Indoctrinophobia
Indoctrination :The process of repeating an idea or belief to someone until they accept it without criticism or question.
- Cambridge Dictionary
Indoctrinophobia : Fear that one’s beliefs are the result of indoctrination rather than personal conviction.
-Abiye Dictionary
If you live in Nigeria, or any part of Africa, you have probably asked a question about religion once in your life.
It could be as simple a question as, "Is heaven or hell real?" , or as complex as, "Is my philanthropic muslim peace-prize winning grandmother in hell?"
Whatever the intellectual weight of your question, you were most likely given the answer "That is how it is, " or for most Christians, "You just have to believe more."
Or worse, you were chastised for questioning your faith.
That is not a way to live. That is not a way to believe in something.
And praise be to God that we are in an era of unprecedented access to information. We are in an era were humans seek truth over tradition.
Therefore, I want you to sit down; as a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Traditionalist, Aethist or a curious human. And I want you to drink a jug of skepticism and research until you find solid answers to the following questions;
How reliable are ancient texts? The Torah? The Qur'an? The Christian Bible? Should we or should we not believe them?
Humans have an intrinsic knowledge of what is good and what is bad. Who or what decided that moral compass?
What are the historical facts on the founders/initiators of all the major religions? For example, if you're a muslim, what does history say about the life of Muhammed? If you're a christian, what does history say about the life of Jesus? If you're a Buddhist, what does history say about Siddhartha Gautama?
If every human lived exactly like the founder of a religion, what kind of world would we have today?
How do we explain the concept of intelligent design?
If Jesus did not deify himself — if Jesus did not say he is God, why was he tagged a blasphemer and on what grounds did the Jews crucify him?
Did Jesus die on the cross?
Did Jesus ressurect?
Why do you exist?
Before I end this, I would like to state that I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus lived as the son of God on earth, he died to atone for my sins and he resurrected from the dead to prove that He was who He said He was.
Yes, I was brought up in a Christian home. Yes, I went to a Christian University. Yes, I am in a geographical region that openly accepts Christianity.
It is socially easy for me to say that I am a Christian.
But spiritually, I have wrestled with indoctrinophobia. I have questioned if I am nothing but a woman that happened to be surrounded by Christians all my life.
I have purposefully paused my relationship with God because I encountered an atheist with a sharp tongue. I have asked questions that were shunned or brushed off.
And that is exactly why I chose to search for real answers myself.
I have now reached a point where not believing in the teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ would require more effort and self-deception than simply believing the gospel.
In all honesty, this is a truly wonderful place to be; to have confidence in the trustworthiness of one's faith.
For the case of Christianity, there are strong historical, philosophical, and psychological arguments that support the faith.
But most importantly, there is subjective experiential proof. I, Abiye, have felt the love of God. I have felt the emptiness that comes with separation from Jesus. I have lived through situations with the help of the Holy Spirit. I fully believe that the greatest missions humans have on earth are to love God and love other humans.
The summation of all these facts is what cured my indoctrinophobia and I will continue to keep my eyes and heart as open as possible.
My prayer is that more and more of my friends and families come into the beautiful relationship with God we humans call Christianity.
Because life as a human is truly only sweet with Jesus. And I thank God everyday for mercy of free will and opportunity to ask questions.
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15 NIV