Ariyike’s Hurtful Encounter is Religion at Work -By Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi

You may not know her, but she let out a decisive personal experience worth exploring. It’s not just for her sake but for the pliable as well as the holier-than-thou churchgoers. I was almost going to call them brethren, but it is what it is. In reference are people who practice “churchianity” rather than actual Christianity. These are present-day incarnations of the Pharisees of old. The lessons cut across, so pay close attention.

Nigerian actress and TV show host, Ariyike Owolagba aka Ariyike Dimples made headlines earlier in the week when she revealed giving the church a miss for three years due to the judgmental attitude of fellow worshippers, describing her church setting as “rigid and unforgiving”. The media personality, while opening up in a podcast episode, traced her abstinence from church service to the Sunday when a woman told her she was “going to hellfire” for wearing a pencil skirt to service.

If only the elderly could be magnanimous enough to disclose how she became the decider of who goes to heaven or hell. Oh, had men been God, hellfire would be bursting at the seams! Observe that the supposed sin grievous enough to land Dimples in hell was the wearing of a pencil skirt, not even a miniskirt or other seductive variant. That’s religion for you; we shall get to it shortly.

Given the wide reportage and curation of her Open Up disclosure, editors must have adjudged her story to be a common occurrence that resonates with their audiences. “In my community church, you see only elderly people. You barely see the young ones. The young ones have gone to other churches. It was too serious. Yes, you can have your doctrines, but there is a way you can simplify it for young people and take them in without judging them,” she said.

The above remark is understandable because for the Millennials and Gen Zs, there’s a thin line between rigidity and toxicity. Their employers understand this; hence, they are making modern workspaces as unconventional as possible for optimal productivity. If those who sign their paycheques could cut them some slack where they eke out a living, why won’t religion? Today’s youth have little patience for parochialism, particularly in this knowledge era, where no one can claim a monopoly or present as custodian of scriptural understanding.

Of course, the jury is out in the body of Christ as to the apropos of the Christian mother’s charge against Ariyike. It has remained a raging debate whether “sinners” should be admitted into the church just as they are or must first look churchy to belong. While some apostolic teachings provide a basis for the latter, the disposition and indulgence of Jesus during his earthly ministry favour the former. Be that as it may, we can’t discountenance the scripture that says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

This essayist couldn’t ignore Ariyike’s reveal because it borders on this debate that isn’t going away anytime soon. As it were, the same way a dinner costume isn’t ideal for a business meeting, that’s how an outfit for clubbing shouldn’t be worn to a church service. The argument here is assuming, without conceding, that the skirt in question was actually sensuous. Do you know that the woman went as far as reporting the matter to Dimple’s father? This made her “take picture of the skirt and send to my mum to prove that I wasn’t dressing indecently.”

Now, even if what Ariyike was putting on was indecent, that’s not enough reason to provoke her into refraining from the church for three years. She shouldn’t have allowed herself to be so suckered in by madam busybody. Staying away from the church, which is the ground and pillar of truth, makes a person susceptible to what may eventually lead them to hell. The National Geographic Channel teaches that the old faithful hunting tactic of the lion is to isolate their target from the herd. What a confusion of wildebeest would normally do is rally around the vulnerable among them so that the pride of lions won’t get them. The church should learn from this.

It must be re-emphasised that severing ties with the church leaves the backslider at the mercy of the devil and his demons! Our celebrity may have just been enabling the woman’s prediction, not because of the purported indecent dressing, but by neglecting the assembly of the brethren. Since freedom is tied to knowing the truth, in some bondage is the one who avoids the church, which 1 Timothy 3:15 identifies as the pillar and ground of the truth.

It all boils down to religion – the chain with which satan keeps people bound, pending when they join him in hell. Religion blinds the religious from beholding the truth in plain sight. Dimple’s accuser couldn’t reckon that God is interested in the state of the heart, not in physical appearances. That a person appears decent on the outside doesn’t mean that they are so on the inside. This calls to mind the Master’s reprimand in Matthew 23:27 (NKJV), “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

Lest we forget, God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, not merely by their dressing.

Caveat: The foregoing line of thought isn’t a license for lewd dressing to be allowed to cause a brother to sin. As often said in jurisprudence, your fundamental rights end where another citizen’s begin. In other words, the person enjoying the freedom to dress indecently has the responsibility to ensure that their outfit doesn’t distract or tempt weak worshippers!

VIS Ugochukwu writes from Lagos and tweets @sylvesugwuanyi