Ladesope Ladelokun 
Like a two-edged sword, religion can either be used as a vehicle for national cohesion or disintegration. In recent times, concerns have grown about misleading and toxic sermons churned out in religious houses and social media platforms. In this report, LADESOPE LADELOKUN X-rays how religious figures are using it as objects of exploitation, confusion and destruction
As anxious passengers waited for an Ikorodu-bound bus to get filled near the pedestrian bridge in the Ketu area of Lagos, merchants of black soap, rat poison and current affairs books would not let the opportunity to sweet-sell their wares slip.
One by one, they got passengers to part with their money before alighting and hopping on the next available bus.
Meanwhile, something signalled another ‘marketing’ would begin when a female passenger began a praise and worship session, getting Christian faithful on the bus to sing along.
On getting to Owode junction, she began her sermon: “ Brothers and Sisters, have you given your lives to Christ? Accept him today. Flee from your sins. He loves you…Test him today and testify to his goodness. Let me share a testimony with you. Before I met Christ, I was working very hard but I had nothing to show for it. “When I got born again, my story changed. God intervened. That job you cannot get, that hardship you face, it is because of your sins. Come to Jesus and see how sweet he is. He loves you.
“Oga, park well. So na my sin make yam and garri cost,” a gutted passenger blurted, provoking a loud laughter among other passengers.
Time and again, preachers have courted controversies over the content of their sermons. While some are deemed misleading, a number have been criticised for being a threat to national security.
Just recently, founder of Salvation Ministries in Rivers State, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, stirred reactions online after stating that Jesus Christ hated the poor. According to him, he(Jesus) never visited any poor person in their house but visited only the rich.
“He died for you not to be poor,” he said. “Jesus never visited any poor person in his house. Check your Bible.”
“That means he hates poverty. He visited Lazarus. They were not poor. They were giving him food.
“He visited a sinner, Zacchaeus, who was rich. Tell me one poor man Jesus entered his house. He hates poverty. That’s the meaning. He hates people who are poor. How can you now come to church with some kind of mentality?”
To be poor means you have sin in your life – COZA pastor
Speaking on the importance of financial stability to the gospel of Christ, Rev. Biodun Fatoyinbo, the Senior Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), said the devil was not afraid of the poor.
“The devil fears prayers but he’s not afraid of you if you don’t have money,” he told his congregation.
“The devil wants people to stay behind and just be making noise even though Jesus became poor for our sake that through the grace of God we might become rich.”
Alluding to his position, another COZA pastor, Korede Komaiya, said only sinners are poor, identifying poverty as a sign of ungodliness.
“If you obey and serve God, you will prosper. Poverty is a sign of ungodliness. To be poor means you have sin in your life. Unfortunately, people think it is those that are rich that have sins in their lives. ..Never trust the holiness of a poor man,’’ he warned.
Watch porn, shun water baptism -Damina
Pastor Abel Damina, the founder of Power City International, is not new to controversies. Time and again, his remarks about God, the Bible, Orthodox Christians’ belief have either earned him knocks or plaudits. For instance, Damina prescribes continuous watching of pornography and listening to Bible teachings as a solution to addiction to pornography.
“Don’t struggle to stop watching the porn. Don’t struggle at all. Just keep watching the porn. As you are watching the porn, spend more time hearing the word. If you watch porn for one hour, spend three to four hours hearing the word of God.
“Take not. Go get all my teachings on Christ. Just keep learning and learning. After a while, you will find out that your appetite for porn is dying, and the appetite for the word of God is growing. Before you know it, when you see porn, you will be irritated,” he explained.
Also, the pastor had on several occasions voiced his opposition to tithing, describing it as a fraud. He noted that God neither protects nor blesses anyone for paying tithes.
“God blesses people because God is a loving father. God blesses people; he makes his Sun shine on the good and the bad, and he makes his rain fall on the good and on the bad. That’s God. .. In the Book of Job, Chapter 3, Job said: “The things that I feared have greatly come upon me.”
Commenting on water baptism, Damina said the practice should be discontinued, arguing that Jesus had replaced water with the Holy Ghost.
“Today, who is baptizing you? Is it John or Jesus? If it is Jesus, He doesn’t use water. Jesus uses the Holy Ghost. And if it is John, he uses water. Water is symbolic of the spirit.”
Sorry, I manipulated my preaching to get your money – Pastor Benny Hinn
Showing remorse for making many part with their hard-earned money through what he described as misleading preaching, an American televangelist, Pastor Benny Hinn, apologised for deceiving his followers, noting that he didn’t hear or get any such instructions from God. In a video seen on Facebook, he said: “I’m sorry to say that prosperity has gone a little crazy and I’m correcting my own theology and you need to all know it. Because when I read the Bible now, I don’t see the Bible in the same eyes I saw 20 years ago.”
