There is no iota of doubt that religion, as we know it, is a problem to humankind. History is replete with countless inhumanities perpetrated in the name of God. And the tug of war between Islam and Christianity for many centuries now (even among the thousands of Christian denominations) leaves much to be desired. Which, of course, informs why there’s ongoing crusade to relegate religion to the background – and even to eliminate it altogether. China is a case in point.

Why is it that the typical Christian, for instance, no matter how intellectually sophisticated, just looses and loses his or her mind in the face of any claim that includes ‘God’? Why is it that this piece is probably already making you uncomfortable, leaving you wishing that I don’t ride it south, of which you already have a readymade comment, like “Cornel, be careful what you write about God,” or outrightly sentence me to hell? Why is it that when the man or woman of God says “God told me” or “The Bible says” we suddenly become so docile that we score F in Reason 101. After the word Allah, Quran, or the Prophet, the next thing you say or do gets to decide what a Muslim will do to you – and all options are usually on the table.

I am a Christian myself and I take God really seriously. But I’m crazy enough to know that most things that happen in church have little, or even nothing to do with God. Some of the things happening there are simply strategies to grow the church business itself, to cover overhead cost. Some of the things happening there serve the whims and caprices of the man or woman of God, to climb them up Maslow’s pyramid. And you should know when it’s no longer your own business, at what point you should feel free to walk.

Frankly, and I’m not kidding you, some of the things being fired at you from the pulpit, some of which get to be coded as doctrines, are nothing but expressions of the man or woman of God’s limited knowledge on a subject-matter or an outright brandishing of his or her ignorance. Here, “God,” “Allah” “Bible,” “Quran,” “the Prophet” become mere words used to arm the bomb of ignorance being fired at you.

Anyway, let me stop here.

Free advice: You see that thing between your ears, the grey matter we’ve come to call brains… Remember that you didn’t put it there yourself. I think the guy who put it there wants you to use it. I mean, whatever doesn’t make basic sense may not be sensible after all. Canal minds don’t understand the things of the spirit, right? If not your head, then just make sure your spirit bears witness to what is been fed you in the spirit.

One last word: Don’t let anyone use the word “God” to screw you.

Your No.1 fan,
Cornel