The road to perdition is hardly cleared, it’s never smooth. The road to perdition is also difficult to travel through. Nothing good comes easy, nothing bad also comes easy. The moral of the story, nothing comes easy. It occurred to me that religion has been malfunctioning in Nigeria. It is still an art that the colonialists left for us. If something loses function it becomes an art. Paintings from Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh had a function of expressing messages, but today they are auctioned at high prices at Christies and Sotheby’s. Why? Because they have lost function to mass communication and have become an art. When the colonialists came they missionized Africa in a paternalistic manner, caring for outcasts in the Igbo society and the dejected all across the nation. The religious institution they created was an art form. Much progress has been made though to express function, especially by the Pentecostal churches who offer deliverance from metaphysical connections that in local terms are obstacles to human well being. They have also fostered entrepreneurship by encouraging people to be independent and hope on God for financial success. But there is one important thing religion has not done-adequately contributing to shaping power relations in the society.
Recently, a pastor came to my house and prayed with us, in the course of the prayer he said, In Jesus name even if they remove the subsidy, your grace is sufficient. I felt this was selfish, for our responsibility is not only to ourselves, it is also to society. Hence, the biblical saying “Love thy neighbour as thyself”. What finally struck a chord in me was when I saw a catholic priest in Madala, in one of the churches that was affected by the bombs telling members of the church to pray and not worry. I asked myself, what happened to the functionality of religion? Why can’t the affected churches take a protest to Jonathan? Many who don’t understand functionality of the church from my point of view need to understand the role that the church played in modifying and adjusting social and political relations in the world, especially in Europe. King Henry had to break away from the Catholic Church to marry a new wife. In United States Martin Luther King jnr fought against racial discrimination vigourously, Malcolm X also did same. Archbishop Desmond Tutu helped to pull down the apartheid system in South Africa. What is happening in Nigeria? People are asked to pray when they should take to the streets to protest against corruption.
Many of our leaders go to religious leaders for prayers on regular basis; I wonder what they tell them? I think they may not be telling them enough. Our religious leaders should invoke the powers of trust that their congregations repose in them to bring about change in this country. They should stop asking people to pray for wealth and prosperity, when greater problems would arise that would make any improvement in their lives meaningless. I am a Christian and I am not saying prayer is not good. But we must tell ourselves the truth, if it was by prayer alone, the various prophets and apostles in the bible would not have gone for wars or engaged in civil disobedience by engaging in acts against the law of the land by preaching the gospel. That s what religion stands for; defiance, rigour, improvement in societal values and norms. The beauty is that religion in countries where it came from is not an art form, it is functional. The King James Bible went through a lot of process before it was finally published. But many here practising religion in art form would stand on the portion that says if anyone removes from this book, his name shall be removed from the book of life.
Even the Pope, makes calls against inhuman leadership and sufferings. Archbishop Olubunmi Okogie and Reverend Father Kukah have also tried in ensuring functionality of religion by speaking against dictatorships and bad civilian leaders. Imagine the number of Christians that attend retreats and camps. Imagine the number of people who troop for deliverance services and regular services. Imagine if they are mobilized against bad leadership, not to carry arms. But to demand accountability, to shun corruption by whistleblowing.Imagine if Christians are encouraged to ask their councillors and local government chairmen questions. The other day people got whim of a prayer and fasting Pastor Adeboye of redeemed ask them to do. A lot of people had said their prayers in the evening only to hear while eating that it wasn’t true.
If religion has such potential to gear citizens to action, what is it still doing? I think many of us need to redefine what we want as a society. We also need to identify what role religion plays as an art form or function has been playing. We need to responsible to society. Religion should be borne in the society, not society in religion. Our problems are peculiar, thus religion must function in a peculiar form that doesn’t violate religious precepts or foundations.
The true function of religion is to make the society a better place. It is not to serve self alone; others are also to be served. How can you serve people in Adamawa, whose voices can’t be heard by praying alone? I think prayer has turned to routine for many of us, such that when we should speak up, we pray, even while our loved ones are being killed we pray, when Jesus asked the apostles to protect themselves. We must to pray alone! We must Watch and pray! Let’s start watching, we have prayed enough!
