Church Opens Doors to Muslim Worshippers so they can have a Place to Pray.

A Berlin church is hosting Muslims who are unable to fit into their mosque for Friday prayers because of social distancing guidelines. The Dar Assalam mosque in the Neukölln district normally welcomes hundreds of Muslims to its Friday services. But it can currently only accommodate 50 people at a time under Germany's coronavirus restrictions. 

During the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the nearby Martha Lutheran church stepped in to help, hosting Muslim prayers in Arabic and German.

"It is a great sign and it brings joy in Ramadan and joy amid this crisis," said Mohamed Taha Sabry, the mosque's imam, who led his congregation in prayer watched over by a stained-glass window depicting the Virgin Mary.

"This pandemic has made us a community. Crises bring people together."
Places of worship reopened in Germany on May 4 after being shut for weeks under a coronavirus lockdown, but worshippers must maintain a minimum distance from one another of 1.5 meters.
The church, a red-brick neo-renaissance building in Berlin's Kreuzberg district could hardly offer a sharper contrast to the cultural center in Neukoelln where the Muslim congregation is accustomed to gathering.
"It was a strange feeling because of the musical instruments, the pictures," said worshipper Samer Hamdoun. "But when you look, when you forget the small details, this is the House of God in the end..."

The Islamic Council, an umbrella group of 400 mosques, said in April that many face bankruptcy because the closures stretched into the holy fasting month of Ramadan, usually a vital period for donations.
The church's pastor, Monika Matthias, said she had felt moved by the Muslim call to prayer.
"I took part in the prayer," she said. "I gave a speech in German. And during prayer, I could only say yes, yes, yes, because we have the same concerns and we want to learn from you. And it is beautiful to feel that way about each other."
(Reporting by Reuters TV, writing by Katie Stephens and Thomas Escrit; Editing by Gareth Jones).

The Ranka Dede Republic by Sonala Olumhense.

“…It did not take long before the Buhari administration, so openly and so warmly received by Nigerians when it came to power, began to show its true and frightful face. Soon enough, it became clear that his administration had a conception of government in which the governed were regarded as a hostile, adversary force, and in which government was virtually an end in itself…

 

“…Blackmailed into silence, Nigerians watched as the traditional foundations of the state were eroded. Ethnicity became a principle of state policy. The economy sputtered along. Educational policy was in shambles. Our hospitals became graveyards. And all along we were invited to believe, as an article of patriotic faith, that we lived in the best of all possible worlds.

 

“Ultimately, it was the arrogance of the Buhari administration that led to its downfall. For arrogance always leads to moral and political blindness. Blindness leads to isolation, and when any government is isolated from the governed, its end is always predictable…” - “The Arrogance of Power” – The Guardian Editorial of August, 1985.

 

Buhari, a 76-year old man who has served in various federal posts in the past 40 years, had justified every appointment profile by claiming that he appoints people he can trust. To begin with, that cannot be the truth given that on several occasions he has declared that he made those appointments on “merit,” not previously knowing the individuals involved. On what basis do you trust people you do not know to such an extent that the ensuing demographic overwhelmingly tilts towards your village?

 

The obvious and immediate interpretation of that claim, to the embarrassment of many northerners, is that southerners and non-Muslims are untrustworthy.

Searching for Happiness.

“People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. Ironically, the only place they ever needed to search was within.” - Romana L. Anderson.



The North, Which North ?? By Tola adeniyi.

We have lived with this myth for far too long. We have tolerated and accepted this political deception for as long as anyone can remember. But the myth has to be exposed for what it really is. The lie must be consigned to the dust bin. The mask has been removed. For too long people speak of Hausa-Fulani.

The truth of course is that the so called Hausa Fulani as a person or human being does not exist. You cannot be Ijaw-Igbo, or Hausa-Gwari. You are either an Ijaw or an Igbo! As closely related the Isokos and Uhrobos are you cannot have an Isoko-Uhrobo as a person. Egbas and Ijebus are within the same linguistic bracket, but you do not have an Ijebu-Egba. You are either Ijebu or Egba. You cannot be both!

