MINISTERIUM – A Journal of Contextual Theology Vol. 3 No. 1 (2017) 89-110
PRACTICAL ATHEISM: A PROBLEM OF FAITH IN NIGERIA
Victor Ifeanyi Diocesan Secretariat, Nnewi Catholic Diocese, Nigeria. Email: [email protected]
Abstract One of the greatest challenges to the Church today, and particularly to the Church in Nigeria is practical atheism, a peculiar form of atheism of those who theoretically profess belief in God but live as if God does not exist. Our article explains the meaning of practical atheism, shows some of its characteristics, the reason for its existence, its harmful effects, its mode of existence in Nigeria, and some possible ways to overcome the problem. In Nigeria, practical atheism is manifested especially in excessive pursuit of wealth by all categories of people. Consequently, many less privileged are cheated and deprived of their rights, the wealth of the nation is plundered by a privileged few, and bribery and corruption rampant. The Bible and Church documents clearly show, however, that a true Christian should see in Jesus Christ an exemplary life. Christ had come on earth to spend his life for others, and had called on his followers to imitate him and to heed his commandments. The ways to overcome the problem include a regular reflection on the beauty of created realities and on their cause, as well as on man’s life and a life of active faith. These would offer regular acknowledgement of God’s existence and relevance in everyday life. Words of advice and encouragement to the atheists for active involvement in Church’s life especially in liturgy could also save them. Praying for them and encouraging them to pray for more light on their problem could also help them.
Introduction One of the problems that poses a great challenge to the Church today, and particularly to the Church in Nigeria is practical atheism. Pope Benedict XVI, says on it, “A particularly dangerous phenomenon for faith has arisen in our times.” And Robin A. Brace of U.K. Apologetics website makes it known that the attitude of practical atheism applies to the great majority of people in modern, liberal western society. This article tries to explain what is meant by practical atheism, show some of its characteristics, the reason for its appearance and existence, its harms to human society, its
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mode of existence in Nigeria, and some possible ways the problem could be overcome.
Towards Explaining What is Meant by Practical Atheism Atheism is a word derived from the Greek word ἄθεος which among other things literally means, “without God”, “impious”, “forgetting God.” Atheism is widely known to be a complex phenomenon. The Fathers of Vatican Council II clearly point out that the word atheism is applied to different phenomena which are quite distinct from one another. For while God is expressly denied by some, others believe that man can assert absolutely nothing about Him. Still some never get to the point of raising questions about God. Because of the complex nature of atheism, “it is not possible to formulate a single, comprehensive definition of atheism that will cover all cases equally and adequately.” Reid has, however, pointed out that atheism can be considered from two main points of view: as a way of life and as an intellectual position. He argues that as an intellectual position, atheism is a philosophy, “a view of the universe as a closed and self-contained system, existing and intelligible in and of itself.” This form of atheism, also known as theoretical atheism, can be negative or positive depending on whether or not there is a lack of sufficient reflection on the question of God. Atheism as a way of life also exists in different forms. Reid distinguishes three different forms of this: absolute atheism, pseudo-atheism and practical atheism. In absolute atheism, often known as radical atheism, there is a life from which God has been consciously and consistently excluded. However, this atheist may think of God often, but only firmly and absolutely to shut him out of his life and to deepen his attachment to the values that have usurped the place of God. In pseudo-atheism the atheist denies and repudiates the gods being worshipped by other people. In the depth of his heart he is yearning for the presence of the God of life. He lives a life without God because God is nowhere to be found. His disbelief is in the ghosts and shadows which other men take for God. In practical atheism the atheist denies, by the way he lives, the God whom he professes to believe. Reid describes this as “the most common and certainly the most
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curious” form of atheism. It is curious because the atheist is not only unaware of his atheism but would almost infallibly deny it if it were called to his attention. Thus the practical atheist is neither conscious of, nor disturbed by, the absence of God from his life.
