I was discussing with a friend recently and the topic unfortunately moved to the rising atheistic population of Nigeria (Nigeria has a shitload of atheists, no joke. You just need to know where to look).
He was of the opinion that the rise of atheism in Nigeria is a reaction.
A reaction to the flaws and excesses of especially Pentecostalism.
How true is this?
Let's have a civil discussion please.
Hahn, hopefulLandlord, Wilgrea7, Jackbizzle, sarassin, MuttleyLaff, jonbellion, akintom, rawgurl, adepeter26, randomperson, realmindz, johnydon22, lennycool, Desepiero, avaa, Seun, nanizle, Frank317 etc

atheism has always been, its just that now is the time atheists are given a voice on the internet

hopefulLandlord:
atheism has always been, its just that now is the time atheists are given a voice on the internet

In Nigeria specifically?

No it's because foolishness has continued to grow unchecked in the heart of this generation.

CatfishBilly:

In Nigeria specifically?

yes, even in Nigeria; I believe strongly that there would've been atheists in Nigeria even in the agrarian age but its hard telling people you don't believe in Sango or Amadioha etc in those days so they probably went along like others

even today, most Nigerian atheists still keep up appearances like they're theists

Onwardvic:
No it's because foolishness has continued to grow unchecked in the heart of this generation.

Yes. The foolishness of holding on to foreign myths forced on us by our slave masters really needs to be checked

Why would an adult believe that god even exists is what beats me

atheism is growing in number online (especially nairaland) not in reality, you can hardly find someone who would profess being an atheist publicly because it is strange in nigeria, people would even think such a person is mentally deranged.

I understand your point @hopeful.Landlord
My friend was of the opinion though, that the sudden rise is a reaction to Pentecostal leaders who are surprisingly fixated on money, living lavish lifestyles, driving exotic cars while milking their followers dry.
Their unending advert of miracles which are performed few and far in-between and their comments/views which laugh in the face of common sense and science like driving over 200km on an empty tank, mental illness or any ailment for that matter being a result of sin.
Their "touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm" mantra when they are in a scandal or legal trouble.
This was why the people revolted and embraced atheism.
That was his submission anyways.

I think the excesses of the modern age churches has hugely contributed to the rising shift from theism to atheism.The mounting corruption in the corridors of religion has frustrated and disenfranchised people so much that they have lost respect for the religious leadership,and by extension,religion itself.
I think many are becoming unreligious not because they do not believe in God per se(many dont even know what to believe anymore,as logic wars with doctrine),but because they detest the corruption and dishonesty in the religious circle of society.

CatfishBilly:
I was discussing with a friend recently and the topic unfortunately moved to the rising atheistic population of Nigeria (Nigeria has a shitload of atheists, no joke. You just need to know where to look).
He was of the opinion that the rise of atheism in Nigeria is a reaction.
A reaction to the flaws and excesses of especially Pentecostalism.
How true is this?
Let's have a civil discussion please.
Hahn, hopefulLandlord, Wilgrea7, Jackbizzle, sarassin, MuttleyLaff, jonbellion, akintom, rawgurl, adepeter26, randomperson, realmindz, johnydon22, lennycool, Desepiero, avaa, Seun, nanizle, Frank317 etc

The flaws on religion generally definitely would raise suspicion in any right thinking person

Many theists are aware of the hypocrisy and rubbish in their religious teachings, practices and "holy" books but choose to remain intellectually dishonest. Mostly out of ignorance of the origins of their religions, the ignorance of the existence and similarities of other religions stories with theirs, fear of the wrath of the all incompetent god or out of respect for their role models(such as parents) in society who also believe in all that nonsense

Onwardvic:
No it's because foolishness has continued to grow unchecked in the heart of this generation.

what could be more foolish than a Nigerian believing the son of a Jewish folklore carpenter killed in a small Israeli village 2000 years ago died for their sins when the Jews themselves don't buy that?

do you know that there are far more Muslims and Judaism adherents in Israel than there are Christians?

