On new year's eve, I decided to attend a church in my neighbourhood, for the cross over service. I arrived at the church at about 11 pm and upon entering the auditorium, an usher led me to one of the seats at the back of the church.
I had hardly settled into my seat when I heard someone shouting at the top of his voice
"Holy oil is still selling o, it's just #5,000 per bottle"
"The Lord has put it into the heart of our father in the lord to bless us with this, he brought it back from his holy journey to Jerusalem last year, and if you don't have it, then your 2020 will not be better than previous years"
"If you have been suffering from failure, stagnation, rejection and so on, then you better have this oil. It will make helpers locate you and your life will never remain the same"
The man went on to advertise different kinds of miracle products that night. From miracle handkerchiefs that supposedly cure bad dreams, to success pens for students, as well as holy water that cures all sorts of diseases. He went on and on, speaking about how many, who bought those items during the last cross over service have come back to testify.
And so the congregation thronged to the section of the crowd where the miracle items are displayed for sale. The clamour was out of this world, the congregation pushed, pulled and climbed over one another, just to partake of the gifts that daddy in the lord has brought back from the holy land. i wish you saw the melee that night, I couldn't help but ask myself a pressing question. Who has bewitched this generation?
At first, I thought it was a church thing, until I heard that similar sales, hinging on the same kind of promises occur in Islamic gatherings too.
I could not help but wonder how anointing oil will make our year better or how miracle pens will help us pass exams.
Don't misunderstand me, I am not against the use of consecrated materials, and this is by no means a critical writing on the conduct of religious leaders. Rather, it is a logical eye-opener that's supposed to raise you from your slumber.
Think about it, has anyone ever achieved success based on the sole fact that they use consecrated items? I have never seen it before. Neither have I seen anyone achieve greatness through prayers, fasting and worship alone.
“Again, you might think that this writer is definitely mad, that I seek to separate you from your God, or that I'm definitely a devil incarnate. Far from it, I only seek to make you more efficient in the new year.”
Paulo Freire in his book, Pedagogy of the oppressed, expressed himself as equal parts Jesus Christ and Karl Marx. He rejected a magical Christianity of divine intervention, which led to passivity on the part of the poor. The kind that shouts I receive in church without really receiving anything.
He didn't dispute the fact that God existed, or that he works in miraculous ways. What he saw and kicked against, was a perceived passivity amongst the poor. He saw a nation of people ready to pray their hearts out in religious centers, rather than work. He saw religious leaders feeding fat on the naivety of the hapless, and that's why he attacked the system.
Most religious leaders have failed us, the very institutions that should uphold us is bringing us down. They tell you that as long as you pay your tithes, offerings and worship God with all your heart, then, your miracle is on the way. They assure you that things will just change for you and that out of the blue, your helper will locate you.
I have seen young Nigerians who have no job, who have learnt no trade and who have not taken one step towards improving themselves, stay in church all day, praying in hard and waiting for their imaginary helper to show up and take them to the next level. The reality is, it is an illusion, there is no such miracle.
Beyond reasonable doubts, I am convinced that, miracles don't feed people. A man who simply chooses to spend all his days in church praying, rather than working will only condemn himself to a lifetime of penury. Miracles are real, and I do not seek to deny that. I have in fact seen many in my lifetime and my life today is testament to God's benevolence. But the fact is that. God does not extend miracles to people who do not deserve it.
God himself encourages us to work, it is clearly stated in the holy books of both the Christian and the Islamic faith. And anyone who refuses to work this year will see their new year prayer request go to waste again.
The youth of today, this supposedly ‘woke' generation, should know better than to repeat the mistakes made by the earlier generation.
They should realize that, religion without work is nothing. They should hustle, and then pray, noting that, the hustle should precede the prayers. They should remember that, their hustle combined with them believe in God, is the pathway to greatness and not the declaration of any Pastor or Imam. After all, it's God that answers prayers, without taking permission from any religious leader.
New year prayer requests mean nothing if you don't work hard to put them into reality. If you don't work hard at those dreams, you will always attend your religious gatherings, shouting "I receive", praying hard, fasting, but achieving nothing.
So, this year, stop waiting for miracles that are never going to happen. Wake up, dig in, do more and be the best you can be at whatever you do, because in reality, that's your best chance at success.