Today around the globe too many atrocities are being committed with
impunity in the name of god, allah and other constructs, which have over
the ages, identified or associated with the so called supreme being.
The dream of a secular peaceful world where people of all faiths and
none can coexist in harmony- continues to elude many across the region.
Millions of people- theists and atheists- continue to suffer and are
abused due to superstition, religious fundamentalism and
supernaturalism. In this piece I will focus on two of such areas.
The rights of non-believers. I have heard it proclaimed at the UN
that the rights of women are human rights. I have also heard it
proclaimed that the rights of gay people are human rights. These
proclamations changed the way human rights are perceived around the
globe. Personally I have yet to hear it proclaimed at UN, or at our
regional and national human rights bodies that the rights of atheists,
agnostics and freethinkers are human rights. I do not want these rights
to be implied or assumed as currently the case in most countries. I want
them to be expressly declared as universal human rights.
In spite of the progress the world has made in terms of upholding
human rights and liberties, and getting states to honour their
obligations under various instruments and mechanisms, equal rights have
yet to be extended to religious non-believers in most parts of the world
particularly in Africa.
I still do not know any African country where one can openly and
truly say that the government recognizes the full human rights of
non-believers including their right to life, freedom of expression,
freedom from torture, inhumane or degrading treatment, freedom of
association, freedom of conscience etc. There is no country in the
region with an effective mechanism to protect the rights of those who
profess no religion; those who change their religion or those who are
critical of religious and theistic ideas. Religious non-believers are
treated as if they are not human beings, as if they do not exist or do
not have the right to exist.
There are no guarantees for the rights and dignity of infidels,
apostates and blasphemers as freethinkers are often called. Many
governments have caved in to pressures from religious fanatics, from
theocrats, jihadists and terrorists. So nonbelievers are denied their
basic rights with impunity, sometimes as a matter of state policy or for
the sake of ‘public order’ or ‘morality’. The situation is worse in
countries that have an official religion or official religions.
Unbelievers are targets of forced conversion, oppression,
discrimination, persecution and murder, sometimes by states. Many
governments pay lip service to freedom of religion or belief. Freedom of
religion is often understood as freedom to profess a religion-the
religion sanctioned by the state, by one’s family or community- not
freedom to change one’s religion or freedom not to profess any religion
at all as contained in article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
So most people who do not profess any religion or belief in god are
compelled to live or remain in the closets or to pretend to be
religious, paying lip service to religions they do not truly profess, to
religious dogmas that mean nothing to them or to a god they do not
actually believe in. Non-believers live in constant fear of their lives
because going open with one’s religious unbelief often comes at a price,
at a very heavy price. In Africa, by going open and public as a
freethinker, one risks being ostracized by families and communities,
being persecuted by state and non-state agents, being expelled from
schools. As an atheist, one can be sacked from jobs, domestically
abused, disqualified from posts, demonized by faith groups, taunted as a
person without morality or portrayed as the enemy of the state or
society. Atheism is a freethinking position that still dares not mention
its name in most parts of the continent.
In many African states, apostasy and blasphemy are crimes punishable
by death and imprisonment. Expressions of freethinkers are often taken
to be blasphemies. Hence freethinkers are legally denied freedom of
expression. Freethinkers are treated as criminals, not citizens; as
undeserving of human rights protection.
But we all know that the term, non-believer, does not always refer
to someone who does not profess a religion or who does not believe in
god. In multi religious societies, the term ‘non-believers’ often refers
to those who profess other religions, or to religious minorities.
So, protecting the rights of non-believers is critical to upholding
the equal rights of all individuals to freedom of conscience. I urge
anyone to show me a country where the rights of non-believers are not
protected and I will show you another country where the right to freedom
of religion or belief, or the rights of religious minorities, in fact,
universal human rights are not respected.
So now we need to get the world to break the ‘criminal’ silence over
the violations of human rights of non-believers. At the UN,
Commonwealth, AU etc, we must strive to get states to recognize and to
take measures to protect the rights of atheists, freethinkers, skeptics,
religious dissenters and infidels. We must ensure that states that
violate the human rights of non-believers or governments that fail to
protect the rights of non-believers are held accountable and
responsible.
Also we need to focus on human rights abuses that are perpetrated
against people of faith in the name of religion by state and non state
agents.
As I noted above, it is not only non theists or non religious
believers whose rights are violated in the name of religion, so many
theists and religious believers across the world suffer abuses in the
name of their own faith or the faith of others. Unfortunately, these
abuses are so many and have been going on for so long. Due to fear of
offending religious sensibilities, many states and human rights
institutions have failed to rise up to the challenge of addressing these
abuses. Many people are afraid of shining the light on faith related
human rights violations because of fear of being attacked or killed by
fanatics.
Highlighting the abuses is often deemed to be offensive or a form of
provocation and our governments do not want to offend or be seen to be
offending the religious ‘sensibilities’ of fanatics even when if it
means condoning grave human rights abuses, hence these violations
persist.
What we have in many parts of Africa and the world is a situation
where the victims, not the perpetrators, are blamed for the abuses or a
situation where harmful traditional practices are encouraged or condoned
because doing otherwise would offend the religious or cultural
sentiments of the people. Religious doctrines, traditions and
sensibilities are cited to justify child marriage, the death penalty,
corporal punishment, female genital mutilation, the denial of
reproductive rights, homophobia, witch hunt, the subordination of women,
etc. Even where there are enabling laws, governments lack the political
will to enforce these laws.
We must not only stand up for the rights of atheists and
freethinkers around the globe but also the human rights of people of all
faiths who are oppressed in the name of religion or god. For there are
many, far too many, around the world who are victims of religious
tyranny, violence and exploitation. They could be writers or artists
whose works offend fanatics. They could be women, children and elderly
persons who are persecuted in the name of witchcraft in Africa. They
could be muslim women who are subordinated in the name of sharia. They
could be christians and muslims who are shot and killed by extremist
groups in Nigeria.
They could also be albinos, people with hunch back and other
disabled persons being hunted down and killed for ritual purposes in
many parts of Africa.
In conclusion, I know there are risks involved in speaking out
against faith based human rights abuses. But I think we run a greater
risk as a society, country and continent by not doing so. We are worse
off by keeping silence in the face of religious tyranny and oppression.
So, let’s muster courage and serve as the voice of hope, freedom and
change. Let’s strive to herald this new dawn for Africa and for
humanity. Let’s work to realize a new civilization and enlightenment
with a global dimension.
by Leo Igwe
Sunday, May 27, 2012
GOD’S TRUTH VERSUS MAN’S LIES
Imagine a world where everyone speaks the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth? What kind of world would that be? Would we even
want to live in it? It does not matter if we are Christians, atheists or
agnostics; we don’t like the truth. What differentiate us from one
another are relativities: the extent to which we tell lies. We all tell
lies every now and then, but some of us consider ourselves to be
righteous because we don’t tell “big” lies.
But can we tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? The classical answer to that is: “so help me God.” Would we even want to tell the truth at all times? I think not. Telling the truth would get us into too much trouble. We would lose our friends. We would lose our jobs or not be able to get a job. Our marriages would collapse. To be perfectly honest, it would be too costly.
This world is a world of lies; it is not meant for the truthful. The quickest and surefire way to succeed in this world is to sin. The psalmist says: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.” (Psalm 73:12). Therefore, a voice from heaven says: “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins.” (Revelation 18:4). Therefore, Jesus invites us to come into the righteous kingdom of God.