The second myth is with the phrase Northern cabal. There is no Northern Cabal. The only all conquering and scheming cabal in the Nigerian political equation is the #FulaniCabal.

The Hausa had been conquered and controlled since about 200 years ago! And in any case there is nothing special about cabals.

Cabals exist everywhere in human communities. We have cabals in my home town Ago-Iwoye. We have cabals in Ijebu. There is Egba cabal. There is the Tiv cabal. What we have had all along and had sheepishly submitted to is what I call the derivative of the politics of language.

The Republican Party in the United States is the world’s master in the coinage and deployment of politics of language to deceive, bamboozle and terrify opposition. The politics of language is used to make an unsuspecting opponent lose faith in his or her own self-worth.

I have written copiously on the subject of The Politics of Language and have also given scholarly lectures on the subject at academic forums. I should give an example; everybody knows that all currencies of the world are made of paper. But in the deployment of politics of language the US brands its own currency the Hard Currency making other currencies of other nations to look like tissue paper.

Politics of language refers to some people as ‘people of colour’ as if there is any human being on earth whose skin is colourless! I have argued even at a lecture I gave to a huge international gathering in Edmonton Canada 2002 that there is no Blackman there is no Whiteman. There is no human being whose skin colour is that of charcoal or for that matter the colour of white chalk or cotton wool. The African is chocolate brown while the Caucasian is pink, like colour of a leper!

This brings us to the myth of the so-called Fulani cabal. Like I said we cannot even talk of the North Cabal because the North of the great Sir Ahmadu Bello does not exist anymore. And the Fulani cabal as possessing any extra-ordinary powers like a Magician does not exist, just as the US branded Hard currency does not exist.

Simply put, what we have had and does exist is a group of cunning schemers who have ridden on the legacy of heroic Sir Ahmadu Bello who at a time in history believed that the rest of the contraption called Nigeria must forever be subjugated to the whims and caprices of the Fulani, who at that point in history were the sole power block in the old Northern region.

It is a historical fact that the Fulani Jihadists overran the whole of the expanse of land carved out by Lugard and named Northern Protectorate. The Jihadists also stole parts of the Southern Protectorate until they met their Waterloo at Osogbo. It should also be pointed out that the Jihadists could not penetrate or conquer the Kanuris of Borno Empire who at that point in history had superior civilization and superior knowledge of the Quran and Islam.

Sir Ahmadu Bello was a great tactician, great strategist and great visionary politician who was also lucky to have the backing of the dubious colonial masters. Sir Ahmadu realized very early in his political career and with knowledge of the teachings of immortal Chairman Mao Tzekung of China coupled with the said backing of the insidious British that power flows from the barrel of the gun.

The so-called North when there was something like that up till 1967 was armed to the teeth. It was however not the Fulani that were armed, it was their ‘slaves’, the other ethnic nationalities in the North; the people of Lantang, the Gwaris, the Jukumns, the Tivs, the Southern Zaria Christians in the Kataf region, the Godogodos, and several other minorities who were to be the monkeys for the baboons meals.

These were the men, the foot soldiers in the Military Wing of the ruling political parties of the then North. They were the coup makers any time the Fulani masters felt the need to prolong their stronghold on their territory called Nigeria. That monopoly has been weakened since 1999.

But the scale has fallen off the eyes of these slaves of yesteryears. Following the Dimka and Orka led Coups, and following the execution of Mamman Jiya Vatsa the minorities that were hitherto used as tools for coup making have had a rethink.

Anybody who thinks the Military in present day Fulani colony of Nigeria is the same Military of pre-1967 is living in fools’ paradise. We do not need to look far; we have seen the level of morale in the wrong headed prosecution of the Boko Haram insurgency.

There is so much mistrust and distrust in the land. There is so much greed in the land. There is no single grain of patriotism or nationalism anywhere in the land. And the Military are not immune from the malady that had consumed Nigeria since 1999. The translation of this code is that there is no more the Army of the North. The Northern military euphemistically called the Nigerian Military does not exist anymore in reality.

