Our mentality of religion goes a long way in thinking of God through religion. Many said religion is the spiritual way of communicating between man and God, Some said it is a way of living effective life through the word of spirit.
According to the advanced Oxford, dictionary said religion is the act of believing in a spiritual or metaphysical reality which often includes at least one deity, accompanied by practices or rituals about the belief.
Having said that, Nigerians believe in three traditional religions, Christianity, the Islamic religion, and the Traditional religion.
In the practice of this religion, the traditional religion is believed to be the oldest followed by Islam and lastly Christianity. Muslim believe in God and their prophets likewise the Christians
According to Google, Irreligion in Nigeria is measured at less than one percent of the country’s population. As in many parts of Africa, there is a great amount of stigma attached to being an atheist
Since we started this religion what have we gained?
Comparing today’s religion and then, the olden day’s religion avoids corruption and political activities which today’s clerks do.
The world of the religion of today focuses on the face of society not the face of the holy book. While it also brings peace and unity which today’s religion lacks.
Today religion has been metaphorically bastardized in the ways of their practice, some said that today’s religion is better than the old in many ways in terms of the followings:money, Language short of knowledge, way of practice, and Our mentality, Tribalism, etc.
Money: people say that Money is the root of all evil, which I believe in, but disagree when it comes to religion, we are meant to practice religion with faith and believe in God and not to make money or turn it into business enterprises which many clerks of today have turned it to.
Language/religion propaganda: the language of the religion clerks use to preach today’s gospel has driven it to the graveyard, the way some clerks misinterpret words of the Bible basically to fit their interest and not that of God has driven the people to the wrong part.
Short of knowledge:most of our clerks today are short of words as they don’t know what to preach to the people. This has led to a series of misinterpretations by the people.
Way of practice: the word religion has been delaminated into different Branches, which gives different practices and beliefs to its people and has destroyed the policy of association in the society.
Our mentality: we are the problem of ourselves, we are religious but not holy
we held to religion but we are not religious, we believe only religion can solve our problems which is not.
Tribalism: the tribal difference is also one of the leading challenges. Many people feel favor can only be done based on tribal affinity, Forgetting that even the bible says" thou shall be thy brother’s keeper."
The solution to solving the problem is Love and a change in our mentality toward our religion.
According to the word of God, the holy book proves that love is God and God is love
Sternberg (1988) suggests that there are three main components of love: passion, intimacy, and commitment.
Love relationships vary depending on the presence or absence of each of these components.
Passion refers to the intense, physical attraction partners feel toward one another.
The word love holds much meaning. According to some proof in Corinthians 13. "If I speak in the tongues of men and angels but have not to love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."
"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but has not to love, I am nothing."
"If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not to love, I gain nothing."
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hope, and always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, and I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Haven quoted the Bible, it is obvious that religion is not only the way of worshipping God but through love
Our mentality as I stated, is all the problem of religion and the solution to it, if we can change our mentality of being too religious but not holy to being holy but not too religious our religious state will come to a balanced edge.
Adeyemo Taiwo is an ND 2 student of Mass Communication.
