from roof tops, in season and out of season. Accessible social spaces are littered with sermons and God talk. The easiest and cheapest way to earn the anti-Christ badge of dishonour is to challenge these God speeches. To an outsider, Nigerians may come across as conspicuous consumers of God.

This ostentatious God consumption, unfortunately, does not bear corresponding fruits in the country. This leaves one wondering if Nigerians merely pay lip service to God and what He expects of them; or do they derive commensurate pleasure and satisfaction from God mockery? Either way, God consumption in the country is a viable industry with active actors on the supply and demand sides of the equation; and the market forces – often anchored on the dark forces of witches and wizards – do not appear to be waning. Nigerians pray for everything, and nothing escapes the clutches of prayers. To an average Nigerian, everything is dependent on God, and God depends on everything. This subtle pantheistic superstition even finds expressions in ungodly activities – e.g. armed robbers praying for success before setting out for their operations, or politicians praying before any deliberations despite the fact that the public sector, in which they are key actors, is now the engine of corruption and nepotism in the country. The private sector is not shielded from this God onslaught. Some firms say morning prayers. These prayers do not stop them from doing anything possible (even ungodly) to enhance the proverbial bottom-line!

Notwithstanding, many Nigerians would not want to be known as ungodly or anti-God, even if their actions are. It is a taboo to be ungodly or atheistic. The society expects you to consume God whether you believe God exists or not. As long as you demonstrate this God consumption, you shall be fine and free. There is no better word for this expected behaviour than hypocrisy. Many Nigerians are hypocrites – otherwise, it would be difficult to account for the level of indiscipline, corruption and class oppression characteristic of many Nigerians. Hypocrisy is in an inauthentic form of existence.

Authenticity is to say and accept that I am a criminal, when I am one. Authenticity is to be who you are irrespective of what others want you to be. It is being true to oneself irrespective of how else one wants to be. The authentic one accepts the vulnerability, and probably the discomfort, of swimming against the tide of public opinion. The biblical Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), despite his sins, was authentic in his encounter with Jesus. He accepted his corrupt practices and when he repented, he made restitutions. Inauthenticity is a fake life. It is a form of concealment. It is a deceitful acceptance to present ourselves as who we are not.

The culture of inauthenticity and hypocrisy has permeated all aspects of the Nigerian society. This is particularly so amongst the emergent upper middle class who are caught up in an identity crisis. They constitute the nouveau riche. They also like to impress and be impressed. They like to give the impression that they are internationally mobile and have global tastes. They like to be in vogue and keep up with trends. Prosperity is their new religion. No one cares, as long as it translates to money. Money speaks; money works. They drive good cars; have good jobs and houses; and their children go to very good schools. Some people in this class think that living the Nigerian dream is to build personal kingdoms (e.g. people overleveraging themselves to belong) living in houses and driving luxury cars they cannot afford, putting their kids in schools where they chase them to pay fees after they have gone on summer holidays on borrowed money! They find a way to isolate themselves from the wretchedness around them. They shield themselves from the masses. They create islands in ghettos. They inadvertently become and constitute the ghetto elites.

Ghetto elitism in itself could be an outcome of hard work – even if it comes across as selfishness. After all, self-interest which often manifests as selfishness is the bedrock of contemporary capitalism. One of the hallmarks of capitalism, as an ideological force, is its ability to mutate and adapt to its context. This ability allows capitalism to be all things for all people. It grants some legitimacy to selfishness, and often masks rogue entrepreneurship as heroism. This mask of heroism is sustained and energised by the complementary practice of reputation and brand management. Reputation and brand management experts are also known for their dexterity in the manufacture and creation of inauthenticity. For instance, most luxury brands are mere empty names packaged and sold to a gullible audience through the market for inauthenticity. In the process, these brands afford us the opportunity to be who we are not – i.e. a mask we hide under to see the world and to be seen. This inauthenticity conceals the fatality of the unbridled pursuit of self-interests, which often culminates in selfishness. Nonetheless, capitalism can be a veritable force for good when tamed and domesticated. Undomesticated and wild capitalism often gives rise to rogue entrepreneurs, ghetto capitalism and elitism. Nigeria, unfortunately, is not short of ghetto capitalists and elites.

Ghetto elitism and the culture of hypocrisy are inseparable twins and dangerous. A society built on such foundations is bound to collapse with time. I see a Nigerian society sleep-walking onto this deadly precipice. The tipping point is not far from us. We all know it. We all feel it; but who will bell the cat? Grandiose God consumption will not save the country. Those who claim to be of God should, at least, be seen to be godly in their everydayness – for by their fruits, they shall be known. God consumption without the corresponding good works is sheer hypocrisy and mockery of God.

The worst thing one can do to oneself is to live an inauthentic life. At the end, the truth shall be known; and whatever is concealed shall be uncovered. Then, the finger of derision shall point the inauthentic and the hypocrite to scorn. Be authentic; be yourself!

Dr Amaeshi is a member of the Thought Leadership Forum (TLF), Nigeria.

Kaduna People:Please contact Operation Yaki on these numbers below 08160005000 08160003030 08160004040 08160002222 08160003333 For quick response in your area.Please Pass this around to help pple in. and around Kaduna.

What about churches that say masturbation, drinking and smoking are ok.

U re daft,even with ur above 180 IQ.whts ur biz if someone had to watch a movie 13 times or 10yrs after it was released.the topic is 'movies with mad twist'.understand a topic before sharing ur myopic opinion-fool.

U need to watch the following movies;

1. Body of lies
2. Usual Suspect
3. Lucky NumberSlevn
4. Righteous Kill
6. Man in the iron mask
7. Angels and Demons

Its unfortunate that many people on NL barely understand posts before they start making comments. The Post said Environmental Impacts of Increased Charcoal Usage in Nigeria. Increased usage means more depletion of forests in Nigeria. Forest serve a lot of purposes in Nigeria. They help sink carbon which we all know is the chief green house gas which increases global warming. aside that, forests serve as home to so many animals. The impact therefore is loss of biodiversity, increased risk of erosion etc.

just like someone rightly posted, its business all the way now-Gospel-Business. you have not even talked about the wives of the G.Os taking over from those that have died. They groom their wives and children so that they can take over in case of their demise. God knows best.

some people here are brainless i guess.instead of suggesting a solution they simply turn the whole issue into some kind of joke. please direct your complain to the following email address: dg@nesrea.org stating the exact location of the church, their time of service and also your phone number for future correspondence. i assure you an action will be taken.

last week a friend of mine got an sms on his phone that he won 1million naira from mtn treasure hunt.a winning code was sent in the sms with the address of the website.guys the website has the same design,layout,colour,buttons,links with mtn official site and the links when clicked takes you to mtn official site.when u enter the site u will be required to put ur winning code.when u put the code they will congratulate u and tell u to fill a form.when u complete the form,u will then be required to confirm ur account information thats when u will be asked to give ur atm card number and ur pin.on submiting the details, u will be told to wait,and guess what,while waiting for their response,ur account is being accessed on interswitch site.pls beware.these guys are way 2 smart

the answer is very simple.engineering of course.engineering is.the mistake of a doctor kills a person at a time while an engineers mistakes kills many at a time.

Guy u dont know what time it is nw.first class or 2.1 doesnt mean u will make it more than those with 2-2 or 3rd class.the 10 richest men and most successful men in Nigeria and the world are not first class or 2.1 holders.pls chek ur time and know whts hapnin.

How come nobody has Said
African Queen by Tuface