Justifiable lies
I write articles pointing out the contradictions and fallacies in the epistles of Paul. When I do, some Christians write to me asking for my objective. Do I need any other objective than the need to expose a lie? Clearly, they don’t think so. They believe a lie should be permitted if it is for the good of the gospel. Paul himself asks; “If the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?” (Romans 3:7).
Martin Luther also says: “What harm would it do, if a man told a good strong lie for the sake of the good and for the Christian church … a lie out of necessity, a useful lie, a helpful lie, such lies would not be against God, he would accept them.”
Christians are fed on lies systematically and procedurally. For example, Bishop David Oyedepo says: “For over 25 years that I have been married to my wife, it has been tension-free, peaceful and serene.” That is a big lie. No marriage can be like that for 25 years unless both husband and wife are physically dead. Several years ago, at a dinner captioned: “A Day Out with the G.O.” held for financial sponsors of one of his annual “Holy Ghost Festivals,” Pastor Adeboye boasted that the time would soon come when the Queen of England would plead to join the Redeemed Church in order to work as an usherette. The audience rejoiced in the lie. They responded with wild applause and shouts of “Amen!”
Relative righteousness
Paul is a master of the relative and he offers us a way out of God’s absolutes. He does not just tell us to speak the truth. That would be too absolute. Instead, he says we should speak the truth “in love.” (Ephesians 4:15). That conveniently qualifies the truth. For Paul, speaking the truth is only good if spoken in love. In effect, there are times when, according to Paul, it is not good to speak the truth. If the truth is likely to be hurtful to someone, it is better to tell a lie. Thereby, Paul re-opens the door shut by Christ for Christians to continue telling lies.
Instead of asking Christians to avoid evil, Paul says we should: “abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). In effect, Paul is not against evil per se. He is more interested in appearances. His primary concern is public opinion. But while appearances may convince and satisfy men; they will never satisfy God who searches the hearts and minds of men.
For Paul, truth is relative. Where we stand depends on where we sit. Paul is fundamentally against God’s absolutes. On the issue of not eating food sacrificed to idols, he says dismissively: “He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” (Romans 14:6). Paul even manages to give a malicious slant to the absolutely godly injunction that we should love our enemies. He says: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” (Romans 12:20).
He ends up with this principle: “All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient.” (1 Corinthians 6:12). In effect, even murder is lawful according to Paul, but it might not be expedient. If it becomes expedient, we would have no qualms in committing it. Paul says: “Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.” (Romans 14:22).
God of absolutes
But our God is a God of absolutes. With him, there are no compromises. No grey areas. No white lies. God cannot lie. He speaks the truth in all circumstances. He is the embodiment of truth. His word is truth. His Son, Jesus, is “the way, the truth and the life.” His Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth. Therefore, when we learn at the feet of Jesus, we discover that a lie is a lie is a lie. A lie is never justifiable. There is nothing like a good lie or a white lie. God is absolutely the enemy of liars. He says categorically: “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8).
God raised one man to confound all man’s relative truths. That man is Jesus. He never spoke a lie. He absolutely never committed sin. And yet he is a man. What manner of man is Jesus? He is the manner of man God expects all of us to be. Therefore, Jesus is our Good Shepherd. We must follow his footsteps.
Jesus does not give man’s relative commands. Moses says: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” This means if I don’t love myself, I am free not to love my neighbour. But Jesus says: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you.” (John 13:34). Jesus is the single absolute yards-tick for God’s righteousness and he confounds all our relativities and rationalizations of sin.
Jesus reveals the love of life is the absolute root of all evil. Therefore, God has made the hatred of life in this world the primary prerequisite for the attainment of eternal life. Jesus says: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25). No relativities here. We either love life relatively and lose it, or hate life absolutely and gain it. The choice is ours to make.
By Femi Aribisala
But can we tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? The classical answer to that is: “so help me God.” Would we even want to tell the truth at all times? I think not. Telling the truth would get us into too much trouble. We would lose our friends. We would lose our jobs or not be able to get a job. Our marriages would collapse. To be perfectly honest, it would be too costly.
This world is a world of lies; it is not meant for the truthful. The quickest and surefire way to succeed in this world is to sin. The psalmist says: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.” (Psalm 73:12). Therefore, a voice from heaven says: “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins.” (Revelation 18:4). Therefore, Jesus invites us to come into the righteous kingdom of God.
Justifiable lies
I write articles pointing out the contradictions and fallacies in the epistles of Paul. When I do, some Christians write to me asking for my objective. Do I need any other objective than the need to expose a lie? Clearly, they don’t think so. They believe a lie should be permitted if it is for the good of the gospel. Paul himself asks; “If the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?” (Romans 3:7).
Martin Luther also says: “What harm would it do, if a man told a good strong lie for the sake of the good and for the Christian church … a lie out of necessity, a useful lie, a helpful lie, such lies would not be against God, he would accept them.”
Christians are fed on lies systematically and procedurally. For example, Bishop David Oyedepo says: “For over 25 years that I have been married to my wife, it has been tension-free, peaceful and serene.” That is a big lie. No marriage can be like that for 25 years unless both husband and wife are physically dead. Several years ago, at a dinner captioned: “A Day Out with the G.O.” held for financial sponsors of one of his annual “Holy Ghost Festivals,” Pastor Adeboye boasted that the time would soon come when the Queen of England would plead to join the Redeemed Church in order to work as an usherette. The audience rejoiced in the lie. They responded with wild applause and shouts of “Amen!”
Relative righteousness
Paul is a master of the relative and he offers us a way out of God’s absolutes. He does not just tell us to speak the truth. That would be too absolute. Instead, he says we should speak the truth “in love.” (Ephesians 4:15). That conveniently qualifies the truth. For Paul, speaking the truth is only good if spoken in love. In effect, there are times when, according to Paul, it is not good to speak the truth. If the truth is likely to be hurtful to someone, it is better to tell a lie. Thereby, Paul re-opens the door shut by Christ for Christians to continue telling lies.
Instead of asking Christians to avoid evil, Paul says we should: “abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). In effect, Paul is not against evil per se. He is more interested in appearances. His primary concern is public opinion. But while appearances may convince and satisfy men; they will never satisfy God who searches the hearts and minds of men.
For Paul, truth is relative. Where we stand depends on where we sit. Paul is fundamentally against God’s absolutes. On the issue of not eating food sacrificed to idols, he says dismissively: “He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” (Romans 14:6). Paul even manages to give a malicious slant to the absolutely godly injunction that we should love our enemies. He says: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” (Romans 12:20).
He ends up with this principle: “All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient.” (1 Corinthians 6:12). In effect, even murder is lawful according to Paul, but it might not be expedient. If it becomes expedient, we would have no qualms in committing it. Paul says: “Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.” (Romans 14:22).
God of absolutes
But our God is a God of absolutes. With him, there are no compromises. No grey areas. No white lies. God cannot lie. He speaks the truth in all circumstances. He is the embodiment of truth. His word is truth. His Son, Jesus, is “the way, the truth and the life.” His Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth. Therefore, when we learn at the feet of Jesus, we discover that a lie is a lie is a lie. A lie is never justifiable. There is nothing like a good lie or a white lie. God is absolutely the enemy of liars. He says categorically: “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8).
God raised one man to confound all man’s relative truths. That man is Jesus. He never spoke a lie. He absolutely never committed sin. And yet he is a man. What manner of man is Jesus? He is the manner of man God expects all of us to be. Therefore, Jesus is our Good Shepherd. We must follow his footsteps.