But the real death knell of the so-called North came about by the unwarranted prosecution and unabashed persecution of Christians in the Northern region. I wish the so-called Northern leaders who appear to be condoning the slaughtering and butchering of Christians in the North have their ears put to the ground to know the degree of angst the persecuted groups nurse against the power blocks in the North.

To that extent therefore the North of the visionary leader Sir Ahmadu Bello is dead. Ahmadu Bello was not self-seeking, he did not amass wealth and whatever politics he played, whatever policies he enunciated, and whatever strategies he deployed were for the greater benefit of the whole of the North. Eternal credit remains interred in his bones for uniting the North of his day with the adoption of Hausa language as lingua franca of the whole North.

It is this universality of the Hausa language in the North that deceives the south to believe erroneously that every speaker of Hausa language is Hausa or Fulani. Foul!!

The greatest blow to the unity of the so-called North is the brutal and brutish barbarism of the Fulani herdsmen whose madness does not have rhyme or rhythm. All they know is to spread grief, anguish and dreadful pain wherever they choose to display their unbridled cruelty and impunity.

They have wreaked havoc in Adamawa, they have raped and killed in Taraba, they have massacred thousands of innocent Agatus in Benue, they have wreaked havoc in Niger, they have continually butchered thousands in Southern Kaduna, Kogi state is under their hammer and Plateau is under their occupation, the list is endless. And these lands and people being ravaged are NORTHERNERS!!!!

And all these people being ruthlessly assaulted have relations and families in the Military, the Police, the SSS, the Immigration and Customs as well as in other armed Security outfits in the land. Yet some one somewhere will seat his whimsical ass on the sofa in an air-conditioned office gazing at the millions of Naira hidden in his mind and say there is a North. Which North??

Let no one try it; the cohesive Military that committed pogrom against the Igbos in 1967-70 does not exist anymore!!! The world of 1967 is not the world of 2017!

If any part of the internally colonized contraption called Nigeria wishes to opt out of the yoked marriage, it should be allowed to go in peace. The inevitable breakup if we do not go confederate, should be allowed without undue and mindless bloodshed which invariably will result in the same breakup.

 

Chief Tola Adeniyi is a former Managing Director of Daily Times of Nigeria.

Building Churches in Africa at the Expense of Economic Growth.

China is currently the world's leading economic power. Yet, in China, there is a zero tolerance for church existence. Finland has the most stable economy in the world today. Yet, there are less than twenty churches in the entire Finland. Switzerland has the second most stable economy in the world. In spite of that, Switzerland has fewer than thirty churches. Denmark is the third most stable economy in the world. But there are about 23 churches in Denmark. These countries are considered to have the highest number of atheists, but they are blessed.



Now, let's go to Africa. Over there are more than 10,000 churches  per region. There are 4,000 churches in the city of Yaoundé (Cameroon) alone. 4100 churches in the city of Abidjan (Ivory Coast). 7000 churches in the city of Kinshasa (Congo). 10,000 churches in the city of Lagos (Nigeria). Please note that Lagos City is four hundred and thirty times more numerous than the whole of Switzerland. In Africa, we have more churches than schools and hospitals combined. There are more pastors than doctors. Almost every Christian is a bishop, pastor, deacon, deaconess or evangelist. Almost everyone in Africa is "born again". Even, the Moslems have their own version of "born again" among them. Almost every Christian is covered with "the blood of Jesus". Jesus is actually considered as the "husband" of all single women (according to them) in "revival" churches. 

Almost every Christian is filled with the "Holy Spirit". Even, a con artist will start his/her "business" with a prospective victim by solemnly saying, "Let us pray". And the churches? Some of them are richer than some local governments and states combined. Yet, they neither pay taxes nor contribute to the growth of their communities besides the presence of their monstrous edifices. However, none of these claims is reflected in the moral elevation that is expected in such an environment. We are among the laziest, the most deceiving, the most corrupt, the most hypocritical, the most hateful on the planet today, with all our religious posturing!

Sowing a Seed of Gratitude.

Some years back, after a Sunday morning Mass in Abuja, a young and a good looking lady walked up to me. She was holding a fat brown envelope. She handed the envelope to me and said I should please pray for her. I asked her about the content of the envelope and what particular intention would I be praying for? She told me that she started working just a month ago and that she came to thank the Lord and to offer the first fruit of her work for God’s blessings. What was in the envelope was her salary for that month. Her first salary. The entire money! Everything!

