Religion and politics.
Religion has always been a belief about the supernatural being God or gods but why is it so important in winning an election.
Politics or the act of choosing a leader in a democratic society with so many beliefs should be based on capacity, a sense of leadership and character not on religion bases.
But in this part of the world, where I come from it determines if you would get the chance to win the vote of the majority.
Religion is fascinating and beliefs are unique and symbolic to people practicing it. It would also be good if we could understand and separate politics from religion to avoid making irrational decisions.
Religion has become a weapon or a tool for politicians to use to lobby for votes, destroy the candidacy of another, or cause crisis.
In this part of the world, I’ve seen politicians use it a lot. The campaigns are always in religious gatherings like churches, mosques, and traditional rulers. Belief has been weaponized to gain the favor of the masses.
Religion and politics have become so inseparable and have taken out the need for logical assessment of a candidate’s candidacy in running for office.
Religion rhetoric has become a way to convince voters to vote for a specific candidate. Most of the time, this always ends up as poor choices and backfires on the masses(voters).
There is a need to probe politicians logically to assert their potential rather than on their beliefs or practices.
In Nigeria as a young child, I witnessed a crisis based on religion and political propaganda which has kept us bound as a people. We forgot when to do the right thing which resulted in the vote-buying of our conscience and the whole essence of religion.
Religion is not a test of one true character it is just a guise people wear to do evil. I believe most of these politicians do not even believe in it. Because, if they do they should not be lying under oath with whatever God or gods they believe in.
I wonder how someone who has sworn to serve, protect, and guide his people also watches them suffer.
I feel religion is a tool to appease our conscience and believe and forget logical assessment of a person’s character.
We ought to know that there are differences between what a person practices and who the person is. Politicians use religion as a weapon to make us forget to scrutinize a person. When we’re being dehumanized, they use our religious leaders to warn us not to act.
I believe in prayers and the supernatural but I know that politics, good governance, and a working society do not come or happen by only relying on the supernatural but by doing what is right.
It takes actions, not words, accountability, credibility, and creativity to make good governance and a better nation. It’s far from wishing or praying to a supernatural. It is demanding, scrutinizing, and ticking the box of what qualifies one to be able to run for an election and get the vote of power.
We ought to be more sensible and practical in choosing a leader and not depend on religious assessment. Religion assessment should be the least in our criteria when choosing a good leader. So it’s a question of balancing our mindset to separate our beliefs from our logical sense of view.
Viewing people far differently from what they worship but based on who they truly are. The idea of campaigning in religious gatherings should be stopped. The act of religious rhetoric should be abolished. Campaigns should be based on what an individual can offer when given a particular position.
Religious leaders should not use religious laws, doctrines, visions, or prophecies to force their congregations to vote for a particular candidate.
Religion should be strictly on individual beliefs and should not be missed with politics. When we get the message of change clearly then we can work on our infrastructure and poor governance.
Pure consciousness, empathy, and logical thinking have been replaced with religious thinking, doctrines, and law. Until we abolish those practices and put our brains to work, we would continue to suffer.
I urge all religious leaders, parents, guidance, teachers, and political leaders to teach the truth about making assessments of their leaders through personal characteristics shown by the candidate and not by their religious practices or their devotion to a religious setting. It should be by who they are and what they can offer.
Let’s become the change by drawing a line between religion and politics. Also, understanding the reason why who we vote into power can affect us, our growth, and our economy.
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