Who Would You Be Without Religion: Thoughts on the Church, Abortion, Homophobia and its’ correlation to poverty

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As a young child we often tormented each other with the words “die” or “death” and it was no different when I was goofing around with my siblings. One day, my mum came in just as we were playing and all she heard in the sentence was that word “die”. From the expression on her face, you would have thought we said: “Hail the devil”. She warned us never to use the word again because it could invoke the presence of the angel of death. I was told how to think, act and feel. It was tiring for my parents to always answer my questions that started with “Why”.

THE QUESTION THAT STARTS WITH WHY

One day, Ifeoma told me I was too inquisitive and my young mind that had never heard that word rushed home to discover for myself what she meant. I always asked why about everything but religion. Maybe I was afraid of the way people worshipped Him.

The church also did some of my thinking for me. She told me to be PRO-LIFE because abortion was murder and I couldn’t be LGBT because God abhorred such acts. Sects of the church taught me that no one who truly served God would ever die in poverty because the Lord rewards His children both here and in heaven. If you pray steadfastly, your situation MUST change.
I went along with the definitions of the church for a long time, believing without questions or doubts. I was afraid to ask why because I didn’t want to make God angry. Sadly, it affected my spiritual life and my ability to GROW as a Christian. The biggest problem Christians in third world countries have is that people are afraid to ask WHY.

When the priest/pastor says something contrary to your personal beliefs, you simply shun yours as false and accept theirs without investigating what the truth really is. The answers are not always pleasant. They could turn your world upside down and shake the foundation upon which your faith was born. If you never ask WHY you will never know who you are in Jesus.

What is your Christian duty?

Your First duty as a Christian is to believe that Jesus died for you on a wooden cross, your second duty is to have faith that every time you sin, you have received forgiveness when you ask because the righteousness of God is in you through adoption by the blood of the Lamb. Your third duty is to discover Jesus for yourself.

What does this involve? Bringing your personal beliefs, stacking them against what the Spirit tells you is the truth and aligning those beliefs with your Christian faith. This is a very difficult journey that doesn’t have a timeline. It took me two years of soul searching, errors, doubts and conversations with the Spirit to arrive at my answers.

The Priest is not always right

As much as the Spirit of God speaks through the minister on the pulpit, giving him the message to share, some of the messages are borne from the personal beliefs and experiences of the preacher. For example, one of my Priests clearly disliked Buhari and expressed his feelings during the last elections. He also states continuously that it is a sin to be LGBT. I voted for Buhari and I am PRO LGBT. There are other things he says that I don’t agree with but I still love listening to him because I hear the message and it pleases my soul.

Being a Christian doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything your pastor says. Discern for yourself what is the truth and what you don’t agree with. Do your own research, ask questions, let the Spirit lead you to the truth and teach you the Word of God.

Poverty and Fanatism are related

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Most poor people are likely to be more homophobic and judgmental than anyone else. Conversely, they are also the group of people filled with more hope, joy and faith than anyone else in the world. It is inspiring to know that a hard life doesn’t dull our hope for something more. This hope also makes them gullible and afraid; two qualities that a strong Christian should not have.

They are so eager to be found right with God that they forsake the practice of true religion for religion preached and lived by man. They eat up the Gospel exactly how it was served without meditating on the Word. The only words they memorise are prayer points or uplifting verses that fill them with hope or the promise of a brighter future.

In my journey of self-discovery, I learned to limit my personal prayer for worldly wealth as I searched for happiness and a deeper spirituality. I focused on learning and getting behind the scenes of the bible.

What did David feel when he came up against Goliath, why was Samson such a player? Why did the Kings of Israel have so many wives? Why were the Israelites so stubborn and quick to turn away from the Lord after all He did for them? How did Paul stay so strong in the midst of many trials and temptations? What happened to Abraham’s other children apart from Isaac and Ishmael?

By focusing on these biblical heroes and understanding their motives, I saw that they were all human with faults and they only got far in life because they kept God front and centre in their lives.

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Most people like to pick a verse, a nice “blessing” and pray with it. Nothing wrong with that but the rest of the story is just as important. It is hard to focus on the story and getting to know God as he deserves to be known when you’re struggling with poverty. You want the grace from your pastor and the blessings of the bible to touch you but you don’t really want to get to know God.

Not everyone will enjoy wealth in this lifetime. Not everyone that prays for prosperity becomes prosperous. It doesn’t mean that God loves you any less.

The Church must give an incentive for PRO-LIFE

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One of the greatest debates in the Catholic Church is the pro-life argument. The Church doesn’t believe in abortions or contraceptives. I have recently given it a lot of thought and I believe that in today’s world, the church has to be more proactive to foster a pro-life attitude, especially among young girls who are more prone to abortions.

If I wasn’t a Christian, I would be PRO-CHOICE. It is a woman’s body. There should be no question as to whom the decision lies with. The baby has no right to life when it is growing inside a woman’s body. Let her decide what to do with her body, not the government or the church. It is an impediment to our basic human rights of choice and liberty when women are forced to carry pregnancies to full term.

The church should provide incentives that encourage women to have children, especially in third world countries where there is a societal stigma on young mothers. Guilt-tripping has never worked. Young girls turn to unscrupulous doctors who prey on their innocence and vulnerability to perform medical procedures in an unsafe environment that might lead to the death of the patient or other complications.

Support could be in the form of safe havens where young girls can stay for the duration of their pregnancy. Here, they will continue their education, receive training and skill acquisition, attend workshops on the benefits of abstinence and safe sex, support for re-integration into society and guidance on career choices going forward.

If young girls knew there was housing support when their parents threw them out on the streets or a place where they could have their babies away from the prying eyes of the public, it will encourage them to believe that teenage pregnancy is not the end of life.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Intersexed is not a sin

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I had the privilege of meeting an intersexed person sometime in 2013. This individual from Italy told me about the struggles and hate they’ve had to put up with their entire life because of a part of their body they had no control over. Who would choose a life of prejudice, hiding, living in fear, unable to hold hands, show love in public or marry the love of their lives? Anyone presented with a choice would choose the easy way of being straight and narrow. How can it be a sin if it’s genuinely a part of who you are?

Gay or straight, God loves you. Don’t be pushed away by a pastor who says otherwise. I am telling you that your love is validated in the eyes of God. You are loved and adored in all your gayness. The world may hate you because they’ve been taught from birth to hate but you are righteous and a member of the royal household of God.

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If you have a prejudice in your heart towards members of the LGBTI community, you’re quick to judge or run away from certain people because of societal belief, it’s time to ask yourself WHY? Get a new perspective, open your mind, ask questions from the Spirit, read more literature that terrified you in the past. Finally, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to ensure you do not stray from the WAY or get lost in your search for the truth.