EVANGELISM IN NIGERIA: IGNORANCE SOAKS PEOPLE IN THE RELIGION

Religion is the symbol of humanity and the society where it resides. In Nigeria, apart from the ethnicity, religion is another tool that drives people apart in the country. It is the symbol of any embodiment that belongs to certain religion, even if one belongs to a tribe; it is the religion that will draw a boundary between one and people of one’s flesh. Apparently, religion entails following the commandment of the prophet, ancestors or any present leaders in the religion whom they are regarded as priests.

    Priests are like shepherds while the followers are the similitude of objects being directed to certain areas. Whether right or astray objects follow the directives, echoed from the voice of the shepherd—actually, this is how religion is practiced in Nigeria. But the question is, is all what the priests say should be followed? The answer is no. Therefore, all must have thinking box where preaches will be known whether right or wrong. Since there is scripture, individual can ponder into any page, just to confirm whether what is said is valid or not-since both the priest and brethren are going to the same heaven, but the only difference in this life is that one is civilized in the religious realm than the others.

    Ignorance makes people follow priests blindly. The dogmatism forges people to be myopic mentally; to them, the priest is omniscience- but all sees it in the scripture that God is omniscience. Priest is omniscience too? Sometimes when it is clear that someone who is morose, calling himself a priest (whether Alfa or pastor), people, dogmatically believe in such human and unfold their minds in the heart of the cruel. The blame, not in all cases to be directed to those who label themselves priest, but people who soak themselves in the shade of their darkness. Some of these priests are not even passionate to mislead people at the onset. It is those dim-witted souls who call ordinary human, who is equal or lower than them a priest- when such do something ace to them.    

     Sometimes it is the negligence of the people towards seeking knowledge of their religion that soak many in darkness today. Knowledge is infinite. Religion needs knowledge. Many remained drenched in ignoramus dusk due to the negligence for knowledge and reliance on only what the priest said in mosque or church. People in the religion do not seek knowledge for what they are doing; rather the claim of superiority in the religion becomes the order of the day. It is ironical that someone who does not have knowledge of his or her religion claims the superiority of his or her religion. But it would be better if the time spending on the superiority of the religion is spent on the knowledge of it.  

    Extremism also constitutes to the factors that draw people back from what they need to know in the religion. Though religion is the identity of those who practice it, but it appears many people in this society have been overwhelmed in the religion through excessive love they have for it. Love of the religion has made many to live in another wall of life. Through their callous minds, they overbalance the little responsible being assigned to them, discarding their need to be effective to the society where they find themselves. So many of this happens across the boundary of the country. Some hate their relatives today all because the latter belongs to another religion, thus enmity grows like the grass planted on the shore of the sea coast. What is now the religion? But it is popularly believed that human race hailed from only one household—that is from Adam and Eves (or Hawaw). That means everyone most worship only one God, one religion. Ill-matched in the belief today is how people practice the religion-not how religion is to be practiced.

    The effect of this is highly pathetic. Brethren are at the receiving end when the evil from the ignorance comes. Since it is agreed that the priests are the omniscience who can channel their route to the almighty God—this is where the evil starts. The instance of this is when a member of the religion is combating with luminous challenges in life, going to the priest for way out- rather the challenges is about ten-inch  when the victim leaves the cleric: especially women, they always fall into this trap. The case is when a barren seeks for God’s favor to be productive, through her Lord in the religion; the first answer is vicar asking her to sleep with him so that she will have spiritual children and brought up through the eyes of God. So many falls into this trap today and society is polished with evils.   

    In a nutshell, religion is the identity, religion is light but many are in darkness due to their ignorance. Maybe that believe is strange to them, seeking knowledge would have been the main solution. Rather than being soaked in the religion and know nowhere to go as if God is not aware of the incidence in everyone’s life. Sometimes self-propagation is better when the evil grows beyond the ears.