Faith or Fraud: What Are We Worshipping?

In a world saturated with screens, hashtags, and viral moments, faith has not been spared the temptation of spectacle. What used to be sacred encounters—silent prayers, whispered prophecies, genuine miracles; now often appear choreographed for the crowd, filmed in HD, and packaged for profit.This is our spiritual crisis: the commodification of the miraculous.From fake resurrections caught on camera to healing crusades with price tags, the African religious landscape; particularly in countries like Nigeria, has seen a disturbing rise in performative faith. Miracles, once the quiet breaking-in of the divine into human suffering, are now staged events, scripted for emotional highs and donations.Take, for instance, the infamous “resurrection” video of Pastor Alph Lukau in 2019, where a man supposedly came back to life mid-service. The clip went viral, sparking both ridicule and alarm. Investigations quickly revealed the event as a staged hoax. But long after the truth emerged, the crowd had already cheered, the donations had poured in, and the prophet’s name had trended.And he’s not alone.Prophet Odumeje, nicknamed the “Indaboski,” gained fame not for theological depth but for turning deliverance into WWE-style entertainment. Body-slamming worshippers, making bizarre proclamations, and glamorizing flamboyance; all in the name of God. What does this tell us about the spiritual hunger of this generation?It tells us we are desperate. Desperate for hope. For healing. For something real in a world that often feels hollow.But desperation without discernment is dangerous.These so-called miracles exploit the deepest human fears: sickness, poverty, rejection, death. They prey on people who are tired of waiting for heaven and want answers now. They build empires on broken hearts and sell salvation like it’s a product.What’s worse? We share them. We repost the videos. We turn prophets into influencers. In our hunger for divine signs, we’ve forgotten that not all who say “Lord, Lord” are of the Lord.So where does that leave us?It leaves us at a crossroad. A moment to re-evaluate what miracles really mean.True miracles aren’t about applause. They are not meant to trend. They are interruptions of love; God meeting humanity in our chaos, not to entertain us, but to transform us. They carry weight, not just wonder. They lead to repentance, not retweets.And revelations? They aren’t random predictions or Facebook prophecies. They are divine communications that challenge us to live better, love deeper, and serve humbly.This generation doesn’t need more drama in the name of the divine. We need truth. We need prophets who don’t just perform miracles but mirror Christ in integrity, simplicity, and sacrifice.Here’s the truth: God doesn’t need gimmicks to be God. And faith, real faith, doesn’t need a camera crew to be powerful.As believers, skeptics, or seekers, we must demand more. Not more signs, but more sincerity. Not more drama, but more depth.Because when faith becomes a performance, we risk losing the very thing that makes it holy: its power to change us.And maybe the greatest miracle today isn’t raising the dead in a viral video.Maybe it’s raising a generation that knows how to tell the difference between truth and theatrics. A generation that believes not because it was dazzled, but because it was changed.#CalamusDei(Culled from my Philosophy of Religion Term Paper on Miracles and Revelations)

Other insights from Samuel Falana