The brand of religion Nigeria practises is dangerous -By Azuka Onwuka

Any time I hear someone say that if Nigeria is as bad as it is today, imagine how Nigeria would have been without religion, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

There are so many less religious countries that are more godly than Nigeria.

The brand of Christianity and Islam spread in today’s Nigeria actually promotes crime and insecurity. The religion in Nigeria celebrates mammon and extremism as the hallmarks of religion. Sadly Nigeria’s brand of religion focuses on the acquisition of money without making it very clear to the people how that money should come. Consequently, most Nigerians today believe that receiving a bribe is simply God’s blessing. Even churches and mosques offer bribes whenever they face any governmental bottleneck. They give it different names. Contrary to the religious admonition to endure immediate discomfort but not soil their hands, they choose to flow with the crowd. The belief is that whenever government officials present a roadblock, they need to be settled and get the job done. As far as they are concerned, it is not a bribe but generosity to people, PR, facilitation fee, processing fee, transport money, etc.

Members are daily bombarded with messages about not serving a poor God, messages of indescribable breakthrough, and immeasurable favours that they are ready to do anything to become “successful”. And after succeeding, they only need to “sow dangerously” to be forgiven and to open the windows of heaven upon themselves and households. The more they give, the more they are protected and blessed by this special god!

Consequently, the more religious Nigeria becomes, the more ungodly it gets, because there is a kind of desperation that has been instilled in the people to grab whatever is available at all costs. Religion has been packaged as a kind of lottery in which you come solely to reap after sowing.