In all honesty, I was speechless not for lack of words but for being unable to know where to begin. Inside me I was like: do people still entrust everything they have to God in a child-like simplicity like this? I was really moved. In my heart, I said a prayer for her, that type of prayer that is deep down, it was as though it was the Holy Spirit Himself that was praying through me. I was feeling the answers to the prayers even before I finished praying. Then she knelt down, I laid my hands upon her and blessed her and the money. After prayers, I asked her to tell me how much was in the envelope. She said Eighty Thousand Naira. 

Then I asked,   “how much covers your transport to your work daily?”

She said “approximately N1,000 naira to and fro, Father.”

That means for 27 work days, it would be N27,000.

Then I spoke up again, “Sorry o, I am asking you too many questions, how much do you feed daily when you go to work?”

She answered “It depends. If I want to eat so well, I spend 800 naira with drinks, but mainly I spend just N500, and sometimes I carry food from home.”

So, I made the calculation in my head. Let say she spends 500 naira daily, 27 work days would be 13,500 naira. I went ahead to enquire about her accommodation and I discovered that she stayed alone in an apartment she just rented. We made the calculation by dividing the annual rent by 12 months and we discovered that if she was to pay rent monthly, it would be N12,500. Her monthly electricity and water bill with other fees for house maintenance was put at N10,000. On phone calls and data, we approximated it to be N5000 monthly. Her monthly DSTV subscription was around N3,600 for DSTV family bouquet. When you put all the expenses together and subtract it from the N80,000, she would be left with N8,400 to buy food stuffs and other things in the house. These are the expenses that she was sure to spend every month. We had not even talked about other things like make up, doing her hair, clothes, gifts to family and even savings. This was a huge sacrifice, in my judgment. I intentionally asked her those questions so as to ascertain the depth of her sacrifice.

I brought out the envelope, bless it for the second time and gave it to her. I looked at her countenance and I knew she was not too comfortable with my action. Then I took time to explain the Bible to her. That was when I discovered that so many people do not truly understand how God works. When God asks us for first fruit or for tithe or for any sacrifice, it is not so that He will eat it. No! He has no need of our money. When He asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, it was not because he liked seeing the blood of innocent children. When He asked Abel and Cain to make a sacrifice to Him, it was not because he ate fruit or even drank blood of rams. It is simply to test how committed we are, how willing are we to leave everything to Him. Do we, like Cain, select offerings that we no longer desire and give to Him or do we, like Abel, empty everything to Him?

This lady that brought the first fruit began to understand for the first time. Right from when she put the money in the envelope to bring to God, God had already accepted her offering. The minister must not spend the money. It is just that most of us ministers are unfortunately greedy. And we use God’s name to cover it up. We often see the part of scriptures that favor our stomach. Theologically, when you give to God, He transforms that gift and gives it back to you. The bread and wine people offer before mass are transformed to the body and blood of Christ and given back to the people to eat and drink. The son Isaac that Abraham gave to God, was transformed to be a channel that would bring forth the fulfillment of God’s promise and given back to Abraham. The offerings of bread and fish people brought were prayed upon and given back to them to eat and they were filled, still there was left over. The water they filled at the wedding in Cana is given back to them as wine. The Ugwu Kelvin that my parents offered to God, is given back to them as a priest. The money that the young lady brought to me as her first fruit is blessed and given back to her as pure gift from heaven.

-- By Rev.Fr.Ugwu Kelvin.

Changing the World, one Home at a Time.

Charities are supposed to begin at home. How I wish all those who are trying to "change the world" either in the political or religious realm, would start from their immediate environments.

 

They need to build and nurture honest, unselfish and positive lifestyles. Afterwards, they can show the whole world how such noble, moral virtues have produced joy, peace and a sense of contentment in their respective homes.

These are the exemplary and vindicating factors that will always precede them in the process of convincing their audiences. Even the Yoruba say, "The person who wishes to give one a gift of clothes will first have to be seen for what he or she wears."