Jesus does not give man’s relative commands. Moses says: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” This means if I don’t love myself, I am free not to love my neighbour. But Jesus says: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you.” (John 13:34). Jesus is the single absolute yards-tick for God’s righteousness and he confounds all our relativities and rationalizations of sin.
Jesus reveals the love of life is the absolute root of all evil. Therefore, God has made the hatred of life in this world the primary prerequisite for the attainment of eternal life. Jesus says: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25). No relativities here. We either love life relatively and lose it, or hate life absolutely and gain it. The choice is ours to make.
By Femi Aribisala
Sunday, May 20, 2012
THE RELATIVE AND THE ABSOLUTE MARRIAGE
I wrote a book entitled; Why Christians Won’t Go to Heaven. Some
Christians complained my book is too absolute. They said I should have
written: “Why Some Christians Won’t Go to Heaven.” No, I replied. I mean
no Christian will go to heaven. Christianity is not a criterion for
heaven. Last week, I wrote an article entitled “Christians Make
Terri-ble Husbands.” Some self-righteous Christian husbands shot back
saying I should have said: “Some Christians Make Terrible
Husbands.” No! No! No! I mean “all Christian husbands.”
God’s prophetic word is appropriately exp-ressed in absolute terms. Jesus says: “The sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12). He does not say “some of the sons of the kingdom.”
Option of divorce
Man specializes in turning the God’s truth into a lie. Take, for example, the question of divorce. Moses knew God is against divorce. Nevertheless, he permitted the Israelites to divorce their wives. What gave Moses such audacity? Jesus said: “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, who-ever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:9).
God’s command on the question of divorce is absolute; but man turned it into a relative comm-and. When the disciples discovered God is absolutely against divorce, they replied: “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” (Matthew 19:-10). In short, they would rather not marry than obey God in marriage. But if we don’t marry, we are confronted with another absolute commandment. We must not have sex out-side of marriage. What is the way out? Sin!
Relative marriages
Most Christians contract relative marriages even though the marriage covenant is couch-ed in absolute terms. When we say: “for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health;” we are speaking absolutely and not relatively. Nevertheless, we retain the option of divorce if things get worse or poorer. When we quarrel one year down the road, we play the divorce card. But if divorce were an option in God’s plan for marriage, he would not have asked Hosea to marry a prostitute. As to be expected, Hosea’s prostitute wife was unfaithful to him. She even had children by other men. Nevertheless, divorce was not an option for Hosea.
In short, the Christian marriage has become a farce. We talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. We make the absolute commitment, even before God, knowing full well we have no intention of keeping it absolutely. We make the commitment to be faithful; “forsaking all others,” but have no qualms whatsoever about having affairs. We even have one or two children out of wedlock. We promise to love and to cherish, yet we are not averse to beating up our wives, sometimes to the point of hospitalization. No wonder then that the Christian marriage is no longer till death do us part. It is now till divorce do us part. It is till problems do us part; or till economic adversity do us part; or till the bond-woman do us part.
As usual, Jesus foresaw all this hypocrisy. He would not have us deceive ourselves that by signing a legal agreement, or by going before a pastor and a church, that makes our marriage binding . Precisely because we choose to swear the oath of marriage, that implies we are not trustworthy and cannot trust others. In the scriptures, marriages were not determined by oaths, but by sexual intercourse.
Jesus says: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:33-37).
Rationalizing absolutes
Christians specialize in converting God’s absolutes to man’s relatives. A famous Nigerian pastor is divorced from his wife. He then remarried a divorced woman. Nevertheless, he told his congregation that “the Holy Spirit” ministered to him that his new wife, Stephanie, has never been married before. Apparently, the Stephanie who was married before is dead and this newly-married Stephanie is born again. So old things are passed away, (including her previous marriage), behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). Thank God for Paul.
Paul’s double-minded scriptures are always available for those inclined to contradict Jesus. Sometimes, Paulinists lose complete sight of Jesus. When you quote Jesus to them, they accuse you of heresy. One pastor with a vested interest said forbidding a Christian to remarry because he is divorced is a doctrine of demons. Where does he get this from? Where else but from Paul? Paul says: “The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry.” (1 Timothy 4:1-3).
When queried by a Vanguard journalist about his remarriage after divorce, Pastor Chris Okotie of Household of God, Lagos had this to say: “Some argue that the bible says you must remain unmarried for as long as your spouse is alive… The bible doesn’t say so. It doesn’t say so. I think a lot of people don’t study the Word of God enough. There is a difference be-tween a man who marries a woman and the woman leaves him and the one that divorces. There are so many people who are parading themselves as preachers of the scriptures who don’t know the bible enough, particularly in the area of marriage.”
Absolute marriage
However, marriage is God’s institution. It is not man-made. God’s marriage plan is absolute; there is no divorce. It is till death do us part. Indeed, everything about God’s concept of marriage is absolute. God’s absolute marriage has one prototype. It is between Adam and Eve; it is not between Adam and Steve.
Under what circumstances is it lawful for a man to hate his wife? Under absolutely no circumstances! Under what circumstances is it lawful for a man to beat his wife or for a wife to slap her husband? Under absolutely no circumstances! Under what circumstances is it lawful for a husband or a wife to commit adultery? Under absolutely no circumstances! Under what circumstances is it lawful for a husband and wife to abuse one another? Under absolutely no circumstances! Under what circumstances is it lawful for a husband and wife to deceive one another? Under absolutely no circumstances!
Under what circumstances is it lawful for a husband to kiss his wife? Under absolutely all circumstances!
By Femi Aribisala
God’s prophetic word is appropriately exp-ressed in absolute terms. Jesus says: “The sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12). He does not say “some of the sons of the kingdom.”
Option of divorce
Man specializes in turning the God’s truth into a lie. Take, for example, the question of divorce. Moses knew God is against divorce. Nevertheless, he permitted the Israelites to divorce their wives. What gave Moses such audacity? Jesus said: “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, who-ever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:9).
God’s command on the question of divorce is absolute; but man turned it into a relative comm-and. When the disciples discovered God is absolutely against divorce, they replied: “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” (Matthew 19:-10). In short, they would rather not marry than obey God in marriage. But if we don’t marry, we are confronted with another absolute commandment. We must not have sex out-side of marriage. What is the way out? Sin!
Relative marriages
Most Christians contract relative marriages even though the marriage covenant is couch-ed in absolute terms. When we say: “for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health;” we are speaking absolutely and not relatively. Nevertheless, we retain the option of divorce if things get worse or poorer. When we quarrel one year down the road, we play the divorce card. But if divorce were an option in God’s plan for marriage, he would not have asked Hosea to marry a prostitute. As to be expected, Hosea’s prostitute wife was unfaithful to him. She even had children by other men. Nevertheless, divorce was not an option for Hosea.
In short, the Christian marriage has become a farce. We talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. We make the absolute commitment, even before God, knowing full well we have no intention of keeping it absolutely. We make the commitment to be faithful; “forsaking all others,” but have no qualms whatsoever about having affairs. We even have one or two children out of wedlock. We promise to love and to cherish, yet we are not averse to beating up our wives, sometimes to the point of hospitalization. No wonder then that the Christian marriage is no longer till death do us part. It is now till divorce do us part. It is till problems do us part; or till economic adversity do us part; or till the bond-woman do us part.
As usual, Jesus foresaw all this hypocrisy. He would not have us deceive ourselves that by signing a legal agreement, or by going before a pastor and a church, that makes our marriage binding . Precisely because we choose to swear the oath of marriage, that implies we are not trustworthy and cannot trust others. In the scriptures, marriages were not determined by oaths, but by sexual intercourse.
