Against Popular Opinion, Religion May Send Us To Hell – – – Man, from the very beginning, has always been subjected to a higher authority. Whether it is a spiritual or legal authority, there is a long train of masters occupying the hierarchy. To simply put, man has a master who has a master who also has another master, till it reaches the final master, a supreme being as people call it. The conjecture which grew to become the popular belief of people is they are created to reverence the supreme master. This idea births the concept of followership and rituals rendition. What appears to be the problem is not the argument against the existence of a supreme being, though there is, but in this case, it has nothing to do with the ideological positions and differences between an atheist and a believer.

Everyone agrees, save the atheist, that there is just one Supreme Being, the creator of heaven and earth, and all that lives in both. But the beliefs and understanding that create this agreement come through distinct channels. Thus, there are many religions. For the atheist, let us agree that not believing in the existence of a God is itself a religion that does not follow general agreement. A major idea of atheism is there is no supreme being. But something surprising howbeit disturbing about the other religions is they believe in one Supreme Being but their ideas are conceived on different foundations. So many religion foundations, yet,all agreeing to one thing; God. Can the world get any more confusing?

Religions mold the lives and existence of the followers. The relationship between the Supreme Being and the follower and how he relates with the external environment are all dictated by his religion. The acceptance of this is however reducing as the world continues to move in the path of civilization and modernity. Thus, people are buying into the concept of self-awareness and self-ownership, which is the existence of man outside the scope of religiosity and divinities.

For most civilized countries, times are fast changing. Man’s realization of self and his interaction with surrounding authorities now shape his belief – the religion of self and individual perception. The religion of self and individual perception is becoming prevalent as the safe mode of worship as people prefer to believe they are responsible for their choices and what they experience. This is not to say they do not believe in a supreme being. The idea is, there is God and there is man. They believe God works in mysterious ways and can intervene in situations.

Nonetheless, they prefer to remove religious foundations from the relationship they have with God. For instance, No religion whether Christianity, Islamor any other is in the picture. It is simply the case of God and Man and the relationship that exists therein.

If one is yet to figure out the reason behind this breakout from being subjected to religions and the directions from religious leaders, Africa should be put under consideration to make a clear-cut understanding. The case of Africa’s extent of religiosity and divinity is such an interesting one. The black people’s weigh on spiritual followership holds a high effect in their living and doings. Having a religion is okay and following the dictates of the religion is not bad either. But the way Africans have embraced religions shows the difference between the presence of civilization and the lack thereof. Comments may read that “it is far too much and preposterous.”
With cases too many to count, African countries have recorded religious silliness involving absurd and unthinkable activities surrounding the practices and actions of various religious denominations and their leaders.

The absence of civilization or the non-acceptance of the changes it is supposed to bring into the lives and existence of Africans continues to darken their understanding and inner rediscovery. With religions having many twists and turns, a common black man is thus left at the mercy of fabricated religious directives. Since he has failed to place himself in the position of a man created to be self-aware and with the understanding that he has a unique relationship with his Supreme Being, he becomes a slave to the preacher and an intoxicated follower. If civilization is quantifiable, there is not enough to deliver these people from the blindfold of religious slavery.

Nigeria has its fair share of religious slavery. The numbers of brainwashed citizens beat that of those who subscribe to rationality, logic, and self-rediscovery. A large number of people are under the spells of religious leaders. Apart from the reality that a religious leader can employ traditional means (juju) to exploit the innocence of followers, some by their will and mindfulness submit themselves in the name of being “diehard and faithful” disciples. The perception of religion has become the submission to the dictates and ideals of the various religious denominations in their specificities. So, while they all believe and worship the same Supreme Being, their ways, habits, and procedures are different. This alone is enough to raise confusions about the existence of man and his creator.

A discourse could set in from the recent comments made by religious leaders regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the shutdown order affecting the open operations of religious groups, commentaries have been flying around, either accepting the closure or protesting against it. Some supposedly father figures in the “religion sector” wholeheartedly agree to the closedown directive whilst others preach against it. An argument is whether spirituality resides within the walls of a building or in self. As earthlings, should earthly religion be placed above personal perception of the existence of God and understanding of individual faith? There is a current conflict between “man and his relationship with God” and “man and his religion.” The only questionable character here is the “religious leader.”

The question here bothers on whether religious leaders are confusing the people and selling the ethics and morals of “their own faith” instead of telling them what it is and what should be. For instance, raising the idea of faith against the coronavirus infection is the best thing any religious leader could commit to during this period. But at the same time, faith does not agree with negligence. Except in a spiritual warfare, an intentional act or inaction in the face of clear and obvious consequences cannot be considered an exemplary form of spirituality. Spiritual faith does not commit to negligent behavior.

There is a lot surrounding religions and religious practices in the country, with people continuously exhibiting loyalty to their religious doctrines. They exist in the dogmatic world of faith formed by different opinions and discrepancies on what is right and wrong. Alas, the confusion subsists and different questions are pushed forward for answers. The case of faith becomes what they say and not on individual’s personal perception of the existence of God and what He is capable of. There is a blockade when it comes to individual revelation and spiritual standing. People continue to live inside the walls of manipulation and exploitation under the guise of being religious.

There is a popular saying that God has no religion. True religion, if there is any, should be about the relationship between man and what he believes. The idea of submission to specific principles should be out of the equation. Man is not created for a religion but to know and revere the Supreme Being. If God has no religion but expects a relationship with and from every person, then religion and its conformity may end up sending us all to hell.

Babatunde Titilola is from Oyo state. A final year law student of Obafemi Awolowo University. He is a campus reporter and practices as a freelance journalist. He is the incumbent President of the Association of Campus Journalists OAU.

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