Nigerians and the Plague of Predictions.

“16. Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
17. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.’
18. She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her!’ At that moment, the spirit left her.” - Acts 16:16-18 (New International Version).

The above passage in the Bible often comes to mind at the beginning of every year. It’s that time of the year in Nigeria when every General Overseer, Bishop or other sundry spiritualist announces his “vision” of what the new year portends for individual Nigerians and the nation in general. And with what one has heard so far, many of the so-called predictions were arrant nonsense, some of them were the results of mere personal analysis of national events and others were simply lifted from internet reports. Yet, gullible Nigerians are (as usual) lapping them up.
I therefore imagine a situation where the spirit ordered out of the woman in the Bible passage crept into the body of a Nigerian bystander. That person only had to go into the Nigerian Christendom, wear the garb of a pastor and…boom…he or she would become famous and stinking rich. Why so? Ours is a society where people are always desperate for just anyone to foretell their future under the guise of “seeing visions”.

Islam and the Rest of us.

While the ISIS and the Boko Haram lunatics, along with their supporters, are jubilating across the world, the Al-Qaida terrorist group has claimed responsibility for last week's deadly assault on a French satirical newspaper to "revenge for their prophet." The attack came on the heels of the deadly attack launched by the Boko Haram on Baga, a Nigerian town where innocent people, including women and children were practically mutilated and incinerated in cold blood.

For how long will the international community continue to fold fold its arms while these animals continue to murder innocent people in the name of their prophet and religion? For God’s sake, there are other religions in the world! In fact, here is a list of some other notable religions and the populations of their believers:

Hinduism: 900 million.

Chinese traditional religion: 394 million.

Buddhism: 376 million.

Primal-indigenous: 300 million.

African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million.

Judaism: 14 million.

Sikhism: 23 million.

Juche: 19 million.

Spiritism: 15 million.

Ironically, most Christians and Muslems consider these other religions as something akin to evil. But do we ever hear of some terrorist groups springing up from their midst to slaughter fellow humans like fowls or sheep? In fact, to a Bhuddist, Hiduist or an African indigenous faith believer, the shedding of blood is absolutely considered as a heinous sin against God. Yet, here is the whole world being harassed every now and then by various Islamic terrorist groups. Apart from their deafening silence, it’s sad to see or hear many Moslems go on the defensive by claiming that the terrorists among them do not represent their religion. But ask them how that sounds in the ears of the relations of terrorists’ victims? And ask them the last time they consider it necessary to publicly criticize or condemn the senseless murder of people in cold blood all over the world, and they will slip further into silence. This is a shame on humanity!

93 Year-old Woman Denied Funeral Because She “Owed” Back Tithes.

In Texas, a 93-year-old woman (Olivia Blair) had been attending a church for about 50 years. She is now dead but her pastor refused to allow her funeral service in the church. Why so? The pastor said the old woman “owed” some back tithes!

According to the church’s pastor, the other “sins” committed by the deceased was that she “...had not paid her dues, and she had not attended the church in recent years.”

But when contacted by KRIV FOX 26, the dead woman’s daughter retorted that “For the last two years, my mother has been in either a nursing home or she’s been in a hospital. And the last few months, she was in a coma!”

Now, what manner of a shameless pastor would ignore a sick, old church member for so long and then turned around to condemn the poor woman for not paying tithes in her period of agony and anguish?

X                                                                                          X                                                                              X

And in a related incident, a pastor (in a different American church) has directed members of his church to stop practicing cremation because according to him, “When Jesus comes back, how do you expect him to be going around searching for the remains of your loved ones that have been cremated and whose ashes have been scattered all over the ocean and some other places?...”

And this guy is supposed to be a "Man of God"?

Blessings for Sale to the Highest Bidders.

 



What's going on in Nigerian-oriented churches in America? It's now the vogue to auction off blessings to the highest bidders under the guise of "sowing seeds".

These days, all a "man of God" has to do is read a section of the Bible and ask the congregation to pay certain amounts for blessings. The chapter and verses quoted will determine the amounts to pay for the blessings.

