This is not a question on faith. It is not a question as to whether God or Satan exists.

It is a question about US.

This article is an excerpt from my forthcoming reflection, exploring perspectives on faith, fear, love, and human motivation. It is in no way meant as a critique of any religion, or belief system. It is meant as a mirror.

The question is simple. Its implications are not.

IF THERE WAS NO HELL, NO DEVIL, NO PUNISHMENT – WOULD YOU STILL PRAY IN THE MORNING?

One question with many faces.

Philosophers call this the problem of contrast. Psychologists call it motivation. In the street, in the kombi, in everyday life, we call it honesty.

Have we not learnt to define light because we know darkness? Or health because we have seen sickness? Or peace because we have known chaos?

This leaves us to ask: Is our understanding of good dependent on the existence of evil? And if so, what does that say about our worship?

There is no single answer. So we shall look at the same question from different windows.

THE LAYMAN: For most, faith is practical. One prays before an exam, before a job interview, before a journey, and when a child is sick.

So my question would be, if someone told you today, with absolute certainty, “There is no devil, no hell, no demons, no threat of death, or punishment there after. You are safe forever” – would you still set your alarm for morning devotion?

Would you still give thanks, or was gratitude actually relief from pain?

This question is not to judge that prayer. In many traditions, prayer in hard times is seen as a form of resilience. It has kept families together . it has kept people alive. The question therefore is not whether the prayer is wrong. The question is what sustains it when life is good?

Do you worship God out of reverence for him, or are you hiding from Satan?

THE CONVENTIONALLY RELIGIOUS: For many, faith was taught with two characters: One to love, one to fear. One to run towards, one to run from.

Songs, sermons, prayers, often hold both: adoration for the divine, and warfare against evil.

So I ask, as many theologians do: Is worship driven by attraction to the divine, or aversion to evil? Do we run TO God because we love him, or do we run FROM Satan because we fear him?

Love or Fear – what really drives us to pray?

In Christian theology, in Islamic teachings, in many African traditional spiritual understandings, good and evil are presented as real forces. Different faiths interpret their origins differently, but almost all agree that human have moral agency. The question then becomes: Is our choice for good a choice for love, or a choice to avoid consequences?

Do believe me when I say I am not taking a side, or looking to spark a major debate, I am simply asking the reader to notice their own motive.

THE PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, THEOLOGY STUDENT: To this group, the question becomes somewhat more abstract.

Is good only meaningful because evil exists? If we erase the villain, does the hero lose his story?

Some schools of thought argue that without a concept of evil, the concept of goodness would have no definition. Others argue that goodness is complete in itself – it does not need an opposite to be valid. They believe that love, compassion, and creativity are worthwhile even without fear.

Psychology adds another layer. It states that humans respond strongly to loss and threat. We are wired to protect ourselves. So fear based motivation can be very effective – it gets us to act quickly. But research has also shown that love based motivation – purpose, meaning, belonging – sustains us longer.

So then the question becomes: If there is no Satan, would we need a God? Or would we still need God, but for a different reason – not for protection, but for purpose?

The Uncomfortable Mirror

Let us think about it for a little while; Most of us pray when we are sick, or when we are faced with difficult and testing times. We fast when we feel attacked. We tithe when we want protection. We go to church, to the mosque, to the shrine, when life is falling apart.

But are there those who pray when life is good? When the job was just handed, when the child is well, when there is peace at home – does the prayer remain?

If God himself told you tonight, “You are safe forever” – would your relationship with him continue, or would it pause until the next crisis?

Your answer to this question is personal. There is no right or wrong answer here.

Some would say, “I would still pray, because my faith is about love, not fear.”
Other, “Honestly, fear is what brought me to God, and love is what kept me there.”
And another, “Fear brought me to God, if it was erased, I would have no need to pray.”

All are honest. All are valid. Neither is wrong.

Why This Matters Now

Across the African continent and beyond, we are seeing a generation that is both deeply spiritual, and deeply questioning. Young people are not abandoning religion. They are asking better questions about it. They are looking for a faith that works just as well on a Monday, as it does on a Sunday. A faith that stands when there is no crisis to solve.

This book/reflection is not meant to dismantle anything. It is meant to invite a more conscious faith – whatever that faith is. To know whether you are praying from love or from fear, from habit or from conviction.

Because when you know why you pray, you pray differently.