Characteristics of Practical atheism Practical atheism is thus the form of atheism in which the atheist makes an affirmation of God in his vision of the world but does not make this affirmation influence the determination of his comportment in his daily life. This is manifested in a special way by the tranquility of conscience with which he behaves as if God does not exist. This practical form of atheism is differentiated from that which is speculative by the fact that while the speculative atheist can offer an explanation for his lack of faith in God, the purely practical one cannot articulate the irrelevance of God in his decision on that which he ought to do. It is remarkable that though the daily life of the practical atheist is not influenced by his belief in God, there are some ways in which this belief is relevant to him. However, as the God in which he believes is a God of limited importance, the relevance of God to him is greatly limited. Johann offers two examples of how God can be relevant to the practical atheist. The first example is as “a God of explanation.” Here God is affirmed simply to satisfy the intellectual necessity of order and of intelligibility; he is a mere functional God, whose function is to hold things together to enable them act in a way that they could show good result, and to explain that which could not be otherwise understood. If there is a tragedy in one’s life one can call on him to obtain his help. Furthermore, if something “mysterious” happens one can place its origin in this God. But as long as things are running smoothly one has no need to think of him. The second example is as “a God of life-beyond-the tomb” with whom one should be in a reasonably good rapport if one does not wish to be lost forever. For the atheist with this notion of God, the constant fulfilment of certain religious norms and prescriptions is a sort of passport for the future life. With God’s norms fulfilled no other thing is felt to be required
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for being assured of a happy life in the world of the dead. Thus, for this atheist God is important but he constitutes a distinct and separate dimension of life clearly cut off from the decisions of daily life. The Bible Baptist Church further teaches that for the practical atheist, life consists only of self-centered concerns. The Church also makes a comparison between absolute atheists and practical atheists and observes these to have much similarity: Absolute atheists do not pray - practical atheists seldom pray. Absolute atheists boast they can get along without God. Practical atheists do little more than pay God a Sunday visit. Absolute atheists do not lay up treasure in heaven; neither do practical atheists. Both have all their treasures down here on earth! Absolute atheists do not set their affections on things above; neither do practical atheists. Absolute atheists are mainly concerned with those things that can be seen, heard, and felt; so also it is with practical atheists. Absolute atheists live only for today; so do practical atheists. The Bible Baptist Church further makes it understood, that often the practical atheist operates by distorting the image of God and making it into an image more acceptable to him. This Church, however, shows this practice to violate the second commandment of God that prohibits idolatry, making it known that the graven image, or imagined god, is nothing more than a projection of the mind, showing the reason why this idolatry is so hateful to God to be that the idolater rejects his Creator (God) as He is. The Bible Baptist Church again teaches that the practical atheist often gives little attention to the Word of God and often interprets it in a manner that suites him. It illustrates this with the information in the passage of Matthew 15:1-9, where the Pharisees, have the Word of God, but in actuality, consider what the elders and the clergy, and the priests said more important than what God said! Hence the issue is not that people don’t believe in God. It is simply that people do not like God and His laws. The Bible Baptist Church makes it further known that in practical atheism, the problem is mainly with the heart (Mt 15:7,8,9; Isa 29:13). It notes that Jesus calls people real hypocrites because they worshipped God outwardly, but inwardly were practical atheists! Accordingly, Jacques Maritain, a prominent Catholic philosopher, is shown to have explained how
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one can become a practical atheist: if one is sufficiently immoral or hypocritical, one deserves to be called an atheist. Practical atheists have also been shown by Peterson to live like the biblical fool. He remarks that the first lines of both Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 say, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God,’” and makes it clear to all Christians that if we are honest, there are times when we live like fools even when we say with our lips that God is there. When we live for ourselves, when we act as though we must alone solve all our own problems, when we fail to trust God for the future. In these situations, we live as fools, as practical atheists.
Reasons for Practical Atheism Some reasons have also been given for the phenomenon of practical atheism and they include the following: a. The Absolute Character Accorded Certain Human Values Dealing with atheism in general, the Fathers of Vatican Council II, among other things, point out that atheism results not rarely from the absolute character with which certain human values are unduly invested, and which thereby already accords them the stature of God. They further make it known that modern civilization itself often complicates the approach to God not for any essential reason but because it is so heavily engrossed in earthly affairs. b. Criticism of Religion from the Enlightenment onwards Also offering the reason for this phenomenon, Pope Benedict XVI argues that “from the Enlightenment onwards, the criticism of religion has intensified, and history has been marked by the presence of atheistic systems, in which God was considered a mere projection of the human mind, an illusion, and the product of a society already distorted by alienation.” He particularly points out that “the last century has seen a strong and growing secularism, in the name of the absolute autonomy of man, considered as a measure and artifice of reality."
