The notorious Islamist terrorist group, ‘Boko Haram’, strikes again in the name of Allah, this time killing more than a hundred people and leaving hundreds more injured with some lying critically ill in the hospital. In the early hours of Monday 14th April, 2014, members of the religious terrorist group, Boko Haram, sets off a bomb in a crowded bus park in Nyanya, a highly populated area in the outskirts of the federal capital territory, Abuja.
This is not the first time the barbaric group has committed such atrocities in Abuja. In recent past, their bombs have also gone off in Yobe, Nasarawa,Borno, Kaduna etc. killing thousands of innocent people including school children. In the face of the seemingly helplessness of security agencies to curb the atrocities of this menacing, religious fanatic group that originated from the Northern part of the country, Nigerians are left fearing for their lives.
Sadly, waking up to the news that another Boko Haram bomb has gone off and killed many innocent people is no longer news. Seeing maimed arms, legs and rolling heads amidst burnt debris seems like a routine show now. Many Nigerians on social media scamper to post the goriest pictures of the victims of the latest bomb blast on facebook and twitter, leaving one to wonder if they derive a sort of macabre pleasure in these gory pictures. These pictures are posted without even a trigger warning alert. This act does nothing but diminish our humanity.
One other constant in this story of Boko Haram is how it always ends with the average Nigerian making comments like “May God take control”, “God will punish the evil doers”, “God will save us“ etc. When the President of the country also claim that God is in control and his political advisers issue statements saying God will punish the evildoers, what hope do Nigerians have? Well, better to get in touch with this God and make a personal deal, right? A deal that goes like “Keep me and my family safe and I will worship you, pray to you, pay my tithes and obey you”. It seems this God is the closest we have to Superman. Better to obey this ‘all knowing’, ‘all powerful’ Skydaddy than put hope on a government that obviously also depends on this Skydaddy to find solutions to the menace caused by people killing for Skydaddy. The WTF of it all is as ironic as it is sad.
Nigerians pray to God to curb the menace that is Boko Haram. Many scuttle to their pastors to recite over and over again the prayer point of the week. No doubt some of the victims of the terrorists’ bomb blast must have recited their prayer of the week, but of course that did not stop them from being made mincemeat of by the deadly, barbaric, religious terrorist group.
The Islamist terrorists believe they are serving the will of Allah by declaring religious wars on infidels. The so called ‘infidels’ on the other hand know that their government has failed in providing credible security, therefore they end up seeking solace in the words of pastors. These pastors peddle anointing oils and give them prayer points in exchange for a full bowl of offering that keep the pastor in luxury, some offerings are even bountiful enough to provide some elites pastors with their own private jets.
The vicious circle of God delusion goes on. One end believes it is its duty to kill for God, so it goes on a killing rampage leaving many dead and majority fearing for their lives. The government can’t be trusted to provide security against this bandit of terrorists; therefore the people turn to God for protection. They go in droves to churches, mosques and shrines to seek divine protection. Their patronage makes the ‘Men of God’ more in demand thereby conferring power and respectability on the so called men of God. A power they in turn use to milk the vulnerable of their hard earned money, influence public policies and call for the persecution of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals.
The unprotected masses that are already victims of the corruption and inane policies of the government fear that they might be the next victim of Boko Haram. ‘Men of God’ feed on this fear. This fear of the unknown pays their bills and keeps them in business. In a vicious, circular way, this leads back to God or rather the God delusion.
Boko Haram kills for God, the pastors sell protection in the name of God, maybe God is indeed the solution, after all God is at the heart of the problem.
Definitely demystifying the God myth would put an end to people hiding under its name to kill or sell Imaginary cures. It is said that those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. If we stopped believing in the absurdity called God, we will at least stop committing atrocities in its name and stop empowering ‘Men of God’, whose main aim is to prey on the vulnerable.
And talking of ‘Men of God’, let’s hope the Archbishop of Canterbury is not once again, preparing an eulogy blaming this latest killing of Boko Haram on the legalization of Samesex marriage in western countries.