RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY BY A MAGIC SPELL.

Karl Marx once said that Religion is the OPIUM of the poor. That's true because, it is only in religion where man gets false consciousness to the very problems that are facing him and especially those inflicted by the government and the owners of capital. The proletariats get nourishment after they follow religion in a dogmatic manner. To the hoi polloi, it acts an an anesthesia to their social and economic woes. The most dangerous thing is how religion is being abused and has been abused in the continent Africa. Before the coming of the white man and his foreign religious beliefs, AFRICANS had their ways of talking and presenting their problems to the God. To them , he was omnipresent. They were gifting Him with offering and libation and in return, He was responding handsomely to their distress calls. Then , the White man came in the form of missionaries, calling the bible during the day and the gun during the night. He told AFRICANS to stop barbarism and archaic ways of worshipping God they don't even how he exist. He told them that , He residents in Heaven and is white not black. 

Africans ended up losing themselves and as it is said , he who concurs your past , controls your future. African future was controlled through Religion and that's how the continent lost its self. In a continent where religion was introduced in the early 18th century, it is still holed in the murky swamp of ignorance and poverty, diseases and civil wars. Africans are butchering each other and instead of religion inculcating humanity in them, it has succeeded in entrenching inhumane characters. Where I am coming from? In this streets , we have the new sheriff going by the name Pastor Ezekiel Odero of New Life ministries. He is the talk of the town especially after he filled the 60000 capacity Kasarani Stadium to the brim. This is something that sent shockwaves to his rival counterpart Prophet Owuor.  Pastor Ezekiel claims he has the powers to heal and repair broken marriages using the holy water and hankies. At the same time, he is also in a position to deal in a decisively with poverty. In Africa, poverty is categorized as a religious and spiritual problem. This is the fodder scavengers wearing the cloak have been using to siphon the poor wanjiku her hard earned monies. Poverty, is both a social, economic and political problem. You fix the politics of your Country and the rest will automatically fix itself. Fact!!!

What has incited me to use the word magic spell is because, as scholars say that, literature is the mirror of the society, I have borrowed from the Somali born literati Saida Hgi Derie Herzi , who penned a short story, Government by the magic spell . In this satirical work , there is a girl by the name Halima. At the age of 10 , she learns that she is possessed by a jinni. Having been ill for some time, the local spiritual leader, the Wadaad , finally diagnoses her sickness as a possession by the spirit of an infant jinni , whom, Halima inadvertently step on one night. A benevolent jinni , it intends Halima no harm but his rather come to stay and will never leave her. That's how Halima was able to hoodwink the whole community especially her clan. Her kinsmen who were holding coveted state and Government jobs invited her to be part of them and continue performing this magics. Halima started enjoying the state largesse at the expense of her suffering fellow Somalis. Inorder to entrench herself and her clan in the Government, she came up with magic water called Tahleel that was ment to cure people with curiosity. Those who were asking questions on how the government was oppressing them. It was believed, as Halima had made her clan men and women in government to believe, those citizens who were curious, if they drink that magic water , they will toe the line and start worshipping and praising the very goverment that is oppressing them. 

That's how the Odero's and Owuor's of this Kenya are doing to their gullible followers. To keep them around their fiefdoms, they must conduct magic spells on them in the name of spiritual holy water and soaked hankies and make them believe, it will cure their spiritual, economic , marital and other social problems. Why did this pastors like Ezekiel Odero feel shy to conduct their healing MIRACLES in the hospital wards? That's why , as a sober person, you should be asking yourself this question. Why is it that , this miracles only happens in their churches, houses , offices and in open crusades but none , I literally mean none has ever happened in a hospital? If you ask , thru will be quick to tell you , those in hospital wards don't have enough faith to warrant their prayers to have a healing miracle in them. This is the biggest religion conmanship in this Country. I have no problem with pastor Ezekiel Odero but his theatrics are betraying him. Yesterday, he was the talk of the town. His version of his early life didn't augur well with Kenyans who poked serious holes in it. He was trolled by Kenyans in this social media spaces who off late aren't being taken to a fishing expedition that lightly. 

Before you gnash your teeth because you feel I am an anti christian, you saw a flamboyant pastor in a church who threatened his sheep to leave the church if they feel he doesn't deserve their offerings and tithes. To him , it is his right to lead a opulent lifestyle while his congregants continue languishing in poverty. The very followers who even postpone meals, a posh lifestyle just to ensure their pastor drives a posh SUV. Now , if wanjiku in this Country doesn't need mental emancipation , what else do you think this people need. RELIGION has participated in entrenching majority of them in abject and untold suffering. The of cloth have been reporting feasting on their sheep sexually. This is what has been happening in our society. Media, both social and mainstream has been airing this and many other societal ills. The panda mbegu crusade has gained traction of late. The number of Television stations, launched by this religious miscreants to continue fleecing Kenyans their hard earned monies through MPESA paybill numbers have increased astronomically. The prosperity gospel is the one which is rocking the airwaves. To lead a posh lifestyle in Heaven, your pastor must lead a posh life here on earth as you as a congregant you painfully wait for your turn in Heaven.

As my pen is running out of ink , let me conclude by saying, Religion isn't a panacea to Africa problems. It is instead the major problem. We cannot be having more churches than schools, factories, industries, universities, research Institutions etc. In shanties in Kenya , on a Sunday, there is a serious competition of sounds of music and other musical instruments from this churches which domiciled in cubicle like structures.  It is through investing in education and the government coming up with robust policies and the Parliament making laws that are aimed at making life better. RELIGION connotations and clarions isn't a panacea to this problems.  As you chew this article, have an open mind and not a closed one.