The religious affiliation of the Israeli population as of 2011 was 75.4% Jewish, 16.9%
Muslim , 2.1% Christian , and 1.7% Druze , with the remaining 4.0% belonging to minor faiths such as Samaritanism, Baha'iism or no religion

these are people whose ancestors lived during the time and saw this Jesus live and die but they don't believe he was dying for them

but a Nigerian read from a book and concluded that the Jews are wrong because logic favours storytelling over experiencing something, Amirite you must know Goodluck Jonathan more than the people living with and around him because you read newspapers and check internet for news about him

Onwardvic:
No it's because foolishness has continued to grow unchecked in the heart of this generation.

christian spotted. Lack of sensible comment was a dead giveaway

CatfishBilly:
I understand your point @hopeful.Landlord
My friend was of the opinion though, that the sudden rise is a reaction to Pentecostal leaders who are surprisingly fixated on money, living lavish lifestyles, driving exotic cars while milking their followers dry.
Their unending advert of miracles which are performed few and far in-between and their comments/views which laugh in the face of common sense and science like driving over 200km on an empty tank, mental illness or any ailment for that matter being a result of sin.
Their "touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm" mantra when they are in a scandal or legal trouble.
This was why the people revolted and embraced atheism.
That was his submission anyways.

I do agree that all the above contribute to the rise but even the internet is also responsible too

for instance, Thief B Joshua would've gotten away with his false prophesy about USA elections if we didn't have internet!, he wouldn't need to make excuses of plane flying over or Boko Haram being responsible for his church collapse if it had happened 20 years ago

the Ore to Lagos on empty tank story wouldn't have been known by many non-Redeemers if it were told 30 years ago and those redeemers would be too caught up in groupthink to realise the obvious lies in that story

the flamboyant lifestyles of pastors wouldn't have been known has there not been paparazzis posting pics of their lifestyles online (although many pastors these days do the posting themselves)

the adverts of miracles are being scrutinized because there's internet where you won't be afraid of criticising God of men

I watched "Your View" on TVC weeks ago for the first time and the topic of the day was on Adeboye's statement about meeting wife on Facebook and losing them on YouTube; the women on the show started defending Adeboye and twisting and bending his words to make them jive, it was painful to watch BUT come to Nairaland and see how Adeboye is being criticised for such poorly thought words and it won't surprise me if some of the women on that show has monickers on Nairaland which they used to criticise Adeboye too but maintain political correctness when on TV

so I still strongly feel these things have been happening, internet just reports them more and internet users are able to hear opposing opinions about their pastors, church, church members, church doctrines, religion and god

Atheism had always been there.

Religion( especially Christianity) became soft with time. Gone are the days guys like me would have been beheaded or hanged by the pope/ priests.

The increase in the amount of learned people is a big factor. Education frees the mind and increases questions asked. I personally read the bible to know that god doesn't exist. I know the difference between methaphors and reality. I have been able to read other religious books and see that they are all talking about the same thing : ADVANCE QUANTUM PHYSICS ; which was simplyfied to the understand of a 4 year old.....in a form of religion. God creating the world in 7 days is a methapor , Jacob's ladder is a mathsphor, Jesus dying on the cross and rising on the 3rd day is a methaphor, Jonah staying 3 days in the belly of a fish is a methaphor. Only a 5 year old will believe such stories.....and maybe Chrustians and Muslims obviously

The fact that our laws are no more dominated by religion now encourages people to debate religion openly. Thus people who are more intelligent that others often turn against religion. There are lots of reasons why Atheism is on the rise. It isn't the flaws of the penticostals. Don't forget people cannot be slaves for ever.

2kaybiel:
atheism is growing in number online (especially nairaland) not in reality, you can hardly find someone who would profess being an atheist publicly because it is strange in nigeria, people would even think such a person is mentally deranged.

The internet is where people feel free to speak their minds, if they claim atheism online then that is what they really feel.

There are many people who pretend to be religious who can't fathom how any intelligent person could ever ascribe to such nonsense but keep it to themselves.

hahn:


Yes. The foolishness of holding on to foreign myths forced on us by our slave masters really needs to be checked

Why would an adult believe that god even exists is what beats me

You need Jesus Christ in your life, so many things has gone wrong over there

hopefulLandlord:


what could be more foolish than a Nigerian believing the son of a Jewish folklore carpenter killed in a small Israeli village 2000 years ago died for their sins when the Jews themselves don't buy that?

do you know that there are far more Muslims and Judaism adherents in Israel than there are Christians?

