Religion Is The Worst Enemy Of National Progress

When Israel were strictly living by religion, stoning sinners, collecting tithes from Anise seeds and condemning people for walking on Sabbath days, they were colonized by Europeans, the Romans to be precise. They accused Jesus and His disciples for not praying and fasting as often as they.

But today, Israel has changed. They are innovative, creative and hard workers. They have learnt that God prospers people when they are creative, innovative and responsible for their successes. Depending on religious practices for prosperity and wealth creation has never been the means of human advancement.

Israeli prophets and apostles wrote the Bible we are reading today. They taught us Christianity. Jesus said to a Samaritan woman, “You worship what you don’t know: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. (John 4:22) The Samaritan woman had wanted to know which was the right worship; whether her fathers’ religion or that of the Jews.

The Bible says that Christians “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” (Ephesians 2:20) All these apostles and prophets were Israelis.

Paul said, If anyone thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:4-6)

But he told the Galatian believers, who were living by the works of their law (the mosaic law and the prophets), that they were foolish. He said to them that no one could receive the Spirit of God or miracles of Him or please God by those deeds. Besides, anyone living by the practices of the Jewish fathers is under the curse from which Christ has redeemed us by His death on the cross.

He said, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish?... He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” (Galatians 3:1-3, 5, 10-11, 13)

He appealed to the believers that they should become as he was, because he was ignorant as they. “Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are...” (Galatians 4:12)

He was a Pharisee. He said, “My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.” (Acts 26:4-5)

The Pharisees worshipped God by fasting, prayer, tithes and the righteousness by the law of Moses. A typical Pharisee prayed in these words, “I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as (the ungodly in the world). I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” (Luke 18:11-12)

They were strict adherents of the ten commandments. They said to Jesus that He was not of God, because Jesus did work on sabbath days. “Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day....” (John 9:16)

“At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.” (Matthew 12:1-2)

They encouraged Jesus to teach His disciples to fast. “Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?” (Matthew 9:14)

They taught Jesus the correctness of serving God. They saw Jesus and His disciples as indisciplined sinners and friends of the unrighteous. “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” (Luke 15:1-2)

“Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?...” (Matthew 15:1-2)

However, Israel today has shown that God does not prosper His people through prayers, fasting, tithes, the Ten Commandments, stoning of sinners, anointing oil and “I receive it, amen”. Rather God prospers and empowers by innovative and creative ideas and hard work. They have learnt that prayer and fasting are for spiritual prosperity, and not for physical wealth creation, riches and empowerment. Obeying the law of God is a spiritual maturity, and not a freedom from poverty and colonization.

In the days when Israel were accusing Jesus of unrighteousness, a transgressor of Sabbath and not fasting, they were colonized by the Romans. With all their prayers, fasting, righteousness and tithes, they were slaves of a pagan power. But after Jesus had left, they saw the wisdom in His teachings and the foolishness in their religious practices.

They were killing each other for sin, collecting widows income and accusing those who did not pay tithes. And as they engaged in those things, the Romans took advantage of them to rule over them. When they saw that their religious worship was not helping them, and they turned into hard and innovative workers, embracing what each of them could do, they became superpower, rich and prosperous.

Religion is the worst enemy of progress, it promotes poverty and degradation of life. Communist nations do far better than nations which are enslaved by religion. The greatest woes of Africa is due to its religious practices. Apart from the Islamic religion, the form of Christianity practiced by the people south of the Sahara, the kind of “I receive it”, “Amen” and “pay money for divine blessings” have created a society of no enterprise, creativity and innovation.

The form of Christianity in Africa south of the Sahara needs a great redress if the nations would prosper. The form of christian worship among the largely black communities, where pastors and churches ask the worshippers to offer monies, some in hard foreign currencies, and wait on God to turn their lives around and prosper them must be redressed by the societies. Unless this mentality is changed the countries of Africa, especially south of the Sahara cannot prosper.

Apart from depriving the folks of investment monies, the “give money to God for Him to prosper you attitude” erode the nations of the potents of its population, it creates lazy and uncreative people whose minds are tamed by clever persons in the name of God for their selfish interests.

United States and Israel are religious nations, but they are innovative, creative and hard-working. Israelites are rather expected to practice the kind of faith, which African blacks are practicing, because the black African Christians use their Torah and teachings of the Jewish prophets and apostles. But if Israel has prospered through their innovative and creative ideas and hard work, why should the black African Christians think that they could prosper by tithing, first-fruiting, sacrificial givings, anointing with oil and by shouting “I receive it”, “Amen”, “Hallelujah” and “praise him”.

If prayer, fasting and tithe payment could make worshippers rich and prosperous, Israel could have been rich without innovation, creativity and hard work. They were the first to receive how to pray, how to fast and pay tithes. But everybody knows that Israel is rich and prosperous through science, technology and innovation. They are 8.5 million people, less than 0.2 percent of the world’s population, yet they controlled more than 20 percent of the world’s technology and innovation and have won more noble prizes for innovation, science and literature than any people in the world.

If African Christians are really following Israel to pray, fast and pay tithes, they should then learn their innovation, creativity and hard work to produce wealth and prosperity as the Israelites, and stop the “I receive it”, “amen” and giving monies to clever pastors for prosperity.

We need education. Being highly educated alone is also not enough, we must be creative, innovative and stand for our success. If you go to school only to expect the government to employ you, you may end up disappointed and frustrated in life.

No government of a nation can employ all school graduates in a country. In developed nations of the world, college graduations directly employed by the government is less than ten percent. The private sector and private vocations and enterprises are the large employing ventures of any prosperous nation.

The communist nations of the world were facing out against the more competitive capitalist nations until they developed free economies and allow private investors and private individuals to set up their own businesses.

The underdeveloped and developing nations should encourage the youth to be innovative and creative, they should be encouraged to start their own ventures and enterprises and concentrate on personal development independent on employers’ pay-cheques.

The number of graduates produced each year from the schools are surely above what the government can employ. The economy needs these graduates in various fields, most of these fields are filled by the private enterprises and individual businesses. Apart from the national security, army, police and other security agencies, state and civil services, ministries and boards, municipal assemblies and government schools, hospitals and clinics, civilian and voluntary services, the rest are provided by the private sector.

The private sector initiatives and trainee programs by the government are the sure ways to guarantee prosperity and stable economy. If anyone thinks that God will pour down wealth from heaven through giving of monies to pastors or if anyone thinks that the government alone can solve the employment problem, that person is living in illusion and should wake up.