Impact Of The Internet And Social Media On Religious Beliefs In Nigeria/Africa.

By Bala Baba Dihs

We are witnessing before our eyes, the end of religion as we know it and its grip in the modern world. However, the story is quite different in Africa. But the seed is now germinating and taking root albeit slowly. 

The advent of the Internet and mobile communication devices is a big game changer. These communication channels are now giving non believers, rationalists, atheists and humanist a great chance to air their views, offer different explanations, counter and criticize religious beliefs and their claims in ways that were never possible before.

Now a person can counter religion and it’s claims at the comfort of his/her home in Africa for the very first time in history and get it across to so many people on the Internet/ social media without any fear of being attacked, harmed, ostracised or killed by religious zealots. 

Religions have survived in Africa mostly by having their teachings and traditions going unchallenged for so long, the distorted versions of things and events they have been presenting to the people have also been accepted as the truth for so long, now people have the chance to openly challenge these teachings and traditions, poke holes at them and share them amongst themselves on the Internet and on social media with out any difficulty.

The Internet and social  media also allows people to criticize and challenge religions anonymously while attracting many followers or getting your message across to many people. 

For so long religions have been indoctrinating children with silly ancient folkare as facts and truths, these religious teachings distort history, bend reason and logic. Religion also indoctrinates children and adults by strictly restricting access to contrary thoughts, ideas and opinions.

Religions pass their ideas freely and by doing so have had the advantage of selling their ideas and having it spread around unchallenged for many years.  Now, with the advent of the Internet, mobille phones and other communication gadgets things have really changed. 

Many young religious people can easily access the internet where it is hard to avoid meeting people with contrary ideas, opinions and thoughts about different issues, and where they will meet irreligious people from different parts of the world, irreligious people that are moral, very intelligent, very enlightened, well exposed, well-read, very rational, fiercely logical and with very sound reasoning. 

These irreligious people always force the young religious adherents to think and reason things out even if they don’t want to. Many religious people go to engage them to defend their faiths or try to convert the irreligious people, but alot of times, the young religious  people end up either loosing their faiths or becoming less dogmatic about their  religions. This is because Superstition and Myths cannot compete against facts, logic, rationality and humanism. 

Now, it is not a question of if religions and its influence and grip on Africa and Africans will wane,  the way it has completely waned, died or is dying in the developed parts of the world, it is only a question of how quickly religion will also do the same in Africa. Old explanations are no longer satisfactory, as young Africans are slowly opening their minds to reason. As time goes by, they are now asking deeper questions, seeking rational explanations and aren’t satisfied with half truths or unchecked knowledge because of their interactions with others on the Internet.

As things continue, it will only be a matter of time that religion and its dogma will also wane and loose its grip on Africans and be replaced by scientific thoughts, reason, rationality, logic and humanism. When that happens, Africa will also begin to grow like other parts of the advanced world. 

Only a matter of time.

(c) Bala Baba Dihis 2022