The religious affiliation of the Israeli population as of 2011 was 75.4% Jewish, 16.9%
Muslim , 2.1% Christian , and 1.7% Druze , with the remaining 4.0% belonging to minor faiths such as Samaritanism, Baha'iism or no religion

these are people whose ancestors lived during the time and saw this Jesus live and die but they don't believe he was dying for them

but a Nigerian read from a book and concluded that the Jews are wrong because logic favours storytelling over experiencing something, Amirite you must know Goodluck Jonathan more than the people living with and around him because you read newspapers and check internet for news about him

If "Goodluck Jonathan" happens to be your father but you don't want to see him, don't want to hear about him not to talk of going out with him, etal. your sole aim is how to send assassins after him, I'm sorry but a "stranger"that reads about his daily activities may need to lecture you about your father and even tell you that he once ruled Nigeria and you blame yourself for "opportunities"lost.
REPENT AND STOP DECEIVING YOURSELF AND NAIRALAND KIDS,U DEFINITELY WILL NOT LIKE THE OUTCOME AND SURELY WILL HAVE YASEF TO BLAME

jonbellion:
christian spotted. Lack of sensible comment was a dead giveaway

Thank God u were able to see "CHRISTIANITY"in my comment, that's my identity and I'm so proud of it

Can only blame it on the pastors we have. How can a pastor who claim God protects him move around with long convoys and heavily armed police me? Even inside the Church... How about their flamboyant lifestyle? Their many false prophesies etc. That's not Christianity IMO.

EVarn:
I think the excesses of the modern age churches has hugely contributed to the rising shift from theism to atheism.The mounting corruption in the corridors of religion has frustrated and disenfranchised people so much that they have lost respect for the religious leadership,and by extension,religion itself.
I think many are becoming unreligious not because they do not believe in God per se(many dont even know what to believe anymore,as logic wars with doctrine),but because they detest the corruption and dishonesty in the religious circle of society.

I agree with this submission.
Agreed, there was always atheism, but the recent happenings in churches contributed greatly to this shift.

The rise of atheism in Nigeria is/was bound to happen though I won't lay majority of the blame on the flaws of Pentecostalism. As Nigerians get more exposed through the internet and more knowledge acquired only a matter of time before sound logic trumps whatever religious beliefs they have had.

As for Pentecostalism, I used to argue with them and point out their flaws to the sheeples but over time I discovered that the Pentecostal movement itself was self defeating abi na self destructive sef and scales are beginning to fall of the eyes of the sheeples. Their Pastors are doing a very good job at damaging whatever reputation Pentecostalism has.

I think some just become irreligious and not necessarily atheists due to pentecostal flaws . They just stop going to church .

To some, it's due to flaws of pentecostalism.

But to most, it's because they started thinking outside d box. They reasoned beyond religion which is what most of us don't do prolly for fear of losing faith in God.

Deep down we all have questions that need answers. Questions that if given more thought would draw us away from God. But we don't wanna be drawn away, the teachings we had about Him while growing up have found their ways to our subconscious.

The moment we see beyond that, d moment we begin to doubt and subsequently tend towards becoming an atheist!

hopefulLandlord:


I do agree that all the above contribute to the rise but even the internet is also responsible too

for instance, Thief B Joshua would've gotten away with his false prophesy about USA elections if we didn't have internet!, he wouldn't need to make excuses of plane flying over or Boko Haram being responsible for his church collapse if it had happened 20 years ago

the Ore to Lagos on empty tank story wouldn't have been known by many non-Redeemers if it were told 30 years ago and those redeemers would be too caught up in groupthink to realise the obvious lies in that story

the flamboyant lifestyles of pastors wouldn't have been known has there not been paparazzis posting pics of their lifestyles online (although many pastors these days do the posting themselves)

the adverts of miracles are being scrutinized because there's internet where you won't be afraid of criticising God of men

I watched "Your View" on TVC weeks ago for the first time and the topic of the day was on Adeboye's statement about meeting wife on Facebook and losing them on YouTube; the women on the show started defending Adeboye and twisting and bending his words to make them jive, it was painful to watch BUT come to Nairaland and see how Adeboye is being criticised for such poorly thought words and it won't surprise me if some of the women on that show has monickers on Nairaland which they used to criticise Adeboye too but maintain political correctness when on TV

so I still strongly feel these things have been happening, internet just reports them more and internet users are able to hear opposing opinions about their pastors, church, church members, church doctrines, religion and god

Internet and Pentecostalism​'s excesses, that looks like a marriage made in heaven

There are many factors, that pricks the the rational mind, until he rejects God idea.

No doubt, the sensationalism, fetish practices, abracadabra, vain lifestyle etc, that characterizes the Pentecostal folks, are potent pricking factors, that can induce skepticism into the whole idea of a God.