Jesus says: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:33-37).
Rationalizing absolutes
Christians specialize in converting God’s absolutes to man’s relatives. A famous Nigerian pastor is divorced from his wife. He then remarried a divorced woman. Nevertheless, he told his congregation that “the Holy Spirit” ministered to him that his new wife, Stephanie, has never been married before. Apparently, the Stephanie who was married before is dead and this newly-married Stephanie is born again. So old things are passed away, (including her previous marriage), behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). Thank God for Paul.
Paul’s double-minded scriptures are always available for those inclined to contradict Jesus. Sometimes, Paulinists lose complete sight of Jesus. When you quote Jesus to them, they accuse you of heresy. One pastor with a vested interest said forbidding a Christian to remarry because he is divorced is a doctrine of demons. Where does he get this from? Where else but from Paul? Paul says: “The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry.” (1 Timothy 4:1-3).
When queried by a Vanguard journalist about his remarriage after divorce, Pastor Chris Okotie of Household of God, Lagos had this to say: “Some argue that the bible says you must remain unmarried for as long as your spouse is alive… The bible doesn’t say so. It doesn’t say so. I think a lot of people don’t study the Word of God enough. There is a difference be-tween a man who marries a woman and the woman leaves him and the one that divorces. There are so many people who are parading themselves as preachers of the scriptures who don’t know the bible enough, particularly in the area of marriage.”
Absolute marriage
However, marriage is God’s institution. It is not man-made. God’s marriage plan is absolute; there is no divorce. It is till death do us part. Indeed, everything about God’s concept of marriage is absolute. God’s absolute marriage has one prototype. It is between Adam and Eve; it is not between Adam and Steve.
Under what circumstances is it lawful for a man to hate his wife? Under absolutely no circumstances! Under what circumstances is it lawful for a man to beat his wife or for a wife to slap her husband? Under absolutely no circumstances! Under what circumstances is it lawful for a husband or a wife to commit adultery? Under absolutely no circumstances! Under what circumstances is it lawful for a husband and wife to abuse one another? Under absolutely no circumstances! Under what circumstances is it lawful for a husband and wife to deceive one another? Under absolutely no circumstances!
Under what circumstances is it lawful for a husband to kiss his wife? Under absolutely all circumstances!
By Femi Aribisala
Sunday, May 13, 2012
CHRISTIANS MAKE TERRIBLE HUSBANDS
I was a loving husband until I became a “born again” Christian. Then I discovered certain things written by Paul in the bible appointing me the head of my wife. I eagerly accepted the appointment. Jesus reveals that the worst kind of evil is the one which is presumed to have a religious sanction. I might be a murderer but in my heart-of-hearts I know it is wrong to kill. However, if the church convinces me that by killing men I am doing the work of God, then I can kill with gusto and without any conscience.
Paul say: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” (Ephesians 5:22-24).
Even though this is addressed to wives and not to husbands, it was music to my ears. I thanked God that he deemed it fit to make me head and not tail. As far as I was concerned, it gave me the divine sanction to lord it over my wife. Those who know my wife will immediately recognise that such presumed lordship would be fiercely contested. It took a few battle-scars and the tutelage of the Holy Spirit for me to recognise this scripture which gave me putative authority over my wife “in everything” is morally and spiritually bankrupt.
Pauline fallacy
In classically Pauline fashion, the scripture is full of inherent contradictions. Christian wives cannot say Jesus is Lord on the one hand (I Corinthians 8:6); and say husband is Lord on the other. Jesus says: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24). It is fundamentally irreverent for Paul to ascribe equal status to the husband “as to the Lord” in the life of the wife.
Paul says: “I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” (I Corinthians 11:3). This is preposterous. It is not only unscriptural, it is unworkable. In the Old Testament, Deborah was a judge in Israel. (Judges 4:4-7). This made her the head of all the men by divine sanction. Today, let a man go and work in Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance and tell the female Minister; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that “the head of woman is man.” He will not last on the job.
Jesus would never make the man the head of the woman. That would displace God; the one and only head Jesus prescribes for everybody. Indeed, Jesus does not give authority to a man over another human-being. He says to his disciples: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you.” (Matthew 20:25-26). The only authority Jesus gives his disciples is over demons: “I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19).
Matrimonial dictatorship
Paul is in error and he leads many Christian men into error. He has created a situation where, in Christian homes, the abuse of wives by husbands is rampant. The Christian husband asserts his “Paul-given” right to control his wife’s life. He uses Pauline scriptures and chauvinistic church doctrine to enforce his presumptive right to tell her what to do. He demands her unquestioning submission to his whims and caprices. There is often little or no mutuality or loving consideration here. It is either his way or the highway. When the Christian man marries, he does not only marry a wife. He marries a cook, a washer-woman, a sex-slave and a maid, all in one Pauline package for the fee of a dowry. Every morning, he wakes up saying: “Thank you, Jesus!”
But it is all thanks to Paul that many a Christian husband believes his wife’s feelings and opinions are inconsequential. He may discredit them on principle or specifically because “Adam was not deceived, but the woman.” (1 Timothy 2:14). Or, he may give lip-service to respecting her views, but later disparage them as “emotional and not logical.”
Thereby, the Christian wife, who has been ransomed by Christ, is put back into bondage. She is constrained to dissociate from certain friends and family-members because of the need to keep “His Majesty” happy. She avoids some of her favourite activities for the sake of “keeping the peace.” If she objects to her Lord-husband’s heavy-handedness, she is castigated as “rebellious,” and “spiritually immature.” If she questions his opinions and decisions or disagrees with them, his lordship might just beat her up so that “the will of God” may be done in her life.
But it is not the will of God that the wife should play second-fiddle to her husband. It is the will of Paul. It is the will of God that all men and women should submit to God. Marriage is not about doing of the will of the husband. It is about the doing of the will of God. The Christian husband who operates on the premise of my will be done has set up himself for a cantankerous marriage.
Servant husbands
Let me speak directly to my power-drunk husband colleagues who would have me excommunicated for daring to love our female adversaries. No matter the forcefulness of your dictatorship at home, I assure you your wife resents you. She may be kneeling down for you on the outside, but she is standing up to you on the inside. If you would just take the time to study the words of Jesus, you would see that your house is built on sand. Sooner than later, it will fall.
Even if the husband were to be the head of his wife; that would still not be to his advantage. A Christian head is different from a secular head. Jesus says: “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:27-28). This means even Paul’s position ends up making the husband the servant of his wife.
When there was disagreement between Abraham and Sarah over Ishmael, God did not take sides with Abraham as some bogus head of his wife. God declared his own overriding will, which happened to agree with Sarah and not with Abraham. (Genesis 21:9-12). That is the role of God in the Christian home. Every decision is referred and deferred to him.
Because we fail to understand this, Christian men make lousy husbands. If you don’t agree with me, you don’t need to argue. Just prove me wrong in your home.
By Femi Aribisala
Thursday, May 10, 2012
AN INEFFECTIVE RELIGIONISM
There has been an inordinate growth of religion in Nigeria. While I have no empirical evidence, I am inclined to believe that Nigeria
is one of the most religious countries in the world. Everywhere,
villages and cities are studded with churches. Believers are in their
churches on Wednesdays, Thursday, Fridays, and of course, Sundays. There
are morning devotions, mid-night vigils, Sunday services, fellowship
meetings, and one revival and crusade after another. Ostensibly, the
pastors are laboring in God’s vine yard; preaching the word of God,
winning souls for Christ, etc.
