09/01/2026
The proposed Religious Organizations Bill is a classic case of fighting shadows while ignoring substance. It is a useless bill aimed at a real problem, but with the wrong tools.
Religious conmanship is not a legal loophole issue; it is an intellectual vulnerability issue. You cannot legislate wisdom into people. You cannot regulate discernment. And you certainly cannot criminalize gullibility through policy. History has shown that fraud adapts faster than laws, especially when faith, fear, poverty, and hope are involved.
Conmen thrive where reading culture is weak, critical thinking is discouraged, and emotional reasoning replaces logic. The problem is not churches; it is unquestioning minds. A society that reads, interrogates ideas, understands context, and separates faith from manipulation is naturally resistant to religious exploitation.
If the state were serious, it would invest aggressively in:
Reading culture from early childhood
Civic education and critical thinking
Public libraries, books, and access to knowledge
Bills regulate institutions. Books liberate minds.
You don’t cure blindness by rearranging furniture; you restore sight.
Until we fix the intellect, we will keep drafting laws to comfort ourselves while conmen keep perfecting their sermons.