He added: “I think it’s an offence to the Lord. It’s an offence to say give $1,000. I think it’s an offence to the Holy Spirit to place a price on the Gospel. I’m done with it. I will never again ask you to give $1,000 or whatever amount because I think the Holy Ghost is just fed up with it.”
Forgive me! You won’t lose heaven if you don’t pay tithe- Adeboye
In 2018, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), stated that anyone not paying tithe would not go to heaven. However, last year, at the annual national youth convention, which was held at RCCG Redemption City, the cleric reversed his stance and apologised.
“I am going to apologise for making a mistake by saying that if you (believers) don’t pay tithes, you might not make it to heaven. That is wrong; that’s not in the Bible. The Bible says to be at peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see God. Now, let me tell you, it’s possible to be correct and wrong at the same time, and I’ll prove it to you (the congregations).
“I’m a scientist and I know that for years we thought that light travels in a straight line, and those of you that do a little Physics, we say it’s true. But light doesn’t bend in corners; it goes straight. But later, we discovered that light travels in waves, going in one direction but in waves.”
The revered cleric, however, added that tithe payments should not be limited to just 10 per cent: “It’s wrong to limit you to 10 per cent when some of you should be or want to bring 20 per cent, 30 per cent and 40 per cent because 10 per cent should be for beginners and giving should be voluntary.”
‘Voting in elections forbidden, disrespectful to Allah’
For allegedly promoting anti-democratic sentiments and extremist ideologies, a cleric, Muhammad Ibn Muhammad, was barred by the Niger State Government from preaching in the state last year.
According to Mallam Umar Farouk, the Director-General, Niger State Bureau of Religious Affairs, the ideology the scholar promotes resembles those of the Boko Haram sect.
Meanwhile, the cleric has vowed to continue to preach,saying he could not be stopped. He stated that he only said voting in an election was forbidden and disrespectful to Allah.
He said: “I have a Master’s degree from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. I have never preached that Western education is forbidden. What I said is that voting in an election is forbidden because it is like taking what belongs to Allah alone and giving it to His creature. You are associating partners with Allah.”
He added:“The authorities have suspended me from preaching in Niger, but this doesn’t mean that I can’t do it elsewhere. So, you should know that I will continue to deliver my lessons in other locations if I’m outside Niger.’’
Our duty is to kill anyone who insults Prophet Mohammed -Sokoto cleric
In 2022, a Sokoto-based Islamic cleric, in a viral video, charged Muslims to kill anyone who insults Prophet Mohammed.
Reacting to the detention of a man said to have insulted Prophet Mohammed in Sokoto, the preacher said: “He wrote on Facebook. He said a lot of things that are not right about the prophet of Allah and in Sokoto, I said he was courageous. For us, we kill such a person. For the prophet of Allah, the least we can do is to kill.
“We are not like Muslims, because Kano Muslims are more like merchants. That’s why when they insulted the prophet as one practising sodomy, no action was taken. They insulted the prophet and called him an adulterer and paedophile, yet no action was taken but here in Sokoto, we kill such people.
“Anyone, who insults the prophet, our duty is to kill such a person. If they claim the man who blasphemously insulted the prophet was mad, we’re also a bunch of mad people here in Sokoto.”
He added: “The extent of our sanity is proportional to how someone attacks our holy prophet. Once he’s attacked, we’re mad enough to strike. I’m speaking the truth; may God bless the people of Sokoto for defending the prophet’s integrity.
“Any Muslim faithful, who joined the demonstration to the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto has demonstrated enough evidence that he is a true disciple of Danfodio.
“Once he is out of the police custody, take action; assassinate the blasphemer. The claim of insanity to protect him is invalid. If he’s mentally deranged and would not insult anyone except the prophet; then we’re also insane once the prophet is insulted. Kill him once you see him. Not just him but anyone who insults the prophet.”
Allah never killed when insulted, Islam forbids it -Sheikh Adangba
For Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abdulrahman Adangba, Islam forbids killing in the name of blasphemy. “Even Allah(God) that created us, people speak ill of Him. He didn’t descend to kill them. So, why will somebody speak ill of the prophet and you decide to kill them? It’s wrong. We’ve been telling them,” he told Sunday Telegraph.
He noted that on no account should anyone kill fellow humans, stating that the court of law should be approached to seek justice.
“No, you are not allowed to kill. Even when your people are killed, you have to seek justice in a court of law. You know we have the Shariah Law and what the Shariah Law tells you is that if a soul is killed, the killer can be likened to someone who killed everyone on the surface of the earth. There are ways and manner to attend to such. One, it is to take him to court and find out if he is guilty or not. Two, if he is guilty, he will be charged accordingly. If the family of the victim say they are overlooking it, they are forgiving him, he has to pay compensation for that soul. The compensation for a single soul is N192 million. If you kill one person, you are paying N192 million. If the family say they are not forgiving him, they want him killed too, he must be killed in the manner the person he killed…
“If a person is mistakenly killed, anyone responsible will pay compensation. Number three, if you deliberately kill, you must not be allowed to stay longer before you are being taken off.”