In addition, these men of God strive to bring the word of God into our workplaces and homes. They flood the airwaves and televisions with their messages. The TVs are filled with pastors, evangelists, apostles and bishops preaching and evangelizing. They come in different forms. Some look cultivated and cultured and others look coarse and crude. Some look sophisticated and Sauvé and others look uncouth and unkempt. Some are erudite and elitist and, even affect American and British accents and some sound as though they can barely manage a conversation in English. In all, they all have one mission, to bring to us the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, all these sermonizing and exhortations have not in any way improved the Nigerian society. It has neither elevated our social ethics nor enhanced our moral standards. Why are these pastors working so hard to teach us the doctrine of Jesus Christ which is based on love, humility, compassion, lawfulness, etc but our society remains full of hate, arrogance, cruelty, lawlessness, etc? In spite of all the preaching, why are the churches still suffused with wickedness, selfishness, dishonesty, intolerance and other attributes that the Bible repeatedly stated are not Christ-like, and therefore, should not exist among Christians?
This is because the lives of these preachers do not always exemplify what they preach; they are yet to lead their flock by example. They are yet to demonstrate that only law of Jesus Christ (which is love) in their thought, words and deeds. They left the central theme of the gospel and dwelt on secondary issues, and sometimes trivial issues.
The Christianity faith is grounded on the Bible, a composite of the Old and the New Testaments. The laws of the Old Testament as given by Moses and the laws of the New Testament as given by Jesus Christ are essentially the same laws stated in two different ways.
The Ten Commandments set rules to regulate our relationship with God and man. Jesus Christ gave us only two laws established on love: love God with all your mind and heart and love your neighbor as yourself. This law of love transcends every other law. If you love God with all your heart and mind, you will invariably uphold the laws of Moses as they concern your relationship with God. Secondly, if you love your neighbor as yourself, you will not murder him, or do to him anything that the laws of Moses forbid. Therefore the laws of Jesus Christ are both the encapsulation and refinement of the laws of Moses.
Jesus Christ did not only preach love, his life personified and exemplified it. At Calvary, he dramatized his unconditional love; he prayed for the forgiveness of those who humiliated and crucified him. The essence of Christianity is love for others. All the exegeses, analysis and homiletics of the gospel are secondary and sometimes unimportant factors. They are only relevant to the extent they teach us how to love one another. St Paul made the same point in 1Corinthians Chapter 13 when he wrote that of all the attributes of Christianity, love is the greatest. And that without love everything else we do with our Christian life profits us nothing. The first epistle of John Chapter 4 verse 7 and 8, wrote “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love”
It is not possible to love God without loving man. We can only love God by loving our fellow human beings. Jesus Christ made that point in Matthew 25 verse 34 to 40, “Then shall the King say…Come you bless of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you…For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave drink: Naked, and ye clothe me…”And the righteous will ask “Lord, when saw we thee hungry and fed thee, thirsty, and gave thee drink, or naked and clothe thee?” And the King shall answer, inasmuch as ye have done it unto any of my brethren; ye have done it unto me”.
That is, as we respect man, we are respecting God; as we care for man, we are caring for God; and as we love man, we love God. There is absolutely nothing we can do for God. God does not need our money. Our praises are wonderful but can neither substitute nor compare with the praises emanating from the millions of angels whose duty is to praise and worship God continually. The best we can therefore do for God is to respect, care and love man.
It will be interesting to imagine how magnificent the Nigerian society will become when the lives of Christians led by their pastors are governed by love for others, loving their neighbors as themselves. There will be an automatic transformation of the society, as we will seize to be lawlessness, wicked, selfish, rude and intolerant in our dealings with others. And there will be no more falsehood, theft, murder, or any act of wickedness or violence, by Christians. Nigeria will be so reformed to the point that all these endless preaching by these men of God will be rendered redundant.
As the saying goes, “an ounce of example is worth more than a ton of precepts”. We have been inundated for years with Christian precepts by these pastors and bishops. It is high time they started setting us examples by their own Christ-like ways of life. They will do this country a lot of good if they just endeavor to live in accordance to that transcendental law of Jesus Christ, “love your neighbor as thyself”. Let them live it in their thinking, actions and utterances. And that will be much more effective in making Nigeria a better place to live in than all their sermons, oration and histrionics.
By Tochukwu Ezukanma
In addition, these men of God strive to bring the word of God into our workplaces and homes. They flood the airwaves and televisions with their messages. The TVs are filled with pastors, evangelists, apostles and bishops preaching and evangelizing. They come in different forms. Some look cultivated and cultured and others look coarse and crude. Some look sophisticated and Sauvé and others look uncouth and unkempt. Some are erudite and elitist and, even affect American and British accents and some sound as though they can barely manage a conversation in English. In all, they all have one mission, to bring to us the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, all these sermonizing and exhortations have not in any way improved the Nigerian society. It has neither elevated our social ethics nor enhanced our moral standards. Why are these pastors working so hard to teach us the doctrine of Jesus Christ which is based on love, humility, compassion, lawfulness, etc but our society remains full of hate, arrogance, cruelty, lawlessness, etc? In spite of all the preaching, why are the churches still suffused with wickedness, selfishness, dishonesty, intolerance and other attributes that the Bible repeatedly stated are not Christ-like, and therefore, should not exist among Christians?
This is because the lives of these preachers do not always exemplify what they preach; they are yet to lead their flock by example. They are yet to demonstrate that only law of Jesus Christ (which is love) in their thought, words and deeds. They left the central theme of the gospel and dwelt on secondary issues, and sometimes trivial issues.
The Christianity faith is grounded on the Bible, a composite of the Old and the New Testaments. The laws of the Old Testament as given by Moses and the laws of the New Testament as given by Jesus Christ are essentially the same laws stated in two different ways.
The Ten Commandments set rules to regulate our relationship with God and man. Jesus Christ gave us only two laws established on love: love God with all your mind and heart and love your neighbor as yourself. This law of love transcends every other law. If you love God with all your heart and mind, you will invariably uphold the laws of Moses as they concern your relationship with God. Secondly, if you love your neighbor as yourself, you will not murder him, or do to him anything that the laws of Moses forbid. Therefore the laws of Jesus Christ are both the encapsulation and refinement of the laws of Moses.
Jesus Christ did not only preach love, his life personified and exemplified it. At Calvary, he dramatized his unconditional love; he prayed for the forgiveness of those who humiliated and crucified him. The essence of Christianity is love for others. All the exegeses, analysis and homiletics of the gospel are secondary and sometimes unimportant factors. They are only relevant to the extent they teach us how to love one another. St Paul made the same point in 1Corinthians Chapter 13 when he wrote that of all the attributes of Christianity, love is the greatest. And that without love everything else we do with our Christian life profits us nothing. The first epistle of John Chapter 4 verse 7 and 8, wrote “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love”
It is not possible to love God without loving man. We can only love God by loving our fellow human beings. Jesus Christ made that point in Matthew 25 verse 34 to 40, “Then shall the King say…Come you bless of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you…For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave drink: Naked, and ye clothe me…”And the righteous will ask “Lord, when saw we thee hungry and fed thee, thirsty, and gave thee drink, or naked and clothe thee?” And the King shall answer, inasmuch as ye have done it unto any of my brethren; ye have done it unto me”.
That is, as we respect man, we are respecting God; as we care for man, we are caring for God; and as we love man, we love God. There is absolutely nothing we can do for God. God does not need our money. Our praises are wonderful but can neither substitute nor compare with the praises emanating from the millions of angels whose duty is to praise and worship God continually. The best we can therefore do for God is to respect, care and love man.
