By Richard Odusanya
In our highly pluralistic society, superstition is not easy to define. One person's superstition may be another person's religion. But for the sake of discussion, let's say that superstition is characterized by techniques and expectations that are not scientifically provable (or falsifiable) and apt to be regarded by many as irrational. Let's add that a superstition is a human attempt to control the uncontrollable, to manipulate chaos, and produce a favorable outcome.
Superstition is born of ignorance and, fear, and thrives the most when reason is asleep. This is similar to the words of Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti, a Nigerian musician, singer, and the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. Seun remarked as follows: “No Nigerian pastor has ever performed a real miracle. They are all faking it. All the General Overseer pastors are guilty of the same offenses BBC has accused TB Joshua of. Now the real World for ‘rape’ is TBJ”. Can I fault Seun's position, capital NO! Because a mind controlled by the region is a lost mind.
Similarly, the Vanguard end-of-the-year editorial piece of December 22, 2023, vindicated some of us. Prayers haven't helped any country and it wouldn't start with Africa specifically Nigeria. When a country fails to do what's expected and results in nonsense and jamboree praying exercises, then prayers indeed become a scam and continue being a scam until the dynamics are changed to the fundamentals of economic growth and development.
Sadly, we are just crazy over nothing! Religion as a garment of deceit has done more harm than good. "Religion does three things effectively: divides people, controls people, and deludes people "- Mary Alice Mickinny. Spiritual abuse is the real thing that is sufficiently established in the BBC exposé. Therefore, Attention should be on those who are still alive, using God to manipulate people.
They're using God's name to cover their evil and criminal acts. This is an in-depth analysis that I secured permission to share. Please find below a friend's personal experience:
Yours sincerely was also used for a staged miracle in TB Joshua's Church. It was a terrible experience.
Me: TELL ME ABOUT IT.
I was 21 years at the time when my leg issues started. We had been to the hospitals, but nothing was improving. This time our medical system wasn't so advanced as it is now. About my legs, I still managed to walk unaided then, but from the way I walked, you could see there was a problem. Someone introduced us to TB Joshua's church. Before then we were also seeing the miracles on TV. So, I told my family I wanted to go for healing.
We made the arrangement and that was how I woke up early to the church one morning. When we got there I saw people with different illnesses all lined up outside to see Joshua. Again it was not so easy to have Joshua attend to you personally, his foot soldiers were there to direct people. My ex-boy friend's dad was a staunch member, with his help, they began to attend to me specially. They told me of what to and what not to eat and all.
On the scheduled day of my healing, I was told to EXAGGERATE my condition, that if I do, no matter what I will surely get the healing I wanted. There were WHITE people there who interviewed me, I was told to tell them that I came that day and was about to meet Joshua. Whereas I had been going there for a while before the scheduled healing date.
Facing the camera, I told them I have been on a
WHEELCHAIR for 4 years, which was a LIE. I wasn't using a WHEELCHAIR, but I was made to seat on a WHEELCHAIR that day o. It was with a placard in my hands while I sat on a WHEELCHAIR were written "I CAN'T WALK." They said I should cry and shout "Man of God, help me."Which I did.
So Joshua came out, stretched his hands over me and asked me to stand up. [Remember my condition wasn't so bad the way they made it look] so I stood up just like I used to do. And the congregation bursted into a wild JUBILATION as I walked into the church just like I was walking before, they raised the WHEELCHAIR and were jubilating. I was kind of amused.
I was told to stop all the medication I was taking for my condition. My situation got worse after I left that church, that's the situation I am in till now, didn't get the healing I wanted, I was used.
ME: DO YOU HAVE THE VIDEO OF THIS?
It was shown on TV. They were the ones recording it. It was 2001. We had no camera phones then.
That was the conversation between a friend and one of the victims of religious bigotry and manipulation.
I could go on, but I'll stop here. This is factually empirically incorrect that salvation comes in such forms. At the core, I will find it difficult to disagree with one of the assertions that religion trades in DECEPTION and HYPOCRISY.
I daresay, unequivocally too, and with a very high sense of responsibility, that, it is time to act decisively. Therefore, the time has come for men of good Conscience, Regulatory Agencies, and the Federal Government to be brutally honest with each other for humanity's sake and save our beloved country Nigeria from the activities of Marchants of faith that is rooted in subjugation, manipulation and spiritual fraud.
In conclusion, Karl Marx was more than right! "the soul of soulless conditions" or the "opium of the people". According to Marx, religion in this world of exploitation is an expression of distress and at the same time, it is also a protest against the real distress. In other words, religion continues to survive because of oppressive social conditions.
Finally, with the BBC exposé, I just hope that, people who recklessly go in search of ’MIRACLES’ will learn from the madness and all the esoteric religion beliefs.
Richard Odusanya
odusanyagold@gmail.com
