THE MENACE OF SECULARISM

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”
(Psalm 14:1)

Today we are faced with what is called secularism of which secularism is presented as the solution to fix the problems caused by religion. Many people have fallen for this scam and not just individuals but even nations. Is secularism really a solution to the world’s problems? Let’s see.

Is Religion A Problem?

“… yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”
(John 16:2)

Indeed religion (in the sight of men) can bring with it a whole world of problems. Religion is anything one holds, believes, or practices in regards to God. Such practices is also service to his or her God. And what does Christ say? “… yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (John 16:2). He said a time will come that whosoever kills a Christian would THINK he does God a service. Now to kill an innocent person is murder. Even if the person were guilty of one crime or the other not worthy of death, it is still murder. Not to talk of someone who’s completely innocent. And this does not even explain the grievousness of this evil to a full extent. For this is not just killing someone who is innocent but killing someone for his good deeds, for the disciples of Jesus were commanded to do good. And for this good that they shall do, Jesus says a time will come when people will think it is a service to God to kill them for their good works. Such killing is what you call martyrdom. That is the peak of unfairness and wickedness. Such a state of mind or belief that encourages such wickedness is a big big problem. Men shall murder as a form of religious observance. This is what Christ said and we see this happening all around us from that time even up until now. Such evil is caused by religion and this is indeed a big problem.

Now I had explained in my book, “FAITH: The Evidence Of Things Not Seen“, that not all that is called religion is religion just the way not all that is called drug is drug. We also have fake drugs and seeing they can’t do what a drug is meant to do or what qualifies it to be a drug it is no drug. So also we have false religion which, because it is false, is no religion. The Bible says, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:26 – 27). We see here that there is vain, defiled, and impure religion. On the good side we have pure and undefiled religion. The pure and undefiled religion is good and can only result in good. But you see these vain, defiled, and impure religion? They are the source of endless problems in the world. So religion (vain, defiled, and impure) is indeed a source of endless problem to our world.

Is Secularism A Solution?

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”
(Psalm 14:1)

So is secularism the solution of the problem caused by false religion? But first of all what is secularism? Secularism by Merriam Webster’s definition is “indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion and religious considerations.”

There are two reasons why secularism is erroneously seen as a solution to the problems caused by false religion. One is that secularism is the middle point of neutrality between the different religions. Two is trying to work according the wisdom of Solomon which goes, “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.” (Proverbs 22:10). In this the cause of strife, contention, and reproach is the scorner, so cast him out and the contention shall cease. So, since “religion” (which we know is false religion) is the cause of a world of problem, cast it out hook line and sinker and these world of problems shall cease. The more you are able to cast out “religion” the more the problems caused by it would cease.

So why is it an error to think that secularism is the middle point of neutrality between the different religions? Because it is not neutral. When you look at opposing religions of the world, they both see each other as the problem just the way that secularism see religion in general as the problem. That is not neutral, that is introducing a third force into the conflict. Something that seeks to reject and exclude others is not neutral. It is anti-religion and not tolerant of religion. So if there were two opposing religions, one good and one bad, it constitutes a big problem. But then secularism joins the fight condemning both the good and bad religion as bad. This is not a solution to a problem, it only compounds the problem. If solving the problem of two contrary parties were a problem too big to solve easily, why should introducing a third party into the conflict be seen as a solution. Does that not render the problem far more complex? So secularism is not a solution at all. It is better to continue in the strife of religion than to take the course of secularism in the search for a solution.

Next, secularism also takes religion as a source of countless problems and seeks to cast everything pertaining to religion out, for when you cast the source of a problem overboard, like Jonah was cast into the sea, the problem ceases. So the idea is let us live without religion and we would no longer have problems. But what shall man be without religion? In throwing religion out you must also throw God out. What shall man be without his God and Creator? What shall life be without its source? In this endeavour of secularism to reject religion we don’t solve a problem, but compound the problem and bring far more problems than there was originally.

Before we go on, we must however be clear on the fact that secular is different from secularism. They are worlds apart. While many secular things are good and are not opposed to religion, secularism is evil and is diametrically opposed to religion and the knowledge of God, and indeed God himself. We have secular sciences, studies, and activities which are so called because they are not done in a direct reference to God. Agriculture for example is a secular endeavour unlike preaching a sermon. Scientific studies and research is secular also on this grounds. These things are secular and are yet good. But secularism works against God and the knowledge of him.

What Is The Real Problem And What Is The Real Solution?

“… yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.”
(John 16:2 – 3)

So what is the real problem? When we can identify the real problem we can then know the real solution. When Jesus told us of that bad practice of which people would think they are doing God a service when they martyr a completely innocent person for his good works, he also told us the cause of such wickedness. Because he told us it becomes easy to diagnose what the real problem behind such wickedness is. He says, “And these things will they do unto you, BECAUSE they have not known the Father, nor me.” (John 16:3). So not knowing God or his Christ is the source of the problem, not religion itself. Ignorance is the problem.

Shall we then let another set of people who neither know God or Christ be amongst those presenting us with a solution? If the other ones who neither know God nor his Christ are moved by their ignorance to commit such wicked acts, what wickedness shall these ones introduce? If they are sick with the same sickness of ignorance, shall not they bring with them another world of evil? Certainly they shall. So here’s my advice to secularists; “sit down, you’re a world of problem yourself.”