Pentecostal groups, are daily plunging into deeper absurdities and atrocities, all in the name of God.

This outrageous and unabashed behavior of the Pentecostals, are all that's required, to reinforce skeptic thoughts, a precursor to atheistic position.

CatfishBilly:
I was discussing with a friend recently and the topic unfortunately moved to the rising atheistic population of Nigeria (Nigeria has a shitload of atheists, no joke. You just need to know where to look).
He was of the opinion that the rise of atheism in Nigeria is a reaction.
A reaction to the flaws and excesses of especially Pentecostalism.
How true is this?
Let's have a civil discussion please.
Hahn, hopefulLandlord, Wilgrea7, Jackbizzle, sarassin, MuttleyLaff, jonbellion, akintom, rawgurl, adepeter26, randomperson, realmindz, johnydon22, lennycool, Desepiero, avaa, Seun, nanizle, Frank317 etc

Yes, it is rising in your head.

nonsense

onyenze123:


Yes, it is rising in your head.

nonsense

It's not a rule that you must drop a comment.
I didn't mention your moniker. Just carry your wahala and go.

CatfishBilly:

It's not a rule that you must drop a comment.
I didn't mention your moniker. Just carry your wahala and go.

I will drop a comment when someone makes an outrageous claim without evidence backing it up.

The church is growing, members are trooping in and tithe is swelling.

.

CatfishBilly:
I was discussing with a friend recently and the topic unfortunately moved to the rising atheistic population of Nigeria (Nigeria has a shitload of atheists, no joke. You just need to know where to look).
He was of the opinion that the rise of atheism in Nigeria is a reaction.
A reaction to the flaws and excesses of especially Pentecostalism. How true is this?

It's a reaction to having access to the Internet. The Internet kills religion by providing easy access to information that proves religion wrong.

It is true that the excesses of pentecostalism are repulsive, but actually, Pentecostals/evangelicals are the fastest growing group within Christianity. Countries with less pentecostalism like most European countries have more atheists. Countries like USA with lots of Pentecostals have fewer atheists. Pentecostalism's "signs and wonders" create the illusion of the existence of some evidence for the existence of God.

The OP seems particularly interested in what factor has influenced the recent rise in atheism. As many have pointed out, there is a plethora of reasons why any single individual may adopt atheistic views, not least, the excesses of Pentecostalism. Nevertheless, only few have touched upon the specific thing that has catalysed this "rise", which seems to be the operative concern of the OP.

To address this question, we must not forget that Pentecostalism has existed for decades in Nigeria, yet the rate at which people identify as atheists seems to have spiked only pretty recently. Definitely more recent than the destructive force of Pentecostalism rared its ugly head. I will hinge the reason for this spike solely on the internet. My claim is based on an educated speculation that this observed spike correlates with the period in which the internet became vastly accessible to many Nigerians. I will go one step further to propose two possible ways as to how the internet may have caused this spike.

1) Survivor's bias: The lack of religion based census means there is severe statistical blindness towards atheists that may have existed long ago. The problem here is that if atheists existed in large numbers in the past, they would mostly have been unheard of, making whatever inferences we make about the population of past atheists inherently biased. Like no other census methodology in the history of mankind though, the internet provides us with easily accessible ways to gauge the population of atheists in Nigeria, albeit informally. This naturally gives a less biased representation of the population of atheists in Nigeria, and may invariably create the impression of a spike in rate of adopters of atheism, especially compared to the pre-internet era.

2) Mass Exposure: Aside from providing more accurate statistical data, the internet also makes all kinds of information easily accessible to users. As a general rule, the more informed people become, the more skeptical they get. The internet has certainly done a lot to expose the rot in Pentecostalism. This, perhaps, has caused people to question their values in numbers never before heard of.

I would propose that both these effects are not mutually exclusive, and have most likely reinforced each other, in fact. But regardless of whether it's either/both effects working here, there is no denying that the underlying common denominator responsible for the apparent spike is the internet.

maybe this thread seem like a place I could get some answers. As for me, I Believe there is God All I say in my prayer is thanks I detest going to church I detest prayer (except when I give thanks) I hate being around people who are churchy old what am I? seun hopefullandlord

pablobellins:
maybe this thread seem like a place I could get some answers.
As for me, I Believe there is God
All I say in my prayer is thanks
I detest going to church
I detest prayer (except when I give thanks)
I hate being around people who are churchy
old what am I?
seun hopefullandlord

I already answered that you're irreligious but moving towards deism gradually