EDITORIAL :21st Century Churches, Religion or Business

Musa Zimunya 

WINDHOEK, FEB 22 – . I once visited a drinking hole where a friend blissfully claimed that my personally selective opinion had been ignorant toward the church I was raised in (Catholic church.) My accomplice eagerly pointed out that my perceptions toward other beliefs would most certainly place me as a regular fixture alongside a chasm of doom. I was informed that the “orchestrator of everything negative, terrifying and evil – Satan himself had been my recruiter!” Her reasoning for such an analysis was simple: “your thoughts are based on the primitive premises of the Catholic Church, which you have singled out subjectively as the sole ‘beacon of religion.'”

A constant reality one might face within their lifetime is the no-holds-barred debate centered around religion. And depending on your perception, a dynamic world where science has proven that consuming petrol – among other things – is not part of a healthy diet, yet of course perception tends to be viable.

However, an innocent slip of the tongue challenging hardcore religion could indeed outline the threads of the noose that hangs an individual, or even warrant a bombing upon your premises…

The 21st century is moulded upon facts abundantly pregnant on the foundations of evolution and science.

For example: the never-ending constant keeping us planted on earth that is gravity; the harnessing and manipulation of fire into terrifying weapons that has evolved from the act of cooking edibles, stretched to the plausible decimating of villages at the push of a button; or even the simple plantation of a seed that results in crop yield after watering, followed by the effects of photosynthesis.

These are hard-facts cemented on proven scientific breakthroughs that constantly challenge the human mind to think outside of the box for more effective resolutions. While these examples wield strengths and weaknesses that have undoubtedly, constantly provided a solid framework that encapsulates “intelligent life” as we know it, what we call the brain has become accustomed to manufacturing delusional theories as an offspring of denial.

HISTORY

For centuries, religion has been engrossed in an existential battle against science – a battle that challenges the very core of its (religion’s) existence. The evolution of science has presented questions that religious conduits have failed to comprehend, and yet that is not the beginning nor is it the end of that age-old argument. However, the realisation of a choice is evidently the Rubicon of an individual’s destiny.

Is denial refusing to believe, or can it be classified in a few words: An age old response the brain thrusts upon its beholder so as to escape reality?

Modern day prophets, soothsayers and countless other individuals that prey on uncertainty have constantly cast doubt in the minds of innocent souls. From the famous Y2K bug, to the now-present “front row seat with the pastor” money-making schemes.

The desperation that lurks among followers is a weapon and upon it dreadful suffering is projected as a result of “non-conformity.”

Non-conformity constitutes the lack of donation of funds to the church at a minimal… At its highest order, it pushes followers to abandon all sense and reality, in order to plunge them into an unprecedented world of sexual acts (for women) or a side-dish of worshiping symbols constructed to fathom a sense of control.

In its current nature, non-conformity has been portrayed as a signal indicating a step toward the depths of hell – a platform that remains a mystery to followers, and yet a definitive pit of suffering as described by “Modern-day Prophets.”

When I was writing this particular piece, I did not meet a violent death. Neither did a prophet appear as an apparition suffocating my thoughts.

What matters most is the fact that religion is not bad, and neither is science.

People value loyalty, and that alone is abused not only by politicians, but also so called “men of the cloth.” Charlatans,” in my opinion, have corrupted the mind of countless desperate souls and manufactured a wave of doubtful opinions.

Concepts of self-objectives, self-realisation or even self-actualisation have been cast into obscurity while a new breed feasts on the sadness, and the hopelessness that drives congregants toward them, often clutching at straws.

Government needs to carefully scrutinise different churches, if it ever is to quell the rise of churches that enslave followers and drain their pockets.

As this is an unprecedented event, the Namibian government is placed in a unique position. While it has got a lot of work to do, and it is tackling a new wave of criminal aspect, there is also a chance to review what exactly other religious platforms bring to the table.

Indeed, it is unprecedented, but one of the most primitive reflexes of the human species is in fact denial. – musa@namibiadailynews.info