Christianity Opium of the Poor

The CBC’s piece about empty churches in Montreal Quebec reminds me of Africa, where churches are full to the brim, and more informal ones mushroom up quite often.

Chloe Ranaldi’s research indicates most empty churches are now used by Montreal community groups. It’s a different story in former British colonies like South Africa and Nigeria. Churches are packed every Sunday and women wear different uniforms to demonstrate their brand of Jesus: red tunics for the Methodist Church and purple for the Roman Catholic Church.

Like in Montreal, buildings are still standing, the bible is the same, so are church hymns, but worshipers have changed colour. Churches that were for whites only in South Africa are solid African now, from the pulpit to the pew.

In both countries, colonization did such a good job of scrubbing the mind with bible Lysol, Africans think the church you belong to places you in a particular social class. The Catholic Women Organization (CWO) in Nigeria for example.

It’s a status symbol you find in many movies, such as A Better Sinner, which looks at how Africans walk the tight rope between culture, Christianity and money. Empty Montreal churches indicate that the Jesus industry is being upstaged by other more lucrative business ideas, such as online worship.

In Africa, it is standing room only in ‘pastor’ churches, started by eloquent men and sometimes fraudsters. The aim is not eternal joy in Jesus’ bosom, but money in the form of the tithe. I didn’t know about it until a famous Nigerian pastor who reportedly performs miracles was visiting Johannesburg. Zodwa my hairdresser was preparing to go to the two-day revival.

I’m poor like most people, but her poverty dries all the saliva in your mouth and leaves you with one question: what kind of a god expects Zodwa to give a tithe of her non existing income to a pastor with private jets, mansions and luxury cars?

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.