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c. The Forces of Liberalism Robin A. Brace of UK Apologetics website has also clearly submitted that the forces of liberalism that characterize the Western world today is also responsible for practical atheism. He shows that a true liberal does not believe in God; he believes only in people, and how those people can live successful and comfortable lives without interference from anybody or anything. He remarks that liberalism has now successfully infiltrated all strata of society and is especially pervasive in the teaching, educational and 'professional' parts of society. d. Throw–Away Culture and Disregard of Human Dignity Another reason for practical atheism has been shown as the mentality of throw-away culture and disregard of human dignity. The Catholic News Agency of the Vatican City reports that on 7 December, 2013, Pope Francis met with members of an international organization that promotes human dignity, and particularly lamented that “in our time, so full of so many hopes and achievements, there are powers and forces that end up producing a ‘throw-away culture,’ whose victims are mainly “the most weak and fragile humans – the unborn, the poor, the elderly, the sick, severely disabled.” He then remarks that “this false model of man and of society affects a practical atheism (by) denying, de facto, the Word of God that says, ‘let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.’”
The Harmful Effects of Practical atheism Practical atheism has also been shown to have a number of harmful effects on the human society, among which are the following: a. Destruction of Man’s Necessary Regular Communion with God The Fathers of Vatican Council II have taught that atheism in general harms man by drawing him away from regular communion with God
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without whom he is nothing and could not have existed or be able to do anything. b. Reduction of Man to Only a Single, Horizontal Dimension Pope Benedict XVI has made it clear that the separation of man from God, which practical atheism shares with other forms of atheism does a serious harm to humanity. This is because, separated from God, man is reduced to a single dimension — only the horizontal (without the vertical) dimension. And he sees this reductionism as one of the fundamental causes of the various forms of totalitarianism that have had tragic consequences in the past century, as well as of the crisis of values that one sees in the world today. c. Impediment of Human Development Pope Benedict XVI further indicates the harms that practical atheism inflicts on humanity to include the fact that it impedes proper human development. It does this by closing the eyes of the practical atheist to the guarantor (that is, God) of man's true development and the source of “the moral and spiritual strength that is indispensable for attaining integral human development.” d. Offering of Pernicious Peace To say that something is pernicious means that it causes death or serious injury; hence one hears of a pernicious virus. Richard Rohr draws attention to John Cassian (c. 360 – 435 AD), a Christian monk and mystic, and shows him to have pointed out that practical atheists immersed in religious life can so easily be soothed into the feeling of security when, in fact, their very souls are in danger. He called such a feeling of security pax perniciosa, or “dangerous peace.” e. Reduction of Human Life to an Absurdity
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An absurdity has been aptly defined by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, to be a thing that is extremely unreasonable. It shows that absurdity contrasts with seriousness in reasoning and that in general usage, absurdity may be synonymous with ridiculousness and nonsense. William Lane Craig, a popular modern Christian apologist, has argued that atheism in all its forms makes human life an absurdity, showing the reason to be that life based on atheism has no ultimate meaning, no ultimate value, no ultimate purpose, and so, is unlivable. He gives the reason for the absence of these in human life based on atheism to be the absence of God and immortality in the thought of the atheist. Showing the necessity of God and Immortality in human life, Craig refers to Loren Eiseley who is said to have described Man as the Cosmic Orphan, the only creature in the universe who asks, "Why?" Other animals have instincts to guide them, but man has learned to ask: "Who am I?" "Why am I here? Where am I going?" Craig remarks, however, that since the Enlightenment, when man threw off the shackles of religion, he has tried to answer these questions without reference to God. But the answers that have been coming back have never been exhilarating, but rather, dark and terrible. The answers say to him, "You are the accidental by-product of nature, a result of matter plus time plus chance. There is no reason for your existence."
