Of the pious religious lot

It remains to be seen when coronavirus pandemic is declared contained worldwide, places of worship will be same as before. But given the way many Kenyans are religious to the core, there’s no doubt pews will overfill and aisles overflow as majority throngs the churches.

There is also no denying that majority of worshippers do not attend churches because they have faith in God or other deities out there in the pantheon. From time immemorial, Africans have been deeply spiritual before the advent of white man and missionaries to the continent which, after successful brainwashing, saw the converts becoming too religious – and this is the scenario we’ve today.

It is shocking that despite ‘enlightening’ the ‘dark mind’, the missionaries left Africans not independent but interdependent with churches or missions that sent them to Africa in first place. You cannot see a major church in Africa that doesn’t claim to be attached or in partnership with others in different continents particularly in Europe or America. Maybe an exception can be made of local religious sects that are looked down and frowned upon like the Akorinos and other sects for going against the conventional wisdom of the day. 

That said, it is interesting to see and sometimes wonder what consumers of different religious beliefs have turned out to be. What is preached at pulpits as spiritual nourishment maybe indoctrinations that turn believers into worst form of religious extremists. And the preachers themselves are questionable characters, with many passing for pious religious frauds or salespeople in a marketplace with their prosperity gospel.

 If you have ever been hurt deeply by someone as to question religion, probability is the one who hurt you is a religious type. Nothing hurts me to this day than what I have endured at hands of the pious lot, with damage done still festering to date – and this is not self-pity. By the religious type, I don’t mean only the regular church goers but the ministers of gospel as well. Sometimes you wonder if there is anything like ‘godly insults’ or similar unholy invectives the religious lot in their self-righteousness can smear one with. 

That hypocrisy abounds in religion is not an understatement. Witness the Pharisaic lot that sits in seats of honour in churches, those who lead in praise and worship teams, the so called ‘brethrens’ with impeccable testimonies, that pastor with a silvery tongue... and you will be left shocked, and deflated, anytime any of the mentioned has untoward or unsavoury words against you. And I have not been a victim of tongue roiling by these ‘sanctified’ lots once or twice, but countless times.

And a Christian is the kind that will step on your toes, spit on you, then look you straight in the eye and expect you to apologize for same!

A look at many churches returns the picture that most are like fashion houses, social halls or members clubs where individuals meets, amplifies lungs in simulating a mechanical if not a methodical worship pattern with the preachers doing an Eddie Murphy laboured preaching antic, making contributions and departing to continue with their unbridled hypocrisy!

Images: credit