A universal inquest of rationalists and misbelievers has been “How could anyone believe that?” While these groups refuse to have a cartel on diffidence, “doubt” itself as a universal phenomena seem to have an excellent absention among the majority of Nigeria’s theist population. Jesus or Mohammed, take a pick. It’s as if the more illogical things become, the more dauntless they become in their pursuit of the illogicalness.
Don’t go forming a matrix on my system of beliefs based on these short 5 liners. Don’t go deducing what seem to be obvious, that I’m non theist. I am QUITE VERY THEIST and for its worth, one you could delineate ME as a “work in progress”, though confident in my theist believes, my “work in progress” made easier with the absurdity of fellow African “believers” whose pursuit of irrationality never seem to lend interrogation.
When I say “my standards are high” to friends or acquaintances, the first involuntary impulse is to equate such a declaration as having a obvious “caliber” connotation. When I point out that on the contrary, what seems obvious is the last thing on my mind, the conversation usually gets more peering.
These days, people throw around words such as ALLY, TRUST, BELIEVE, FRIEND any which way they want to, whimpering or articulating with a thoughtless diligence on what they are saying.
Having probably reached mid-life, there is nothing more venerable to me these days than the words trust and friend.
Because I don’t clown around with it, it has made the relationships that have passed privately set thresholds, more important. In regards the spiritual, it will remain personal and not subject to any public disclosure. My personal due diligence though, guides my spiritual relationship. Regarding the religious community however, I could not but defer to logic, reason and gumption and this has so far worked out quite well in relating to them. Those interactions that require action and reaction, I leave to logic and “Karma”.
In those instances where rationality beckons, I can’t help but defer to it.
I WILL SAY THIS; DON’T GO MESSING WITH MY PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
Commenting on the phony nature of Nigeria’s religious eminence would be like beating a dead horse. That horse has been beaten quite a few times, unfortunately despite the private jets, the flashy cars, the flashy suits, the very apparent disparity between what is in the bible, what is being said and what is being practiced, their enterprises flourish, the horse can be beaten to near coma, nothing will change.
“Nothing will change” could produce a thousand pages of thesis worthy of a Doctorate, let’s leave that for another day, after all, Nigerians nor Africans nor the followers of the Afghan Taliban do not have a cartel on intellectual dissidence. Meaning-? it’s quite universal.
Where it doesn’t require the setting of high standards, it erstwhile queries my logic some things and a recent example was;
See link (http://transparencyng.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6…)
The conversation between David, (fondly called Papa) the flashy owner of 2 private jets (4 previously) and the congregant goes thus
Pastor David: You have been there for how long?
Girl: I am not a wintch (witch). I am a wintch (witch) for Jesus. My own wintch (witch) is for Jesus.
Pastor David: (Shocked) you are what?
Girl: I am not a wintch (witch). I am a wintch (witch) for Jesus. My own wintch (witch) is for Jesus.
Pastor David: (Bewildered still) you are a fowl devil. Do you know whom you are talking to? Fowl devil (He then slaps her HARD on the face)
Pastor David (continued): Where are you from?
Girl: I am from Imo State. I am not a witch. I am a witch for Jesus.
Pastor: Jesus has no witches. You are a devil. You are not set for deliverance and you are free to go to hell.
Pastor moved on to another girl:
Pastor: When did you get in?
Another girl: I am not a witch but I used to dream that I was with them
Pastor David: Jesus has no witches. You are a devil. You are not set for deliverance
It’s only suitable to cease the continuing farce for the sake of brevity, but it’s conspicuous for all to discern, both the act and the absurdity that is.
There is a lot riding here, ignorance, class, illiteracy, arrogance, laxness, mental incapacity. During the course of re-examining, I wasn’t sure who I was more exasperated with, the parishioner or the enticer in chief. What if the “winch” had a high social standing? Eureka, witches are not usually high on the “social standards”.
In a society that prefers the unknown to the empirical as an aggregate, your answer is a slam dunk.
In the year 2011, a fellow human slaps your face, imminent of the rationalization that brought you into these circumstance, you take it like a winch (witch) you think you are. The circumstances that brought about the exchange between the microphone holder (David) who seem to be in charge of the conversation ( with hefty looking men behind him) makes their conversation more menacingly disparate, unequal because she is there to seek his help (albeit through public humiliation). I doubt the insult, assault and the intensity of it was part of the package.
I have met quite a few like this in Nigeria, rich, connected, comfortable, affluent and in positions of authority but at the logical conclusion, uninspiring, WICKED, SOULESS, artificial, bombast, bogus but Delphic at their best.
I pre-supposed that through friendship and trust and certain guidelines, I knew who god through Jesus was.
I guess I have to re-evaluate and extricate my inquisition because David knows who the devil is. All I need is an appointment with “WINNERS” Maybe I’m in the wrong business, but then again I have a heart and a conscience.