Practical Atheism in Nigeria Many anthropological books on Nigeria affirm that Nigerians are very religious. This is also further recently affirmed by Archbishop Idowu-Fearon when he wrote: “Whether we play politics or not with the religious composition of this country, the fact remains, Nigerians are a very religious people:” And Gerald Azike also makes it known that “over 90% of Nigerians in their answer said they were ready to die for their faith.” In spite of this great interest in religion by Nigerians, different people have observed that practical atheism also plagues Nigeria. They generally show that the principal reason for practical atheism here is the absolute character accorded to created reality, namely, wealth and honour for oneself or for the group to which one belongs. Hence among the
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principal ways that practical atheism is manifested here are selfishness, favouritism, discrimination, injustice, bribery and corruption. The Nigerian Bishops give an example on how practical atheism is manifested by favouritism and discrimination by making it known that during the years of great Religious violence in Nigeria, there were continuous threats and erosion of the vital and cardinal principles of peaceful co-existence among different religious groups in the country, culminating, for example, in unprovoked attacks on Christians and their property in some parts of the country, e.g., Kaduna State. They see this as a clear act of segregation and lack of love for one another that should not be found among those that believe in God. They further remark: “We observe with dismay and disappointments that key positions like the Minister, and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory seem to be the preserve of Moslems.” Furthermore, in one of his pastoral letters written when he was the Archbishop of Onitsha, Francis Cardinal Arinze highlighted many acts of discrimination and injustice committed in Nigeria against the poor. He made it known that many people observed that Nigerian society seemed to favour the rich man and the powerful man and to give the poor man a hard and rough time. He gave some examples of these. If a poor man and a "big" man have road accident and are brought to hospital, many people believe that they get very different treatments. Another example is that scholarships meant to help the intelligent children of the poor often omitted the poor and went rather to decorate the not-so-intelligent children of the rich and the powerful. He also clearly showed that the general belief in Nigerian society was that the rich and the powerful rarely go to jail and that the small man was generally wrong. He showed other areas of injustice towards the underprivileged to include discriminating against people because of their place of origin, language or religion. There was also the scandal of very low wages to labourers. He dwelt much on the issue of bribery and corruption as acts unbecoming of people that believe in God. He described them as disease
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that was becoming very common in Nigeria, remarking that it had become the common belief in Nigeria that the way to succeed was to give bribes:
The way to pass interviews and win tenders for a Government or big organization, the way to get proper attention in hospitals and even justice in court, the way to avoid paying customs duties and dodge income tax, the way to get the car you handed in to the motor company properly checked by the mechanic to whom it was entrusted, the way to obtain a passport in record time, the way, in short, to succeed in our society, is to give bribes.
He noted, however, that there were still in Nigeria some comforting initiatives to give the poor greater justice. For some Nigerians were beginning to appreciate the importance of giving everyone what was due to him. In his own article on the subject, Gerald Azike sums up his observation of practical atheism in Nigeria by remarking that “as religious people which we purport to be, we have a god; but it is no more the Judeo-Christian God of Abraham or Muslim Allah with his demanding ideals, but the ‘hedonistic god’ of the Epicureans. Thus, many in Nigeria have banished from their societal life the real God or Allah to an ‘eternal holidays’ and divinized ‘wealth and riches’ as their new god. “Our everyday actions have made us ‘practical atheists’ since we have absolutized wealth which is only a temporal creation with a relative value.” Following such ungodly acts indicated above, the current Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, is shown to have recently said that the country needs leaders with integrity and other godly characteristics to enable the country to overcome her current challenges. He is reported by the Nation Newspaper to have spoken through Ibukun Odusote, the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, at the 6th Annual Prayer Breakfast organized by the Christian Legislators Fellowship of Nigeria, on Thursday, 22 October 2015, in Abuja. He is shown to have among other things pointed out that great leaders follow godly principles.
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He is shown to have quoted copiously from the Bible, citing Jesus Christ as example of a great leader, and to have said: “Throughout Scripture, God has given us various principles for godly leadership. Godly leaders serve others instead of demanding to be served.” Commenting on President Buharis’s appeal for godly leadership in Nigeria, Archbishop Idowu-Fearon points out that productive “leadership has eluded Nigeria for decades” and, therefore, expresses the hope that Nigerian leaders under Buhari would bring their religious convictions into governance.” He makes it clearly known that “Nigerians are a very religious people” and shows the Godly leadership to which the President refers as demanding emotional strengths and behavioural characteristics which can draw deeply on a leader’s mental and spiritual reserves. He points out that in accordance with Christ’s teaching to his disciples, the leader should be among them as one who serves (Lk 22: 26), but contrary to this, the notion in Nigeria has been that leadership is an opportunity to take, to acquire personal status, advantage, gain, etc. at the expense of others.