It will be interesting to imagine how magnificent the Nigerian society will become when the lives of Christians led by their pastors are governed by love for others, loving their neighbors as themselves. There will be an automatic transformation of the society, as we will seize to be lawlessness, wicked, selfish, rude and intolerant in our dealings with others. And there will be no more falsehood, theft, murder, or any act of wickedness or violence, by Christians. Nigeria will be so reformed to the point that all these endless preaching by these men of God will be rendered redundant.
As the saying goes, “an ounce of example is worth more than a ton of precepts”. We have been inundated for years with Christian precepts by these pastors and bishops. It is high time they started setting us examples by their own Christ-like ways of life. They will do this country a lot of good if they just endeavor to live in accordance to that transcendental law of Jesus Christ, “love your neighbor as thyself”. Let them live it in their thinking, actions and utterances. And that will be much more effective in making Nigeria a better place to live in than all their sermons, oration and histrionics.
By Tochukwu Ezukanma
Sunday, May 6, 2012
BISHOP OYEDEPO'S SLAP OFFERING FOR JESUS
I finally got to see the widely circulating Winners Chapel's
Slapgiving starring the presiding bishop and a teenager. The response
has been overwhelming with many literally calling for the head of the
bishop on a plate considering the fact that it was a depiction of child
molestation by one of Nigeria's most celebrated and highly respected
socio-spiritual figures. To a large extent, his roles in the video
deserve it. But no one is talking about the authenticity (or otherwise)
of Bishop Oyedepo's provisional diagnosis.
I've been to several Nigerian churches and Islamic centers and I can unequivocally attest to the fact that in most of them, it looks like human rights, democracy, freedom of speech...are strange, or unholy. The head of the religious body isn't democratically elected but appointed through the leading of the Holy Spirit. In other words, you don't have to be a popular candidate to get a post in the church; all you have to do is to be selected by the spirit. Except the lingering leadership in the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) and in few other places where human laws are being used to challenge what is supposed to be a divine order, the church system in Nigeria is satisfactorily happy with the undemocratic nature of its leadership; although it is quite different from the nation's style of government.
Apart from the unique style of government in the Nigerian church, the salutations are very different from nationalhierarchy. Although there is the deaconry, pastorate and Council of Elders, his lordship is only answerable to God who "works in mysterious ways." Talking of mysteries in Christianity, three major aspects come to mind: giving, healing and deliverance.
I remember when I was very young and I often hear the pastor when it's time to give the offering. He usually asks us to give bountifully and cheerfully. Furthermore, we were often told that we are "giving to God" and not to him hence I used to think that after each service, he visits God and hands over the day's offering hence as a child, I used to write my name on the Naira notes I dropped in the offering box. This went on until I got one of my notes as change after purchasing some drinks. That was when I realized the truth about how offerings are handled. Even at that, I wasn't disappointed because we are contributing towards the furtherance of God's work. But if it were to be as a Nigerian, I'm sure I will take the president to court (with or without immunity consideration) for betrayal of national trust, lying and impersonation. But who can sue the man of God without incurring God's wrath?
When it comes to giving, Nigerian religious leaders present seeding, tithing and offering as God's forex trading platform that is never affected by economic meltdown, global financialrecession and the lingering Euro woes. And the more Christians give, the more they receive. In the quest to get more, you may have to give all. In economics, statistics and other forms of human reasoning, this principle is crazy. But as far as the Christian faith is considered, that is the fate of Christians who want to enjoy God's blessings. Hallelujah!!!
There is no law opposing that, there is no one challenging that and it has become an acceptable norm and an appealing message that ensures that the house of the Lord lacks nothing.
Spiritual healing is even crazier (along human reasoning) than deliverance. I can never forget the experience I had at an Islamic healing centre in Ibadan. Toddlers and teenagers were chained with adults who had psychiatric disorders. During the healing session, they were severely flogged in the presence of some of the parents who couldn't hold back tears. They couldn't stop it either because doing such could jeopardize or interfere with the healing process. Some of the kids bled severely, passed out and had to be revived. Yet heavens didn't fall because the parents knew that the healer had good intentions for their children and "though weeping endures for the night, joy comes in the morning." Hence whatever needs to be done, medically oresoterically, which will make the child healed, will be allowed by the next-of-kin.
Apart from the religious healing processes described above, traditional healers have more dehumanizing procedures that healing seekers are subjected to, these are satisfactory to them since they gladly or reluctantly eat terrible meals, drink awfulconcoctions and walk naked across the village square in order to get rid of the underlying medical condition that the hospitals cannot cure.
Deliverance sessions are another amusing (to the atheist) aspect of religious practices in Nigeria, and other parts of Africa as a whole. The dialogues are quite interesting as the deliverance minister orders the evil spirit around much to the admiration of the congregation. Prophet TB Joshua's style seems to be the most interesting as he "controls" the evil spirit with the movement of his hands. Pastor Chris (Christ Embassy) is another delight to watch not to mention Nigeria's home of deliverance - the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries.
While these churches are always in full public glare hence they always put their ministers in check, local deliverance ministers perform very shocking activities to send the devil packing. We cannot forget Rev. King; his atrocities are typical of radical Nigerian deliverance ministers.
However, a closer look at the principles of deliverance would reveal that although setting people on fire isn't right, certain doctrines support some of the actions of these ministers.
In annoyance at the transmogrification of his father's house to Onitsha market, Jesus brought out his koboko just like the Air Marshal on Lagos road several months ago. Jesus chased away those shopping in the synagogue as if it were the multi-million dollar newly commissioned Ikeja Mall.
But unlike our overambitious deliverance ministers, Jesus drew a big line between personal and spiritual issues. The koboko story wasn't in response to satanic or devilish influence but an action that is expected of anyone protecting his or her worldly property.
The sheer interplay of physical and spiritual was responsible for the slapsgiving spreading like wildfire across the internet. Had it been that Bishop Oyedepo slapped the witchcraft spirit in the spirit thus leaving the poor girl out of the spiritual clash, no camera would have caught that to be shared on Facebook and Youtube.
But let's thank God the girl was just slapped and did not become a burnt offering like Rev King's unlucky victims. Although Bishop Oyedepo has become the latest inductee into NVS' Hall of Shame, this incidence further highlights the need for a sovereign national spiritual conference where issues like how to chase away evil spirits without dehumanizing the helpless persons will be extensively discussed because it is quite difficult, possibly impossible, for the legislature to promulgate human laws for the spiritual realm. And the president will not sign such bills into binding laws since he fraternizes with the religious leaders a lot. And he won't like to be seen as trying to hinder the move of the spirit that he hopes will show him which direction to take us to.
But there is something we can always do, that is to keep talking and publicizing incidences like this. The number of boys and girls that are daily humiliated by religious scientists who diagnose them as witches and wizards is still alarming yet the government is doing absolutely nothing to checkmate this. Nigerians need to take responsibility for their actions and take their destinies into their own hands. We can't be oppressed by heartless governments and still have to support excommunicated children who could be stoned to death or consumed by fire by embittered men of God using satanic or crazy methods for their activities.
When I thought every point has been made, an interesting explanation of the slap struck my mind. When the bishop confronted the girl and accused her of witchcraft, she vehemently rejected the accusation. Maybe the slap was meant to test her Christian faith since Jesus asked his followers to turn the other cheek when slapped. Had she turned the other cheek, maybe the bishop would have given her a full scholarship atCovenant University and an all expenses paid first class flight to any destination abroad aboard his lordship's private jet.