For example, if the section of the Bible quoted is Isaiah Chapter 7 verse 20, the amounts required will be $720. Yet, you'll see some members of the church (all otherwise educated and born-again Christians) scrambling to pay for the advertised "blessings".

Is salvation no longer free? And are blessings not supposed to be received from God by grace any more?

Glory be to God for His abundant patience!

 

 

 

The Civil War in the World of Islam.

Once again, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (a.k.a. ISIS) has beheaded another fellow human being. Their latest victim was a British aid worker, Alan Henning. And the very sad irony, after the dastardly, barbaric act, must have been the guys’ usual exclamation of “Allah Akbar!” (God is great!)

However, the cold-blooded murder of Alan Henning and other foreign “unbelievers” has been just one of the two major “important projects” in the agenda of these lowest of human species. The other major objective of the ISIS (a military arm of the Shiites) is in its violent conflict against other Muslims who are called the Sunnis. Just a few months ago in Iraq, several people belonging to the Sunnis sect, were brutally shot (execution style) by these same ISIS. Unfortunately, the Sunnis are not angels either.



As an individual, I have often wondered why brothers in Islam would be at each other’s throats in such a most violent manner. The sheer mutual hatred these two Islamic sects harbor against each other is horrific. And it keeps reminding one of a similar horror that was demonstrated, in a not too distant past, by the Catholics and the Protestants in Ireland. The question therefore is why the civil war between the two Islamic sects?



In the Middle East, religion is government. Scripture is law. And the past defines the future. Islam has been divided between the Sunnis and the Shiites since the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 AD.

Upon the demise of the prophet, a bitter dispute ensued over who would be the next leader of Islam. The Sunnis called for an election by which a new leader would emerge. But the Shiites preferred to support the desire of the direct descendants of Prophet Muhammad who wanted to have one of them to succeed the prophet.

This disagreement has since led to a bitter war between these two sects. And the war has been very hateful and brutal, leading to the cold-blooded murder and destabilization of people in the Middle-east and across the world.

The two sects have two distinct geographic, political, ideological and cultural identities. But so far, the Sunnis make up the 90% of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims while the Shiites (with the most militant orientation) are in a minority with headquarters in Iran.

 

How Long Will This Evil be Allowed?

FOR HOW LONG WILL THIS EVIL PEOPLE BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE WITH ALL THESE COLD-BLOODED MURDERS IN THE NAME OF A RELIGION? AND IT'S SHAMEFUL HOW WE ALL MERELY LOOK AT SAD IMAGES SUCH AS THIS ONE AND THOSE BEING PERPETRATED BY THE ANIMALS CALLED BOKO HARAM IN NIGERIA. BUT WHAT DO WE DO? WE SHAKE OUR HEADS QUIETLY AND MOVE ON TO SOME OTHER STUFF...BECAUSE THE VICTIMS ARE NOT RELATED TO US.

When Pastors Get Personal in Their Sermons.

There is a big moral danger in the manners by which some pastors, especially those in "Pentecostal" or new generation churches make it their business to get personal in what they say on the pulpits. These pastors personalized their "interpretations” of the Holy Bible to suit their vain, selfish purposes.                                                                                                                  Their usual excuse is to “blame” it all on “divine inspirations”.  By so doing however, these “men of God” inadvertently leave several doors open for lazy, negative speculations within the ranks and files of their congregants. Among the consequences of these speculations is the avalanche of gossips that sooner or later consume the entire church. The worst aspect of it all is the resort of the same church members to link every subject of sermons to certain individuals and their private affairs.

My Religion is Kindness.

The above words of Dalai Lama are in response to some readers who, at various times and from three different countries, sent me e-mails to ask what my religion was. 

Apparently, they had been trying to link me to a religion for reasons best known to them. But, admittedly, they were completely confused by the way and manner I have been criticizing certain aspects of both the Christian and the Islamic religions.

While I recognize the moral importance of religions, there is too much hypocrisy on the part of many people who parade themselves as pious adherents of the two most popular religions in the world.  

Wars, Terrorism, Religions and the Africans.

“The pre-colonial history of African societies - and I refer to both Euro-Christian and Arab-Islamic colonization - indicates very clearly that African societies never at any time of their existence went to war with another over the issue of their religion.