How a True Believer in God Ought to Live and Behave The Bible and Church’s documents are, indeed, clear on how a true believer in God ought to live and behave. Christ called on Christian believers to see him as “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6) and to learn from him to live “in gentle and humble heart” (Matthew 11:29). Christ further made all understand that he came on earth not to do his will but the will of him who sent him to the earth (John 6:38). In short, he maintained that he came to serve (Lk 22: 26). Unlike some leaders who are only out to exploit their subjects, he said of himself vis à vis those entrusted to him: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). He cited an OT text to show the nature of service he came to do earth. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (LK 4:17-19; cf. Is 61:1). He exhorted his disciples not only to join him in doing this but also in
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general to keep his various commandments: “If you love me, keep my Commandments” (Matt 20:28). The Christians are further challenged always to live a life of honesty: "Let your yes be yes and your no be no" (Mtt.5:37). The Old Testament further challenges all believers in God: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." ( Micah 6:8 , RSV ). Another Old Testament text that particularly challenges rulers is a passage from Ezekiel that says:
The Word of the Lord came to me, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally (Ezekiel 34 2-4).
The Pontifical Commission "Justice and peace," reminds the Christians that Christian love "implies an absolute exigence of justice, as well as the recognition of the dignity of the rights of neighbor." Drawing from the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an author, Philip C.L. Gray, the Vice President of Catholics United for the Faith, an international lay apostolate founded in 1968 to support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church has further shown how a true Christian believer ought to show by his life and behavior that he is God’s steward on earth. He explained Christian stewardship as “a way of living in which we recognize that everything including ourselves and our lives, belongs to God. Accordingly, for a true believer, all resources must be used for the glory of God and the common good of humanity.” He emphasizes that all Christians are stewards of the earth and of the spiritual graces given through Christ's
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death and Resurrection to be used to advance the kingdom of God and for the welfare of our neighbours. (cf. Lk. 19:11-27). Gray drew attention to what God said in the book of Genesis as he created man: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth,” (Gen. 1:26-28) and shows that this biblical passage provided the essential foundation for understanding what Christian stewardship means. He makes it known that the entire passage reveals that the stewardship expected of Adam and Eve and all human beings has three essential characteristics: It is collective, respects the purpose for which things exist; and respects the dignity of each person. He particularly shows that it is collective because God did not expect only one person to be the steward of all creation. Rather, each person born contributes to the well-being of society through prayer, work, and discovery. Thus, collectively, all are stewards of the earth. Nonetheless, each person has opportunities and resources at his disposal that others do not have. Hence, understanding that stewardship is collective requires each person to find ways in which he can collaborate with others to make the resources in his possession work for the good of all as intended by God. Thus, our time, talents, and possessions are all resources that should be shared. Gray particularly makes it understood that stewardship implies good understanding that the two greatest commandments, to love God and to love our neighbor, are inseparable (cf. Mk. 12:29-31), because "the dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God." Hence St. John admonishes, "if any one says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar " (1 Jn. 4:20).
Solutions to the Problem of Practical Atheism Having seen the problem of practical atheism in the world and in Nigeria in particular, the next question is, how can the problem be overcome? Some answers have been offered on this and they include the following:
100 PRACTICAL ATHEISM: A PROBLEM OF FAITH IN NIGERIA a. Attentive Contemplation of Creation and the World Pope Benedict XVI has shown some paths that could lead to the return of the practical atheist to true Christian faith. He shows all of the paths to derive both from natural reflection on the world and man and from the power of faith. The pope indicates the first path through which the practical atheist could return to God to be reflection on the world and the entire creation. He draws attention to St Augustine’s very beautiful and famous passage of reflection on creation in which he said:
Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air distending and diffusing itself, question the beauty of the sky... question all these realities. All respond: ‘See, we are beautiful.’ Their beauty is a profession, “confessio.” These beauties are subject to change. Who made them if not the Beautiful One Pulcher who is not subject to change?
