TOPIC TODAY: Faith, Force, and the Right to be Wrong. ​Nigeria is a "secular" state on paper, but a "battlefield" in reality. ​Do you believe people should be left to their Free Will, even if they choose a path you consider "wrong" or "damned"? ​Why do we allow Religious Leaders to manipulate us while the most vulnerable (tender hearted, women, children, disabled, the aged) suffer the consequences?​ The Big Question: Can we find a way to coexist in harmony, or is our "Hydra-headed" religious pride too strong for peace to win?

SCENE: Still at Jide’s parlor. Jide drops the phone he has been reading from on the table, looking at the ceiling refectively.

​JIDE:

​I have just finished reading the International Law on religious freedom. It says everyone has the right to hold, change, or even reject any belief without interference. But look at us these days. In practically every homes, "Freedom" feels like a suggestion, not a right. If it’s not State-level interference, it’s in your home, the penticostals, Boko Haram or ISWAP waiting to make your life miserable or even end your life because you don't pray like them.

​ELDER EPHRAIM (Sighing):

​It wasn't always this bitter. We used to pray privately, encouraging each other as well as celebrate together. Now, religion has become a "Hydra-headed" monster. Under the guise of the Cross or the Crescent - and even the white supremacy of groups like the KKK have turned God into a reason to be heartless.

​NNE:

​And it’s not just the extremists, Elder. What about the "Pentecostal Invasion" of our personal space? You’re in your room trying to sleep, and a loudspeaker is screaming at you from 2:00 AM or the "goodmorning" you get in your home is, "let us pray". You dare not refuse and if you complain, they say you’re "fighting God." Since when did religious expression become a license to be a nuisance?

​JENNIFER:

​That’s the struggle, Nne. Balancing religious expression with order or peaceful coexistence. The Constitution says we are a secular state, but the political will to enforce it is zero. Instead, the leaders manipulate these sentiments to gain an "undue advantage." They set the fire, and then they and their family fly away in their private jets.

OLA:

​And who pays the price? Not the Politicians, Pastors or the Imams. When the "Holy War" starts, it’s the wives, husbands, children, the women, the elderly, and the disabled who are harassed, pursued, displaced. They are the ones hurting, or hiding in bushes while the "warriors" are fighting for a God who didn't ask for their help.

​EOO (Voice low and emotional):

​We have lost our human sensitivity. We’ve trained ourselves to look away while people get hurt. We see someone being persecuted for their choice, and we say, "Well, they chose the wrong side." We’ve lost our humanity, our empathy. We’ve traded our conscience for a "religious badge."

​JIDE:

​That’s my point. Don’t force me to follow Christ, Muhammed, or anyone else. Leave me with my free will and humanism. If I choose a path and I am "damned" for it, let that be between me and my Creator. Why must you be the one to punish me on Earth for a "sin" you think I’m committing in Heaven?

​JENNIFER:

​It’s the ultimate ego trip. People think they are "guardians" of God’s reputation. But God is big enough to defend Himself. What we are actually doing is destroying the harmony of our existence for a "purity" that doesn't exist.

​EOO:

​Peace is not the absence of religion; it is the presence of tolerance. If we can’t learn to live and let live, then our "faith" is just a fancy name for our hatred.

Advisory: Reclaiming Our Human Conscience

​If we want to coexist without the flames of conflict, we must adopt a new "Code of Peace":

  1. ​Respect others "boundaries": Freedom of religion includes the freedom from religion. Respect your neighbor's right to choose their path, even if it differs from yours.
  2. ​Quiet Your Worship: True faith doesn't need a megaphone to reach Heaven. Respect the personal space; quiet, and sleep of those around you.
  3. ​Humanity First: Before you are a Christian or a Muslim, you are a Human Being. If your "faith" tells you to hurt a child or ignore the suffering of the vulnerable, it is a manipulation, not a revelation.
  4. ​Reject the Propaganda: Stop promoting the "us vs. them" narrative. Extremism thrives on suspicion. Choose empathy over judgment.
  5. ​Free Will is Sacred: Understand that faith forced is faith faked. Love and peace cannot be coerced.

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