*UNDERSTANDING TRUE RELIGION*

*Favour Adéwọyin*

November 24, 2025. 

Religion is one of the major problems facing the earth and its inhabitants. 

Christians and Muslims are too often set against each other, and in their rivalry, both foreign faiths have pushed the indigenous spiritual heritage to the margins — unfairly branding its practitioners as servants of darkness.

The following are a few brief, clear points on how religion has often posed as a major problem in the world:

1. Religion has been used as a tool for division, creating “us versus them” identities that fuel prejudice, intolerance, and hostility among people who otherwise share common humanity.

2. Many conflicts across history have been justified in the name of religion, even when the real causes are political, economic, or territorial, thereby giving violence a sacred cover.

3. Religious extremism and fanaticism distort genuine faith, turning belief into a weapon and empowering individuals or groups who impose their doctrines on others by force.

4. Rigid religious dogmas sometimes hinder social progress, standing against education, scientific advancement, gender equality, and human rights.

5. Leaders often manipulate religious sentiments for personal or political gain, deepening societal divides and distracting communities from real issues of development and justice.

To state clearly, religion has often been used to justify wars, with leaders invoking divine authority to legitimise violence and rally followers against perceived enemies. In other words, the differences in religious beliefs have fueled intolerance and rivalry, turning spiritual disagreements into large-scale conflicts between communities and nations.

But, it is good to state that it is not religion itself that is bad, but the way people misinterpret, misuse, and wrongly practise it that has caused most of the negativities.

Across the world, humanity has witnessed conflicts, hatred, extremism and deep divisions carried out “in the name of religion.” Yet a closer, honest reflection reveals a profound truth: religion is not the real problem — human beings are. It is not the sacred teachings that corrupt society, but the way people twist and wrongly practise them.

At its core, religion is meant to elevate the human spirit, refine character, promote justice, and bind communities together in peace. But when selfishness, ignorance, and the hunger for power invade the human heart, even the holiest doctrines are manipulated to justify violence and intolerance. Thus, what people often call “religious conflict” is in reality human conflict wrapped in religious clothing.

Let me state with some points why religion is not the problem:

First, every major faith tradition teaches peace, compassion and righteousness, not bloodshed. Wars and hatred arise when individuals replace the spirit of their faith with personal interests, ego, prejudice, and political ambition.

Second, true religion unites; false practice divides. When people cling to empty rituals while abandoning love, truth, and integrity, they turn faith into a tool of oppression rather than a pathway to God.

Third, what fuels violence is not religion, but misinterpretation, manipulation of sacred texts, and the refusal to embody the virtues that religion demands — kindness, humility, justice, and service.

From the Bible perspective, true religion is compassion and purity. The Bible distills true religion into one clear principle: love expressed through action as James 1:27 declares:

> “Pure and undefiled religion before God is to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

This means true religion is not noise, argument, or empty doctrine; true religion is not going to Church or Mosque, but practising what we learn from the Church or Mosque. There are witches and wizards in Churches and Mosques who are specialists in wickedness. Man's inhumanity to man is being perpetrated by no other people than those who go to Church and Mosque. 

But, true religion is compassion for the vulnerable and a life of moral integrity. True religion is to sacrifice one's time, talent and treasure to help others. True religion is community service. Jesus affirmed this when He taught that the greatest commandments are love for God and love for neighbour. Any religion that does not produce genuine love is false religion. 

He also taught it when he said: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” — Mt. 5.7. It is not those going to Church only who do not allow the teachings of Christ to influence their actions that will be blessed, but the merciful. 

From the Qur’ān point of view, true religion Is submission, justice, and doing good. The Qur’ān emphasises that true religion is sincere submission to God’s will, expressed through justice, mercy, and goodness.

Qur’ān 2:256 establishes a foundational principle:

> “There is no compulsion in religion.”

This means faith must be free, not forced — coercion is the enemy of true religion.

Then, Qur’ān repeatedly commands believers to do good, speak truth, help the poor, defend the oppressed, and act with fairness. Hence, true religion in Islam is measured by actions that uplift humanity, not by violence or extremism.

Qu'ran encourages that we should not sever family tie but maintain the bond of kinship — Qur’ān 4:1, Qur’ān 47:22–23. It also encourages that we show love, kindness, and goodness to others —Qur’ān 2:195, Qur’ān 4:36. 

It is not the mere routine of going to the Mosque that draws the blessing of God to any man or woman, but the goodness we extend to others. True religion is revealed not in outward rituals, but in the compassion we show, the burdens we lift, and the impact we make. If wealth is hoarded rather than used to uplift lives and support noble causes that advance humanity, then such a person has missed the very essence of faith. Real devotion is measured by deeds that heal, help, and give hope.

Now, Ifá Corpus maintains that true religion is good character. This is where we get the concept of Ìwà lẹ̀sìn. 

In the Ifá tradition, good character is the highest form of worship. Ifá also likens good character to beauty in the concept of “Ìwà l’ẹ̀wà” — character is beauty — and that no sacrifice or ritual is acceptable to the divine without good behaviour.

The Odù Ifá repeatedly affirms that “He who does good will meet good, and he who does evil will meet evil.” This establishes a moral order where true religion is seen in patience, honesty, humility, wisdom, and peaceful living.

Ifá condemns the use of spiritual power to harm others, emphasising that religion must heal, not destroy.

Therefore, the shared truth across all traditions, from the Bible to the Qur’an to Ifá, one unchanging truth that emergesis that, true religion is the pursuit of good character, justice, compassion, humility, and peace. But, it is human selfishness — not divine teachings — that fuels violence and division.

When practised with sincerity, every religion makes humans better. When corrupted by ego and ignorance, even the best doctrine becomes a tool for destruction.

Therefore, the task before us is not to discard religion or its guiding principles, but to purify our practice of politics with the same virtues that true faith demands — fairness, justice, equity, compassion and respect for all. Just as genuine religion calls us back to the heart of righteousness, our politics in Ọ̀yọ́ State must return to the heart of inclusivity, where every stakeholder — Ìbádàn, Òkèògùn, Ìbàràpá, Ọ̀yọ̀ and Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ — stands equal under the banner of shared destiny. This is the political culture embraced in other states that honour rotational fairness, and it is the only model capable of guaranteeing peace, deepening trust and unlocking our collective progress. When we allow justice to guide power, and equity to shape leadership, then — and only then — will we build an Ọ̀yọ́ State where every citizen feels seen, valued and genuinely represented. This is the essence of true governance, the test of our sincerity, and the surest path to the united and prosperous future we desire.

As I pen down this article, I must earnestly appeal to all who flock to churches, mosques and shrines, yet offer only lip service to the faith they profess. It is time to let the teachings we receive transform our character, our conduct and our conscience — to let love, compassion and a genuine sense of community shape our actions. 

Thus, when we declare “Òkèògùn ló kàn,” we speak from a deeper moral and spiritual conviction: a call for fairness, justice, equity, equality, and true inclusivity — values that reflect the very heart of God and the principles He expects us to uphold in our dealings with one another.

Furthermore, it is good to add another view that, before anyone sells out, betrays or compromises the collective interest of Òkèògùn for fleeting gifts or personal gain, let him or her pause and reflect. Let him or her remember that God sees every deed, weighs every intention and rewards each of us according to the measure with which we treat others. May we lead with integrity, stand with unwavering courage, and honour the people we claim to serve, for it is in embodying these virtues that we draw the fullness of God’s favour upon ourselves.

*Pst. Favour Adéwọyin,*

National Secretary, Ẹgbẹ́ Àjọṣepọ̀ Fún Ìtẹsiwájú Gbogbo Wa.