The Pope then thinks that through our capacity for contemplating creation’s beauty and structure, we could discover that the world is not a shapeless mass of magma, but rather reflects marvellous mechanisms and a creative intelligence. Hence, Pope Benedict XVI considers the first path that could lead to the rediscovery of God’s importance in human life to be an attentive contemplation of creation. b. Reflection on Ourselves Pope Benedict XVI further shows the second path that could lead the practical atheism back to God to be reflection on ourselves. He, again, makes reference to St Augustine whom he shows to have said, “God is more intimate to me than I am to myself” and consequently formulates the invitation, “do not go outside yourself, return to yourself: the truth is higher than my highest and more inward than my innermost self.” The Pope remarks that this is another aspect that we risk losing in the noisy and
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dispersive world in which we live today: the ability to pause and look deeply into ourselves and to reinterpret the thirst for the infinite that we bear within us. He cites the Catechism of the Catholic Church which says: “with his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for the infinite and for happiness, man questions himself about God's existence.” c. Active Faith Pope Benedict XVI again shows the third path that could lead the practical atheist back to God to be active faith. He stresses that it must not be forgotten, especially in the situation of our time, that the life of faith is a path that leads to the knowledge of and encounter with God. He makes it known that those who believe are united to God and open to his grace, to the power of his love. Thus, their existence becomes a witness, not of themselves but of the Risen One, and their faith does not hesitate to shine out in daily life. d. Adulthood in Faith Pope John Paul II teaches that maturity (adulthood) in faith is the answer to practical atheism, saying, “Today's Europe calls for the presence of adult Catholics in the faith and Christian missionary communities that witness the love of God to all men.” And by adulthood in faith, he means “one marked by knowledge and conviction.” e. Repenting of Practical Atheism The Bible Baptist Church proposes one of the solutions to the problem of practical atheism to be repenting of practical atheism principally by ceasing to believe in self and self-sufficiency, and beginning to involve God in our lives and in all we do, seeing our lives and all we do as being ultimately for his own glory and for our salvation. f. Re-education on the True Faith
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The practical atheist can also be helped to regain a true Christian faith through a re-education. “Education” is used here in the sense of “direction” (educo -are
The church earnestly desires that Christian faithful, when present at this mystery of faith should not be there as strangers or silent spectators. On the contrary, through a good understanding of the
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rites and prayer they should take part in the sacred action, conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration…. They should be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and each other, so that finally God may be all in all.
To help the faithful achieve good participation in the sacred liturgy, the celebrant should always endeavour to prepare his liturgical functions well and to carry these out with great respect and dignity. His homily should always be a real object of nourishment. The members of the faithful should also be allotted some parts of liturgical function, such as doing some of the readings and saying some parts of the prayer of the faithful. h. Prayer Finally, it has been suggested by Travis Peterson that prayer could also serve as a solution to the problem of practical atheism. He advises that for a practical atheist to effectively turn from his life, recognizing God and believing in him, he should learn to pray over his problem and others should also pray for him.
Conclusion As has been indicated, practical Atheism is a peculiar form of atheism of those who theoretically profess belief in God but in actual practice live as if God does not exist. It is a phenomenon whose existence is felt in the whole world, and which presents itself as a special problem in Nigeria. It is a phenomenon rooted above all in materialistic view of the world and in a desire to lead a successful human life on earth without God. In Nigeria, it is manifested above all in excessive pursuit of wealth by all categories of people as if wealth is an absolute value. Following this, many less privileged are cheated without qualms and deprived of their rights, the wealth of the nation much plundered by those in government, and bribery and corruption rampant in the country. The Bible and Church documents clearly show, however, that this is not how a true believer in God should live and behave. The Christian
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believer is particularly challenged to see in Jesus Christ an example of how he ought to live on earth. Christ had come on earth to help those in all categories of need and to save all, and he called on those that believe in him to learn from him and to heed his commandments. As a way out of the problem of practical atheism I join Pope Benedict XVI and St. Augustine in expressing the view that a regular reflection on the beauty of the created realities and on their cause as well as on man’s life and more effort to lead a life of active faith, that is, life of total submission to God’s will, would lead to regular acknowledgement of the existence of God and of his relevance in our everyday life. I feel also that words of advice and encouragement of practical atheists for their more active involvement in the different aspects of the life of the Church especially in the liturgy as well as prayer for them could also help them. Praying for them and encouraging them to pray for more light on their problem could also help them.
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