SHOULD RELIGION BE A PRIMARY CONSIDERATION IN THE CHOICE OF A CANDIDATE IN THE ELECTIONS

   The elections are fast approaching and usually politicians in a bid to win votes use religious sentiments as a  campaign  tool. This is the period where pastors and imams recieves the highest forms of gratification from persons seeking votes from their congregations and in a bid to undermine their perceived enemies or opponents  religious sentiments are employed as a ready and very effective tool for politicking.
    The elected leader is not necessarily God's choice for the people but rather a token of the popular opinions of the citizenry. Therefore , the fact that a seer or prophet  rightly predicted the assent of an individual into a political office does not automatically translate to God's approval of that individual's candidacy and legitimacy . If that was the case then, all the tyrants that have ever ruled are God sent. An example is that of king Saul a product of popular opinion of the Israelites who wanted to be like other nations outside God's leadership. 1 Samuel 8: 5 "And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." and God gave them a king outside His will [NLT] 1 Samuel 15:35 "Samuel never went to meet with Saul again, but he mourned constantly for him. And the Lord was sorry he had ever made Saul king of Israel."
      Kings were given to nations to enforce a divine purnishment for turning against God or for a blessing . While king Saul was still in office , King David was annointed as a replacement .
   Leadership is an offshoot of followership. Corrupt followership produces corrupt leadership and vice versa. God never judges a leader in the exclusion of his followers. There was abundance of food for a few but the majority of the citizens lived in terror and poverty during king Saul's leadership . The right indices with which good governance is measured is the equitable distribution of resources , justice , security and easy access by all it's citizens to social infrastructures.
SHOULD RELIGION DETERMINE OUR CHOICES.?
    First , the question I would love to ask any religious bigot is (1) What was Abraham's religion 2) what was Jesus' religion while on earth (3) Why are mosques being bombed and Muslim leaders being killed or maimed by Muslim extremist (4) Why do we have Christians (catholics versus protestants )fighting against each other in Ireland . (5) Why do Christians kidnap other Christians for ransom in the Niger Delta.( 6) Why do Christians shop from Muslim markets and eat Muslim produce and vice versa. ? 7) What was your religion before you became either a Muslim or a Christian.
       Whenever the Israelites transgressed God's laws , He often handed them over to foreign nations. The lession being that a relationship with God premised on love was to be preferred than the pursuit of religion for selfish reasons. The latter often led to disaster , as soon as the immediate need was met the people went back into their evil ways just as it is in Nigeria. How many Christians can claim to be disciples of Christ committed to worship, discipleship, fellowship , Voluntary service and evangelism , that should be about 30. percent going by the fact that approximately that number are dedicated to midweek services. The majority attend  church for immediate needs to be met not because we love God. This is the bane of the weakness in our moral fabric.
       God installs kings ( Christian and non Christian)  into power to fulfill divine justice. An example is in Jeremiah 25.9 "Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations." God calls Israel's slave masters His servant. Same in 43:10 "And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them." Jermaiah 40.1 1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard  had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were  carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon. 2 And  the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The Lord thy God hath pronounced this  evil upon this place. 3 Now the Lord hath brought  it, and done according as he hath said: because  ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon  you." Our prophets are being denied entry into african countries because of their madness. They've become part of the reason behind inflationary trends because of recklessness financial indiscipline encouraged by their modus operandi . In 2 kings 7 . Elijah a prophet of God brought singlehandedly brought down inflashion through divine influence. The opposite is the case in Nigeria where these so called prophets have helped to push basic amenities beyond the reach of the common man.  Corrupt politicians boldly claim to be spiritual sons of these sons of Balaam who have turned the free gift of salvation to something soon to be quoted in the nigerian stock exchange. Nigerian Christians are about the most corrupt in the world , over 70 percent of 419 cases  are Christians and just like the Israelites , the lord chastised them through a diciplinarian by name Nebuchadnezzar. When we call Muslim the so-called Ishmealites,  infidels, we are quick to forget that the God of Abraham blessed Ishmael too Gen.17: 20 "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. ." This blessing is the reason for the wealth of Muslim nations. The blessing maketh rich.We Christians troop every day to Dubai a land ruled by the so-called infidels but better organized with lesser resources than corrupt Nigerian.
     How many Christians indited of corruption were charged including those behind the fuel subsidy fraud . Our prophets are probably some of the craziest megalomaniacs soon to quote the free gift of salvation in the stock market. To them them the anointing is for sale.
  In Acts 17. 28 "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. " The apostle Paul refered to idol worshippers as God's offsprings. The blood of Jesus Christ was shed as an atoning sacrifice for all mankind and by so doing purchased humanity by that token.
        What we should be praying for is that God's will be done regardless of whom He uses. In isaiah 45:1-3 God used an IshmaelIte,  Cyrus, to bring about major reforms in Israel that lead to the prosperity of the nation . He called an oppresor of Isreal "My servant "MAY GOD'S WILL BE DONE IN NIGERIA COME 2015.