That is, at no time did the black race attempt to subjugate or forcibly convert others with any holier-than-thou evangelizing zeal. Economic and political motives, yes. But not religion.

Perhaps this unnatural fact was responsible for the conclusions of Hegel - we do not know. Certainly, the bloody histories of the world's major religions, localized skirmishes of which extend even to the present, lead to a sneaking suspicion that religion, as defined by these eminent philosophers, comes to self-knowledge only through the activity of war.”

-         Prof. Wole Soyinka (Excerpts of his Nobel Prize lecture in 1986).

What Do You Believe in the Bible?

It's funny how many of us Christians love certain books or sections of the Holy Bible while ignoring those we detest.

For instance, there are people who will always stay away from the Book of Exodus only because it contains the Ten Commandments. And these are the reasons why:

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

- Tell that to those who are so emotionally weak that they swear and curse every micro-second of their lives due to the most minor form of frustrations.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

- Yeah right! It’s on a Sunday that a whole lot of people engage in the most dirty forms of recreations…illicit sex, substance abuse, etc. 

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

- Unfortunately, there are too many temptations out there (including houses of worships) beyond the control of lots of people, especially men. 

8. Thou shalt not steal.

- Let’s hope the stealing of office stationery is not included.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

-Mischievous people hate this commandment as if it is a plague.

10. Thou shalt not covet.

- This is similar to adultery except that eyeing someone else’s wife or husband is worse.

As for pastors, many of them love to quote excitedly from the Book of Malachi all because of a tiny line about the payment of Tithes. The same pastors however will not be found dead quoting from the Book of John Chapter 2 (verses 1-11) where Jesus turned water into wine. 

Now, the trick of some pastors is to quickly point out that the wine produced by Jesus (through miracle) was non-alcoholic. For God’s sake, it has been proven that non-alcoholic wine did not exist until thousands of years after the transition of Jesus!

It is very important for us as Christians to always keep in mind, the primary purpose of the Holy Bible as a message about salvation. It’s primary sphere of authority is salvation. And it is a sufficient guide that tells us how we might be given eternal life with God. 

Such a great book therefore cannot be turned into a tool by any individual to serve a selfish or personal purpose.

As we do on Earth, so They do in Heaven!

It was amazing and indeed funny to read from the popular UberFacts that "Americans spend about $100 million on astrology every year!" I was just about to digest that information when I also saw that women, according to a stariq.com survey, made up 75% of the population of astrology readers. And I felt like declaring that "as we do on earth, so they do in heaven!" I always thought Americans never cared about issues of "the unknown".  
In Africa, especially among Nigerians, people will not venture into anything...schools, careers, marriages, starting a family, building or purchasing homes and practically every life's endeavor without first "checking it out" spiritually. Most of us take these sensitive esoterics steps by paying visits to our individual pastors, alfas, prophets, herbalists, astrologers and other sundry spiritualists.

Acting as intercessors, these individuals we run to consult will then do the spiritual checking through prayers, divination, visions and other means. The result of the esoteric trips will then be presented and analyzed for the seekers. The subsequent stages will involve the seekers being counseled to avoid certain things or to embark on some fasting and prayer sessions. In some other cases, special courses of actions are prescribed or certain rules with "dos and don'ts" are imposed. The over-all objectives of all these actions are to avoid future problems and to appreciate some expected benefits.

And where Africans daily pursue esoteric and spiritual consultations in regard to their individual endeavors, the Asians will often go beyond the individual stuff to also invoke spiritual influences upon their business ventures. This therefore explains their penchant for engaging the services of Bhuddist monks in performing spiritual cleansing of new establishments such as banks, insurance and other corporate outfits. 

Ironically, there are a few Africans who, by virtue of their religious believes, consider these spiritual practices as evil and superstitious. These individual Africans go further to refer their people to Americans who they consider as too "civilized" to indulge in spiritual pursuits such as astrology, divination and other esoteric considerations. I hope such Africans could see or read the UberFacts report. And I do wish they will travel to Asia to go see the spiritual endeavors of the Asians.