Why Criticism Of Religion Is Important In Contemporary Africa

Leo Igwe
Criticizing religion is urgently needed in today’s
world particularly in Africa because it is in this
region that the negative effects of religious
dogmatism and absolutism are so glaring. In fact
it has become a moral and intellectual duty for all
free and open minds to highlight and expose
through writing, cartoons, drama, music and
comedy shows the absurdities, misconceptions,
falsehoods and illusions of religion. First of all,
religion is a human phenomenon and nothing
human is – and should be beyond criticism.
Criticizing religion is important because it is a
human right that has long been ignored and has
long been denied. It is a power and entitlement
the exercise of which is important for human
happiness and human flourishing.
Unfortunately, one of the greatest tragedies in
human history is that human beings created
ideas – religious ideas – and then made it a
crime, a forbidden act, for others to question
them. Human beings have placed a heavy price
on critical examination of religious and
superstitious beliefs particularly Islam thereby
perpetuating these ideas with all their limitations
and shortcomings.
The situation in Africa is quiet disturbing because
the continent has a triple religious heritage –
traditional, Christian and Islamic and these layers
of dogma and absolutism make critical
examination of faith claims more challenging, and
yes, more urgent and compelling.
The three faiths make conflicting and
contradictory claims about this life and what
happens after death, about what is right and
wrong, what is true and what is false, what is
allowed or forbidden, what is good or bad, what
is fact or fiction, what is myth or reality. They
peddle counter intuitive notions like virgin birth,
the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the
divine revelation of the Koran, the ascent into
heaven of Muhammad on a flaming horse, the
existence of paradise and Hell fire, the existence
of ancestors, spirits and gods that intervene in
nature etc. Many Africans grow up confused, not
knowing which religion is true and which is false,
if any at all, which faith or philosophy is a
suitable moral guide in this 21st century. Africans
grow up with their minds enchanted, beclouded
and not understanding clearly what to believe and
what not to believe, not comprehending how to
distinguish facts from fantasy.
Critical evaluation of religious teaching is
important for the intellectual emancipation and
enlightenment of Africans. Exposing the illogics
and gaps in religious thinking – the contradictions
in its conception of life and nature, needling the
balloon of otherworldly faiths will free the minds
and morals of Africans from the grip of
superstition and fundamentalism. Due to lack of
critical thinking, many Africans are embracing
religious extremism and are being indoctrinated
into thinking that killing others in the name of
their god, prophet and religion is a demonstration
of faith and a mark of religious virtue.
They do not know that God is an imaginary being
and that the so called prophets are historical
entities who are dead and gone or mythical
figures who never existed in time and space.
Religious promises of paradise, divine judgment
and reward in an afterlife are driving Africans to
commit atrocities because many people across
Africa think that religious promises are true.
African Christians and muslims are really working
and hoping to inherit paradise as promised in the
Bible and the Koran. Sadly, they are mistaken and
we need criticism of religion to foreground the
erroneous propositions of faith systems and
awaken Africans from their religious slumber.
Criticism of religion will help disabuse the minds
of Africans of religious illusions and delusions
and dissuade them from religious credulousness
and extremism. Religion is a potent force in
human culture and society, and without criticism
it will become a treacherous weapon, a lethal,
vicious and potentially dangerous agent. We have
witnessed how the destructive force of religious
extremism is raging and ravaging different parts
of Africa and the world today. We need criticism
of religion to counter the narratives of religious
extremism and exploitation. So to all Africans I
say “Criticize every religion – all religions. Spare
no faith, god, prophet or holy book no matter how
exalted or revered. Expose their erroneous
assumptions, absurd claims and misconceptions.
Demand evidence for religious claims even at the
risk of causing offence. African enlightenment will
not be achieved without offending the sensibilities
of those who have vested interest in the religious
status quo, in African ‘endarkenment’. Question all
religious dogmas because dogmatization is a
cover, a way of preserving and perpetuating error
and falsehood. Seek the truth. Ignite the flame of
rational inquiry and rid this continent of dark and
destructive forces of superstition and unreason.