16/11/2025
WHEN RELIGION LOSES LOVE: THE WOUND WE REFUSE TO HEAL
Sometimes, I sit back and watch what is happening in Nigeria and I cannot help but feel a deep, burning anger. Not because I hate religion or despise faith; no. Faith is supposed to be a source of strength, healing, community and hope. But what we have turned it into in this country is the painful opposite of what God intended.
Our religious leaders have gradually risen to the status of demi-gods. Men and women who should be symbols of humility, sacrifice and service now stand on elevated platforms demanding the worship meant for God. Many preach what they cannot practice, teach doctrines they themselves do not follow, and use their pulpits to manipulate the minds of their followers; people who come looking for comfort, direction, and answers.
Instead of healing the broken-hearted, they enslave them psychologically. Instead of offering hope, they exploit desperation. Instead of guiding vulnerable people to solutions rooted in science, therapy, medicine, and responsible decision-making, they monetize their pain. They boast about wealth accumulated from the very people who come to them in tears. In a land where poverty is widespread, some so-called spiritual leaders flaunt riches openly; wealth extracted from gullible and innocent members who genuinely seek help.
And the saddest part? These same leaders preach messages that are miles apart from the very foundation of the Holy Books. Where is the love? Where is the compassion? God said we should love one another; our neighbors, ourselves, even strangers. But that is no longer the sermon of today. We now hear “give to be blessed,” “sow a seed to prosper,” “if you don’t give, you won’t receive favor.” What kind of gospel is that? When did spirituality become a commercial transaction?
We are now witnessing families divided because of religious differences, siblings who no longer speak because their doctrines don’t align, communities torn apart by intolerance; all in the name of religion that was supposed to unite us. How did we get here?
We accumulate wealth as if we will live forever. We pursue material things as though they will save us on our dying day. We forget that the true measure of godliness is not in the number of cars, houses, or titles we acquire, but in how many lives we touch. When did kindness stop being a priority? How did charity become optional? Why does compassion now feel like a rarity?
I am tired; not of God, not of faith, but of what we have turned religion into. I am tired of seeing people manipulated, exploited, and controlled. I am tired of hearing sermons that lack love. I am tired of seeing people who claim to represent God act in ways God Himself would condemn.
If religion will continue to exist in Nigeria, then it must return to its original purpose; to uplift, to correct, to comfort, to build, to heal, to unite, and above all, to love. We must re-engineer our minds away from blind followership and towards a faith that is rooted in truth and humanity. We must stop treating religious leaders as gods and start seeing them as human beings; flawed, limited, and capable of failure.
Our country is bleeding not because we lack churches or mosques, but because we lack love. We lack empathy. We lack sincerity. We lack leaders; spiritual and otherwise; who will lead by example.
Until we return to love, compassion, truth, and genuine humanity, we will keep calling God while ignoring the very things He commanded us to uphold.
And that is the painful irony of the religion we practice today.