Now here’s the magnitude of the problem of secularists. Not only are they erring concerning trying to know God like the pseudo religious, they are trying to banish the knowledge of God altogether. We have seen that the cause of the problem is that people don’t know God nor his Christ. The pseudo-religious try to know God but fail and err, yet these acknowledge that knowledge of God is important, only that they are not able to attain to it. The secularists however are trying to bring the source of our problem to a point of where there is no cure. They seek to make a wall round the poisonous fount of water so that we can’t get to it to stop its deadly waters. Secularism is worse by a hundred folds to pseudo religion.

Both the pseudo-religious and secularists are the sources of the problems that needs be solved. They both come about by not knowing God. The knowledge of the Holy is the solution of mankind. The religion that teaches me to love my neighbour as myself and that I should do to others what I want them to do to me can’t be the source of human problems. That which misunderstands the will of God to do so many evils and practice foolishness so much as to murder completely innocent people for their good works, as Christ prophesied, is the problem. And the foolish idea that seeks to throw such good religion completely overboard is the worst problem.

Because men are unable to know God for who he is nor his will for what they are (1 Corinthians 2:6, John 14:17), because their hearts are far from him, they shall keep causing endless problems in the world thinking they are doing God a service. Only those whom God draws to himself can know him indeed (John 6:44). The rest can only grope in darkness thinking they know him. But as we see a promise in the Bible that in the latter days the earth shall be full of the knowledge of God as the water covers the sea, so let us pray for this fulfilment and work towards it, for when men shall begin to know God and his Christ, all our religious problems shall cease. But to banish religion on account of the actions of the ignorance and error of men is just foolish and wicked.

Conclusion

“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”
(2 Samuel 23:3)

Let us never fall into the trap of secularising our societies and banishing God out of our affairs. That is to seal our problem beyond cure as we have seen. We must never put God out of conventional education, mass media, etc. God must be in everything we do and his word must be the foundation of everything we hold as well as how we give meaning to everything in life. We should on no account further any cause of secularism, for example things such as evolution should never be taught in our schools. The institution of marriage must be seen, understood, and interpreted in the light of God’s word and not apart from it. If we are to see the lasting solutions to all of life’s problems God must be at the core of all that we are, do, believe, and hold.

Secularism that seeks to banish God out of our affairs, schools, media, etc. is the Devil’s tool to cement the evil he has wrought by pseudo-religion. The idea is when God is out the Devil can gallantly come and take God’s place. That is why secularism comes with it all manner of immodesty, sexual sins, perversion, etc. This can’t be a solution but a beginning to endless problem and confusion.

One thing we must however note is that it is hard to grapple with the problems of a society (and world) divided along religious lines, but the solution is not to then banish God out of curriculum, schools, and national affairs. We must not make that mistake. No, not even in our thoughts.

I came across a saying from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945) which goes, “Therefore, be at peace with God whatever you perceive Him to be…” I do not agree that God is whatsoever we perceive him to be, though that is not what the author said. It is however easy to think this is the wisdom his words is trying pass across. God however said of himself, “I AM.” Not, “I am whatsoever you perceive me to be,” and who he is cannot be distorted by the deficiencies of your perceptions. We must seek him as he is because he says “I AM”, and not form an idol with the dross material of our perceptions. So let’s be clear on that. We must never seek to understand God according to our perception, but we must strive to understand him according to his revelation of himself through his Son to us.

But here is the wisdom of Max Ehrmann, in a society divided along religious lines, God and his ways must not be dispensed with to maintain harmony. People should be able to follow their beliefs provided it does no harm to another. Because the world is divided along religious lines, let each individual be at peace with his God whatsoever, or whosoever, he perceives him to be. This is what is called religious freedom enshrined in most constitutions of the world. He does not need to throw God away, whatsoever he perceives him to be, but must only let go of previous ideas about God in the light of a newer and truer revelation of him.

I’m particularly proud of Nigeria my country (and many other countries too) which gives God a paramount place in her national identity. The second stanza of our national anthem starts with these words, “o God of creation…” That’s beautiful. What I however find confusing is how a nation with such a declaration would tolerate a thing such as evolution to be taught in her schools. The theory of evolution is diametrically opposed to our national values. It should therefore be done away with. I know we can’t call it treason, however, it must be treated as a serious and urgent matter. Every other thing that works against the knowledge of God must be thrown out. We must protect the sanity of our children whom we send to our educational institutions to gain knowledge and not to wreck values and the knowledge and love of God.

So the ultimate solution to religious problems is that all men have the right knowledge of God and of his Christ. Since not all men can come to this knowledge, religious freedom is the remedial solution to religious problems, not secularism. But this remedial solution, that is religious freedom (not anti-religion), must be upheld by all means.”

For those who think that secularism in governance is not a big deal, hear the voice of your God, “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (2 Samuel 23:3). Our leaders must especially be such as fear the Lord and that this fear is evident in their appearance, speech, life, and everything about them. This is the will of God, and it is by this that we shall be able to live safely, peacefully, and prosperously. Secularists or people who don’t fear God are grossly unfit to hold positions of power. May God help us to understand this fully in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, we know that not all men can come to the marvellous knowledge of our Father, yourself, and your perfect will, yet help the world to know peace and honour you and our Father still. Silence the hypocrisy of secularism. Instil in our nations the love and honour of you in all things we stand for and do. This I ask in your dear name. Amen.

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