I challenge Ibiyeomie, Fatoyinbo, others to debate – Lagos CAN chairman
The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN), Stephen Adegbite, has challenged Pastors Ibiyeomie, Fatoyinbo, Damina to have a debate with him over their alleged misleading teachings in an interview with Sunday Telegraph.
He said: “It has been said in the scriptures that on the last days ,there will be false prophets and many will call themselves ,but they are not called by God. When you look at what he(Ibiyeomie) said, it means that he didn’t study theology. And if he studied theology, he is not balanced because he started as a person. He was born in the manger? Do you have your child in the manger if you are a rich man? When he was born, he was born with humility. When he started growing up, he became the son of a carpenter. Is a carpenter a rich man? He borrowed the Donkey on a day like last Sunday(Palm Sunday) that we commemorated the triumphant entry to Jerusalem on a Donkey.
“Mind you, he healed the sick. He was the one that healed Bartimaeus. Was he a rich man? He healed the man by the pool of Bethsaida for 38 years. Was he a rich man? And this same Jesus met the lepers, and he healed them. Lepers don’t stay in the town; they just stay in the forest. But he went to where they were, he prayed for them and they received their healing and many others you can cite. And it’s quite unfortunate. So, if anyone says Jesus does not love the poor, that person does not know what they are talking about. And it is quite unfortunate that preachers just open their mouths and say rubbish. If they have made their money in whatever way, they will answer God one day. So, don’t be bothered by what they say. Mattew 7:21 says it’s not everyone that calls me ‘Lord,Lord that will enter the Kingdom of God but only those who do the will of my father in heaven.’”
He admonished Christians to read and understand the Holy Scriptures, warning against being misled.
“Let people be like the real Christians, read the scriptures. Don’t believe in any GO (General Overseer). GOs are not God. They are human beings and they are going to face judgement. So, believe the scriptures and it is going to profit your life. You should tell people to stop believing those that play on their intelligence. They are using psychology. I have my first degree, second degree and my PhD in Theology. How will I sit under such a ministry and I will not challenge the speaker? I challenge Ibiyeomie and others to a debate.. .Let’s come and talk about the scriptures, and the nonsense they are saying will stop. But we are not going to keep quiet for them. They cannot destroy the church. The church does not belong to them. The church belongs to Jesus Christ. There are Christians and there are people who are called by God. But these ones called themselves because if they are called by God, they will know what to say, “ he told Sunday Telegraph.
He further stated: “Did you read the story of Bar Jesus that wanted to buy the Holy Spirit with money and Peter said they will perish with their money. The Bible says ‘you will know the truth and the truth will make you well.’ So, you can fool some people for some time but you can’t fool all the people all the time. Jesu Oyingbo had more followers than they do now. So, where are the followers today? But the churches that are established for many years remain. The Methodist Church in Nigeria is over 180 years old. Anglican Communion is over 180 years old.”
No discrimination
For Pastor Michael Somoye of the Abundant Life Gospel Church, Jesus died for all and he never discriminated against the poor. He urged his followers to emulate him.
“The spirit of God is one. Jesus Christ is one. The name of the church is not written anywhere. You are either for Christ or you are for nothing. You are a Deeper Lifer. You are a Redeemed. You are a COZA. You are this and that. If you believe in Christ, you are in. The Holy Spirit is one. When Jesus was about to go, he said I would leave you with a Comforter.
“That Comforter will tell you what to do. He will direct you and tell you what to do… That’s why we have God the father, God the son, and God, the spirit. There is no controversy in the Bible. Jesus came for everybody. If you read John 3:16, you will know that Jesus came for everybody. Once you believe in God Almighty, you are part of the people that Jesus came for. You can see that Jesus associated with lepers. He healed the lepers. No exemption. The Holy Spirit is one. He loved them. He told the rich to distribute their riches and follow him. He never came for the rich. He came for everybody. If you want to quote, quote what is in the Bible. Don’t quote what is in your brain.”
How to prevent religious teachings from setting country on fire
Commenting, public affairs commentator, Achike Chude, said it was important for Muslims and Christians to get a proper understanding of the Holy Books to prevent being brainwashed.
“Some of us can do that by trying to have an idea of the teachings of the scriptures, so that when they begin to take us in the wrong direction, we know that it is unscriptural.
“What I know is that we are not governed by the Bible or Quoran or any other religious book. Every Nigerian is subject to the laws of the land. And the Constitution has prescribed how people should be dealt with when they act in ways that are uncomfortable to other people.”
