Pondering on the true expressions of religion in our society
Religion is a hot-button topic everywhere in the world, and many people pussyfoot around it, especially in these parts. I must confess that I have refrained from writing about it for this exact reason. Will people understand whatever perspective I share and what will happen if they don’t? What if I write something unpalatable to a particular religion and it is not properly received? My concerns are not unfounded as riots have erupted, properties have been burnt, and people have been beaten and even killed for expressing the slightest religious opinion that offends others.
According to Karl Marx, religion is the opium of the people. It is probably the only comfort people have left when they believe or realise that they cannot do anything to influence their circumstances. We trust that God will provide our needs when we ask. We hope that He will make everything better when we are in need. We rest assured in the arms of religion because it provides hope that tomorrow will be a better day. It is a default safety net for many people and it is not unusual to find people praying endlessly for things they have not even taken any action towards achieving.
I think about how religious we are. We make allowances for religion in practically all facets of our lives. We start and end meetings with prayers. If such meetings have a mixed audience, we say one person from each of our dominant religions should take the opening and closing prayers. There are offices where work cannot begin until a morning devotion has been held complete with thunderous praise singing and loud prayers. In some other offices, there is quiet on Friday afternoons as people go to observe prayers at various mosques and prayer grounds.
We demand physical representations of our religion: wear this and not that, say this and not that, do this and not that, go here and not there, forgetting about the true expressions of religion. Sadly, many of the hearts making these demands are the ones who need a compassion code.
Many people are prompted to attend religious events on strict schedules. They quote the relevant portions of their holy books as evidence of their supposed piety but the results they produce in their lives are clearly at variance with this reality. I can never forget the cab guy in Ibadan who insisted on taking our trip off the ride-hailing app we had booked him on because the fare was small and he could make more off the app. It was almost midnight and we agreed as he was the first ride to decide to come and pick us up. The most annoying thing was that he not only played gospel music throughout the 15-minute trip, accompanying it with his out-of-tune voice, but he also had the nerve to ask us to give our lives to Christ because “Jesus is coming soon”. How did he not see the disconnect between cheating his business partner and preaching the gospel? If he hadn’t shown such a serious countenance while saying this, I would have assumed it was a prank.
Why are so many of us able to appear religious but show no compassion for others? I think there is a link to poverty. Not just financial poverty but also mental poverty. One that is focused on God coming down to solve all of our problems without us lifting a finger. Our environment has largely contributed towards ensuring this happens. Many religious leaders have subconsciously promoted this and many gullible people have adapted. We pray about things that we should ordinarily not be praying about. Food, clothing, shelter… No wonder many people’s prayer points change when they move to countries with better economies. Even the way they pray and their presence at religious events changes. It is like coming into the light. If we are so focused on the basics of life, when do we have time to build a non-transactional relationship with God? This brings me right back to how we got to be so poor in the first place. How did we get to where we are? Where was the real religion founded on love?
Why do we spend so much time observing the motions of our different religions if we are only going to go right back to being evil to our neighbours? How are we servants of God in our religious institutions but comfortable with cheating our employers, business partners, and clients? I stand to be corrected but all of the religions preach love. Pure, sacrificial love that demands nothing in return. Love that looks out for the interests of others and not just ours. Love that thinks long-term and not just for immediate benefits. There is a lot more we can do as a people instead of just going through the motions of religion. Granted there may be deeper nuances around this but it is still very important for people to match their declarations of faith with corresponding actions.
To be fair, religion has also had its benefits and impacted our society positively in many ways. Many religious institutions and people are contributing positively towards the upliftment of diverse people and communities. Many have received the much-needed support that made the difference between going hungry and having food to eat, going to school instead of staying home, learning a skill instead of being jobless, and even surviving harmful traditional practices. There is also the emotional and spiritual comfort that comes from imbibing the principles of religion. But I often wonder, what is the benefit of religion if love is absent? If we are so religious in these parts, why haven’t we become as successful as more prosperous nations which do not profess religion as we do? We are not doing something right.
Let us not deceive ourselves into thinking we are religious because we identify with a particular religion and observe the corresponding acts. Love, real and sacrificial love, should be the foundation of religion. Let us go back to the basics and find our way to love. How else can we say that we are God’s children if we do not love one another? If we spend more time expressing true love to all, displaying compassion and kindness, perhaps our society will be much better. This is the way I see things today.