By Paul Adepoju (SR)
I've been to several Nigerian churches and Islamic centers and I can unequivocally attest to the fact that in most of them, it looks like human rights, democracy, freedom of speech...are strange, or unholy. The head of the religious body isn't democratically elected but appointed through the leading of the Holy Spirit. In other words, you don't have to be a popular candidate to get a post in the church; all you have to do is to be selected by the spirit. Except the lingering leadership in the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) and in few other places where human laws are being used to challenge what is supposed to be a divine order, the church system in Nigeria is satisfactorily happy with the undemocratic nature of its leadership; although it is quite different from the nation's style of government.
Apart from the unique style of government in the Nigerian church, the salutations are very different from nationalhierarchy. Although there is the deaconry, pastorate and Council of Elders, his lordship is only answerable to God who "works in mysterious ways." Talking of mysteries in Christianity, three major aspects come to mind: giving, healing and deliverance.
I remember when I was very young and I often hear the pastor when it's time to give the offering. He usually asks us to give bountifully and cheerfully. Furthermore, we were often told that we are "giving to God" and not to him hence I used to think that after each service, he visits God and hands over the day's offering hence as a child, I used to write my name on the Naira notes I dropped in the offering box. This went on until I got one of my notes as change after purchasing some drinks. That was when I realized the truth about how offerings are handled. Even at that, I wasn't disappointed because we are contributing towards the furtherance of God's work. But if it were to be as a Nigerian, I'm sure I will take the president to court (with or without immunity consideration) for betrayal of national trust, lying and impersonation. But who can sue the man of God without incurring God's wrath?
When it comes to giving, Nigerian religious leaders present seeding, tithing and offering as God's forex trading platform that is never affected by economic meltdown, global financialrecession and the lingering Euro woes. And the more Christians give, the more they receive. In the quest to get more, you may have to give all. In economics, statistics and other forms of human reasoning, this principle is crazy. But as far as the Christian faith is considered, that is the fate of Christians who want to enjoy God's blessings. Hallelujah!!!
There is no law opposing that, there is no one challenging that and it has become an acceptable norm and an appealing message that ensures that the house of the Lord lacks nothing.
Spiritual healing is even crazier (along human reasoning) than deliverance. I can never forget the experience I had at an Islamic healing centre in Ibadan. Toddlers and teenagers were chained with adults who had psychiatric disorders. During the healing session, they were severely flogged in the presence of some of the parents who couldn't hold back tears. They couldn't stop it either because doing such could jeopardize or interfere with the healing process. Some of the kids bled severely, passed out and had to be revived. Yet heavens didn't fall because the parents knew that the healer had good intentions for their children and "though weeping endures for the night, joy comes in the morning." Hence whatever needs to be done, medically oresoterically, which will make the child healed, will be allowed by the next-of-kin.
Apart from the religious healing processes described above, traditional healers have more dehumanizing procedures that healing seekers are subjected to, these are satisfactory to them since they gladly or reluctantly eat terrible meals, drink awfulconcoctions and walk naked across the village square in order to get rid of the underlying medical condition that the hospitals cannot cure.
Deliverance sessions are another amusing (to the atheist) aspect of religious practices in Nigeria, and other parts of Africa as a whole. The dialogues are quite interesting as the deliverance minister orders the evil spirit around much to the admiration of the congregation. Prophet TB Joshua's style seems to be the most interesting as he "controls" the evil spirit with the movement of his hands. Pastor Chris (Christ Embassy) is another delight to watch not to mention Nigeria's home of deliverance - the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries.
While these churches are always in full public glare hence they always put their ministers in check, local deliverance ministers perform very shocking activities to send the devil packing. We cannot forget Rev. King; his atrocities are typical of radical Nigerian deliverance ministers.
However, a closer look at the principles of deliverance would reveal that although setting people on fire isn't right, certain doctrines support some of the actions of these ministers.
In annoyance at the transmogrification of his father's house to Onitsha market, Jesus brought out his koboko just like the Air Marshal on Lagos road several months ago. Jesus chased away those shopping in the synagogue as if it were the multi-million dollar newly commissioned Ikeja Mall.
But unlike our overambitious deliverance ministers, Jesus drew a big line between personal and spiritual issues. The koboko story wasn't in response to satanic or devilish influence but an action that is expected of anyone protecting his or her worldly property.
The sheer interplay of physical and spiritual was responsible for the slapsgiving spreading like wildfire across the internet. Had it been that Bishop Oyedepo slapped the witchcraft spirit in the spirit thus leaving the poor girl out of the spiritual clash, no camera would have caught that to be shared on Facebook and Youtube.
But let's thank God the girl was just slapped and did not become a burnt offering like Rev King's unlucky victims. Although Bishop Oyedepo has become the latest inductee into NVS' Hall of Shame, this incidence further highlights the need for a sovereign national spiritual conference where issues like how to chase away evil spirits without dehumanizing the helpless persons will be extensively discussed because it is quite difficult, possibly impossible, for the legislature to promulgate human laws for the spiritual realm. And the president will not sign such bills into binding laws since he fraternizes with the religious leaders a lot. And he won't like to be seen as trying to hinder the move of the spirit that he hopes will show him which direction to take us to.
But there is something we can always do, that is to keep talking and publicizing incidences like this. The number of boys and girls that are daily humiliated by religious scientists who diagnose them as witches and wizards is still alarming yet the government is doing absolutely nothing to checkmate this. Nigerians need to take responsibility for their actions and take their destinies into their own hands. We can't be oppressed by heartless governments and still have to support excommunicated children who could be stoned to death or consumed by fire by embittered men of God using satanic or crazy methods for their activities.
When I thought every point has been made, an interesting explanation of the slap struck my mind. When the bishop confronted the girl and accused her of witchcraft, she vehemently rejected the accusation. Maybe the slap was meant to test her Christian faith since Jesus asked his followers to turn the other cheek when slapped. Had she turned the other cheek, maybe the bishop would have given her a full scholarship atCovenant University and an all expenses paid first class flight to any destination abroad aboard his lordship's private jet.
By Paul Adepoju (SR)
BARRACK OBAMA DOES NOT EXIST
MANY people have heard of Barrack Obama. Some even believe he is the president of the United States. But I have news for them all. Barrack Obama does not exist. He is a myth created to deceive the world that Americans are so enlightened they would actually elect a black man as president. The so-called Barrack Obama is a white actor under heavy disguise. That is why there is contention about his place of birth. Barrack Obama was not born in Hawaii, Indonesia or Kenya. He was born at Twentieth Century Fox studios in Hollywood.
Douglas Anele
My position on Barrack Obama is a parody of Douglas Anele’s articles in Vanguard on 8th and 15th April, 2012 entitled: “The Significance of Easter.” In them, he maintained Jesus never existed. When I read the articles, I felt genuinely sorry for Douglas. All it revealed is that Douglas has never met Jesus, which is such a shame. The fact that I have never met Barrack Obama, or that there is contention about his place of birth, does not mean he does not exist. Neither does the fact that Douglas has never met Jesus, or the discrepancies in the biblical reports about his resurrection, lead to the conclusion that Jesus never existed.
Barrack Obama is alive and well and living in the United States. Jesus is alive and well. He lives in my heart and in the hearts of all true believers. Easter is a pagan festival merged with Christianity. Yes, it is! The bible is full of errors and contradict-ions. What do you expect? It was written by men. But it also contains the truth of God. Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat.” (Matthew 13:24). This is applicable to the Christian bible. It is a book with weeds sown among the wheat.
