By Valentine Obienyem
I often write about religion, and by its very nature, it is a subject on which I am frequently and deliberately misunderstood. Any serious engagement with religion, especially one that questions its social consequences, almost inevitably provokes hostility. I recall an interview granted by Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu in which he spoke about religious war. He said he would never wish such a war on Nigeria because, once people begin to fight in the name of religion, they take leave of their reason. That observation has stayed with me.
This, indeed, is the kind of reaction one encounters when writing critically about religion. No matter how rational or carefully argued one’s position may be, the responses often come in torrents of abuse rather than reasoned debate. People simply take leave of their reason and argue unbecomingly, driven more by emotion and blind loyalty than by logic.
Yet it must be stated clearly, lest my argument be distorted: religion, in itself, is not evil. At its best, religion seeks to elevate human conduct, restrain excess, encourage compassion, and remind humanity of moral limits. It has inspired charity, sacrifice, social solidarity, and personal discipline across cultures and centuries. What brings religion into disrepute is not its essence, but the manner in which some people deliberately corrupt it – employing it as a tool to justify, conceal or sanctify evil.
History is replete with examples. Wars of conquest were waged under the banner of religion. Our forefathers killed human beings to appease dieties hungry for blood. In more recent times, terrorism, insurgency, and sectarian violence have been rationalised with religious rhetoric, even though such acts stand in direct contradiction to the moral teachings they claim to defend. Closer to home, some self-styled religious leaders prey on poverty and fear, extracting money, loyalty, and obedience from followers while living lives of extravagance, deception, and moral contradiction.
A personal experience during the 2023 elections illustrates this mindset—stupefying absurdities. Someone who even read philosophy and should be the custodian of wisdom called me to say that all indications pointed to Mr. Peter Obi’s victory, but that for this victory to be “sealed,” he needed to go to Sokoto prison to meet Reverend King. I asked, somewhat sarcastically, whether this was not the same pastor condemned to death for murder. The caller then took time to explain to me how the conviction was supposedly a frame-up. Of course, in our line of work, not every piece of nonsense can be passed on to one’s principal; otherwise, we would suffocate him with excessive and useless information. Messages like that are usually mentioned only casually, perhaps later, when one is discussing the folly that often accompanies religious thinking.
Indeed, religion has led human beings to do much harm – not because it commands evil, but because evil often finds refuge within it. It has driven some people to acts that are otherwise unimaginable, while providing clever and unscrupulous individuals with a powerful instrument for deception. One need only observe the conduct of some who call themselves “men of God.” At present, the public is entertained and disturbed by the ongoing saga involving Pastor Chris Okafor and Lady Ogala. One wonders why law enforcement agencies have not deemed it urgent to investigate the claims made, visit the alleged site, and excavate it in order to establish the truth.
Even my good friend, Mr Emeka Madunagu, agrees with me on almost every issue—except religion. On this subject, he may dismiss me as an extremist, using the abusive language common in such debates. He may be right in his view; I may be right in mine. This disagreement highlights the danger of religion divorced from reason: it resists clarity, thrives on ambiguity, and often defies rational resolution when separated from ethical accountability.
Watching closely the lives of many who present themselves as men of God, I am increasingly persuaded that some of them may not even believe in God at all. Judging by what we see and read about figures like Pastor Chris Okafor, one is compelled to ask: does such a man truly believe in God? Anyone genuinely convinced that God exists in the way these people claim, anyone who truly believes that God speaks directly to them, would surely be overwhelmed by the desire for the beatific vision. Such a person, I dare say, would find the urge to sin diminished, if not extinguished altogether.
Religion, then, has undeniably been used by human beings to commit many terrible acts. This is not a new observation. Long before the era of Christ, the Roman philosopher Lucretius wrote “Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum” (“To such great evils could religion persuade men.”)
If one were to begin listing all the evils committed in the name of religion across history, one might exhaust an entire pen before finishing. Yet the deeper truth remains religion did not create those evils – human ambition, fear, and greed did. Religion merely became their cloak. The question, therefore, remains: was Lucretius right or wrong?
