tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540911873094895295.post9025879087042171858..comments2024-03-20T01:16:54.017+00:00Comments on Akin Akintayo: Nigeria: The need to arrest the spate of religious vampiresAkin Akintayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254117443398207562noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540911873094895295.post-48750987138143814482011-10-31T21:00:11.261+00:002011-10-31T21:00:11.261+00:00Hello Anengiyefa,
The arrest in my title was not ...Hello Anengiyefa,<br /><br />The arrest in my title was not related to the police apprehending the religious culprits, rather the context was related to having to deal with the proliferation of these unaccredited organisations that prey on gullible people.<br /><br />However, despite the fears you expressed, in the case of Therese, those rotten preachers are now in police custody - I hope with time more people will be able to distinguish between the real deal and error, in the process, exposing those vampires.Akin Akintayohttp://akinblog.nlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540911873094895295.post-32730664524806506182011-10-31T20:31:32.042+00:002011-10-31T20:31:32.042+00:00Hello Akin, it surprises me somewhat your suggesti...Hello Akin, it surprises me somewhat your suggestion that these greedy "pastors" simply be arrested. By whom shall they be arrested if I may ask?<br /><br />The problem is that the majority of Nigerians have a deep-rooted superstitious nature that has been carried through the generations from pre-colonial times. And although these superstitious beliefs have now rearranged themselves around Christianity and other more modern beliefs, (as opposed to some sculpture or carved statue somewhere in the forest, at the feet of which a live cockerel must be sacrificed from time to time), it is still based essentially on the belief in magic, (or "miracles", as the so called Christian ministers like to call them). Hence the gullibility, because these people want and expect a miracle!<br /><br />Therefore, I can only wonder at the prospect of a superstitious Police DPO ordering his equally superstitious junior officers to effect the arrest of a revered "man of God" and the uproar and the backlash that will be unleashed. And to what end, since the arrested person will simply be replaced immediately?<br /><br />To my mind, the root cause of all of this is the hopelessness that people feel, arising from our failure as a society to lift large numbers of people out of poverty. Religion provides poor people with something to hold on to and that is why broadly, there is a correlation between the most religious societies and those with large numbers of poor people. In Nigeria, more than 80% of the population live below the poverty line. <br /><br />And while I am not suggesting that all religious people in Nigeria are poor, it certainly is the case that the majority of Nigerians are indeed poor, (even though many of us like to pretend otherwise). And religion alone offers most of these people with a measure of hope of escaping their condition. It is from this direction then that this matter must be addressed. It is the means by which to achieve a long term solution..<br /> <br /><br /> Anengiyefahttp://twitter.com/anengiyefanoreply@blogger.com