Douglas only talks about the historical Jesus. But as a student of history, surely he knows there are conflict-ing reports about all historical figures, incl-uding those of recent memory. What Douglas fails to appreciate is that the historical Jesus is present here today. Tell-ing someone like me who interacts with Jesus on a daily basis that Jesus does not exist is like saying my wife, Karen, does not exist. She might not exist to Doug-las, but I have known her for 44 years and have been married to her for 35 years. Similarly, I have known Douglas’ “non-existent Jesus” for 20 years.
Witness of Jesus
I was born in a Christian family. Every Sunday, it was compulsory to go to church. I was compelled to cram some scriptures. I even acted in biblical plays. At 18, I was confirmed into the Anglican Communion. But once I left home for the university, I breathed a sigh of re-lief. I remained a nominal Christian but never went to church again except to get married or to attend weddings. I lived my life to all intents and purposes as if Jesus never existed. Until one day, he showed up; not on the pages of my bible (I was not in the habit of reading the bible), but in person.
John testifies to the Douglases of this world: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (I John 1:1-3).
This is like saying some people have only heard of Barrack Obama. Some have seen him, perhaps on television or in a magazine. But others have actually met him in person; they have even touched him. That is my testimony to Douglas Anele concerning the Jesus that is non-existent to him. I, Femi Aribisala, am a witness of the re-surrection of Jesus. I have heard of him; I have seen him and I have met him. I have touched him and he has touched me. But there is an even higher level of acquaint-ance. Jesus has been revealed in my life.
On Damascus Road
There is a story of a certain historical Douglas Anele in Acts. His name was Saul. Like our Douglas of today, he fashioned himself as a persecutor of the followers of Jesus. But some-thing dramatic happened to him on Damascus Road: “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” (Acts 9:3-6).
This was written in the bible not just as a historical record; or as Douglas might say, as a mythical record. It was written to demonstrate that Jesus physically appeared to some people, even the Doug-lases of this world, after his resurrection. Jesus is the same: “yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). As he appeared to the doubting Douglases of yesterday; so he appears to the doubting Douglases of today. Jesus says: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest My-self to him.” (John 14: 21).
I was one of those doubting Douglases. However, at the age of 41, Jesus manifested himself to me, not on Damascus Road, but on Airport Road in Lagos. He has continued to do so since then. He speaks to me and I speak to him. I ask him questions and he ans-wers. On a number of occasions, he has even revealed to me before-hand things which then happened in the futu-re.
Asking for Jesus
Jesus says: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10). Rather than wasting time trying to convince the converted that Jesus did not exist, the Douglases of this world should ask the heavenly Father to reveal himself to them. When I did, I received infallible proofs of the living Jesus.
Ask for your own burning-bush experience, as happened to Moses. Ask for Jehovah-Shammah; the God who is always there. Ask for Jehovah-Jaireh; the great provider. Ask for Jehovah-Rapha; the God that heals us. Jesus says: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13).
By Femi Aribisala
CROSSING OUT THE DEVIL
Jesus came into the world as a heavenly commando sent by God to destroy the works of Satan single-handedly. The devil holds men in bondage through the singular sin of the love of life; the foundation of all sin. We steal, cheat, fight, kill and commit adultery in order to save our lives. God required Jesus to call us to repentance and tell us about his kingdom. He would then demonstrate that our fear of death is baseless by laying down his life and then rising from the dead.
Hebrews says of Jesus: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Exposed secret agent
But how can Jesus survive in Satan’s kingdom on earth when his arrival as a baby is broadcast by angels? How can he survive when wise men from the East are foolish enough to make enquiries about him in the king’s palace? Herod’s response on hearing of the birth of a rival “king of the Jews” was to kill all the infants in Bethle-hem. However, God was always one step ahead of Jesus’ adversaries. An angel forewarned Joseph to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt for refuge. Thereafter, the devil was bound and rendered powerless for the duration of Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus was not secretive about his mission on earth. He preached about the establishment of his alternative kingdom everywhere he went. He also validated his message with super-natural signs. He cast out demons; demonstrating the overthrow of the kingdom of Satan. He raised the dead; signaling the triumph of life over death. He healed the sick; announcing the end of human suffering. He multiplied loaves of bread; pointing to the satisfaction of all physical need. He stilled the storm; heralding the emergence of peace on earth. And he forgave sins; proclaiming the dawning of righteousness.
Recognizing Jesus’ superior authority and powers, the devil quickly sought an unholy alliance with him. He appealed to the pride of life in Jesus by offering him all the kingdoms of the world, if he would join his rebellion against God. He said to him: “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” (Luke 4:6-7).
But when Jesus refused the offer, he resorted to his time-honoured strategy of employing the fear of death against men. He threatened Jesus’ life; knowing Jesus could easily save it. But if Jesus saved his life, he would be entrapped by the word of God which says: “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it.” (Luke 17: 33). The devil even attempted to use one of Jesus’ disciples against him. When Jesus revealed that God’s plan was for him to be killed and then rise from the dead, Peter objected, saying this should not happen to Jesus. But Je-sus rebuked him sharp-ly. He said to him: “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23).
A house divided
In Satan’s camp were the Jewish pastors who were incensed that the more Jesus preached, the more he exposed their ungodliness. If he were to continue unabated, they feared they would soon lose their meal-ticket; the goodwill of the people. They were also concerned that Jesus’ popularity would grow into a revolutionary fervor against Roman occupation; prompting Caesar to crush it with characteristic ruthlessness. Since this would jeopardize their privileged position under Roman rule, they decided to save their lives by accusing Jesus to the Roman authorities of plotting to overthrow Caesar; a crime punishable by death.
However, Jesus knew Satan had no interest in killing him; he only wanted him to save his life. Jesus was determined to allow himself to be killed, so that Satan’s captivity of men through the love of life and the fear of death would finally be broken. When Satan realized this was Jesus’ resolve, he decided to call the whole thing off at the last minute. Pilate, another one of his agents, looked desperately for a way to free Jesus, declaring him innocent. He said to Jesus’ accusers: “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” (John 19: 4). He then sought to release him through a clemency order in honour of the Passover.
However, the pastors, Satan’s other agents, would not con-sent to Jesus’ release, insisting he must be crucified. In effect, Jesus’ non-resistance divided Satan against himself. Jesus says: “Every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25). In order to save his life as Governor by avoiding a riot, Pilate had to succumb to the demands of the pastors.
Provoking righteousness
But Satan had one last gambit. He engineered the rulers of the Jews as well as passers-by to mock Jesus, hoping to provoke him to jump down from the cross and save his life. They taunted him, saying: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” (Luke 23:37). “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” (Luke 23:35). Even God had to restrain himself from saving Jesus when Jesus cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
However, the love of God for man ensured Jesus was forsaken on the cross. Jesus paid the full Satanic ransom of laying down his life as a man. Thereby, he pioneered the fulfillment of the word of God that says: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12: 25). This ushered in a new era of the resurrection of the dead unto eternal life with God. (John 6:38-40).
Thus, Jesus’ defeat was paradoxically his greatest triumph. Once he willingly laid down his life for God, the devil’s stranglehold on the lives of men was broken for the very first time. With Jesus’ resurrection, all the righteous dead began to rise from the dead: “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52-53).
By overcoming the love of life and the fear of death, Jesus opened “the gates of righteousness,” that men may thereafter follow his shining example.
Thanks to Jesus, we are no longer held captive by sin and Satan: “Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:7-8).
By Femi Aribisala
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