I see many black folk obsessed with commenting with the word “Amen” in some social media posts which are deliberately designed to evoke feelings of pity and empathy. I also see many people, especially so-called gospelpreneurs like TB Joshua, leading the bandwagon, asking their followers to write ‘Amen’ in response to their posts, either as a sign of agreeing with their statements/posts or as a prelude to receiving some “blessing”, untold riches even! Of late I have witnessed a trend where people post pictures of the disabled, abused women, orphans and even the diseased, and asking us to type Amen if we agree that their situation is horrendous. Such kind of blatant spiritual and emotional blackmail really gets my goat because it serves no purpose other than helping impart in us a false sense of religious gravitas.
There is nothing religious about typing Amen in social media posts on Facebook without taking the requisite practical steps to alleviate a fellow neighbour’s pitiful circumstances. These people whose heart-rending photos we splash on social media without their knowledge need more than just our sympathy, they need our help. It’s about time us Africans collectively opened our eyes and honestly self-introspected and copied how other races address problems afflicting them. They do not just waste time typing meaningless Amen’s on social media but instead do what needs to be done to improve their lot.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki epitomised the state Japan was in when the Second World War came to an end in 1945. Atom-bombed almost to extinction by the Allies, the country was in a sorry state. However, by 1960, Japan’s economy was well on course to being the fastest growing in the world at that time.

Most recently Japan again experienced one of its most devastating earthquakes in recent history, yet within a year or two its economy is once again riding the crest of a wave as if nothing has happened. How on earth have the Japanese managed to not only endure the unendurable but also come out of it stronger? The answer is simple: they do not waste their precious time evoking feelings of self pity on social media, nay, they act! Their strong will, self-belief and national values give them strength and power to rise from the ashes like the proverbial phoenix and change their circumstances, whereas us Africans seem permanently resigned to our poverty-stricken fate and are constantly hoping for some stroke of supernatural intervention while simultaneously typing Amen on Facebook and counting how many “likes” our pitiful posts have garnered! Is that being helpful to the suffering people involved? Does that heal anyone of their terminal illness, make them rich, “cure” their disability or curb domestic violence, etc? Of course not!
Do we understand the true import behind the powerful word Amen or we merely grew up hearing it said in rounds of prayer and simply followed suit? To the uninitiated and lazy to google, the word Amen simply means “so be it” , “be confirmed/supported/upheld” . In a mundane context, the word Amen is merely an adjective expressing our agreement with a statement. If said at the end of a prayer, it expresses the genuineness of one’s prayer request. It is simply a word used to agree with, affirm, approve, or emphasize something else that has been said. This information is readily available online for those willing to google and seek to understand the meaning behind the word some pseudo men of God have made a career out of by typing daily while neglecting its spirit of pragmatism in helping the poor and vulnerable in our communities the way other races do.
In a biblical context, Amen is usually the last word of either a solemn statement or prayer whilst our Lord Jesus often used it at the beginning of an anecdote, sermon or parable as either “verily” or “truly”. In the gospel accounts of Mark chapter 9:1 and Luke chapter 9:27, the word Amen implies “truth”, “verity”, hence when uttering it we are simply saying in the presence of God, “I agree with that”, “I believe that to be true” or “I want that to be so”. The word Amen is also found twice in the last two verses of the last book of the bible–Revelation 22:20,21–whilst most of the New Testament books close with it. Those who study a lot of Old Testament prophecy will remember that when intercession for–or prophecy was delivered on– Israel or the law of God was read out, “…all the people answered, Amen, Amen…” , (Nehemiah 5:13; 8:6, KJV, 2000). Also bear in mind that the Lord’s Prayer closes with Amen, (Matthew 6:13) while the Lord’s apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, taught brethren in Corinth to end their thanksgiving with Amen and to say it with understanding, (1Corinthians 14:16). Thus the word “Amen” seals whatever we do or say in the presence of God.
So folks, do not misquote me; I am not saying we should not pray at all or believe in God. All I am simply encouraging to be done is for us to be pragmatic without putting everything inside the Amen basket of wishes and hopes and resting on our laurels. Wishes and hopes only prayed for but not claimed through practical action will remain just that: wishes and hopes. Enough with the abuse of Amen already! Us black folk love our prayers more than being pragmatic. When called upon to offer real help to our fellow neighbour whose pictures we display on social media with reckless abandon to garner choruses of Amen, we are often found wanting. Let the truth be known: prayer alone will not feed a hungry soul, for example. If it did, the black race would be the most prosperous on earth! When praying, we can scream, shout, dance and wail ourselves hoarse, but without action, we will only remain mired in poverty.
It is about time we re-examined our conduct towards those less fortunate than ourselves instead of abusing religion. A religion devoid of practical life-saving action on the part of the believer is a bit like political propaganda–it only serves to promote one’s selfish interests whilst turning others into objects of abuse. Let us desist from abusing the vulnerable by turning them into nothing little more than “likes” of Amen’s on Facebook when what they need most is our practical help. We need to fully understand the essence of Amen before next typing it. Do you agree that the person needs help? If so take practical steps to see what part you can play in helping them solve their problem because by simply typing Amen you are not helping the situation at all. In conclusion, I say Amen to helping our neighbour who could use with some acts of kindness. My parting prayer is: Lord help me stop simply typing Amen on social media but to start being useful either financially or materially in helping those in need. Amen.