Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
Ken Okorie, an attorney, is a member of the editorial board of USAfrica magazine and USAfricaonline.com
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, best-selling author of such riveting stories as ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’, only a few days ago in February 2022, shared with Nigeria’s TVC channel her painful story of how a Catholic priest – she identified and referred to as – Christopher Eze, in her hometown of Abba in Anambra State of Nigeria diverted the post-funeral thanksgiving service for her mother, Grace Ifeoma Adichie.
Chimamanda recalled how she was subjected to the priest’s ego-stricken, verbal escapade, harassment and exploitation. His action is reminiscent of the inordinate vainglory and mean spirited attitude of some of today’s practice of religion — especially in Africa.
The priest detoured from preaching a deserving and proper message of comfort and consolation to the bereaved Adichie family to reminding the congregation with such breathtaking crassness that he, too, has published books, traveled to America, and done other things for which Chimamanda is regarded by millions of readers.
Nigeria appears to be the hub of this growing vanity.
Religion should be about worshipping and glorifying God. But priests (now commonly called “men of God”) are reducing religion and steering it away from everything that is spiritual. Many are playing god, ascribing to themselves control of human destiny. Destiny is spiritual. it is not seen or touched, but is witnessed when at work. God is the sole, divine being. He is the spirit that gives and controls destiny, all destiny.
If one accepts this precept, suggesstion that a human can use or control another’s destiny” means human spiritual eempowerment and entanglement so deep that man begins to take on the attributes of God. Thus the question is, can a human actually encroach on, or entangle with, the spiritual life of another? Did God give humans that capability? I contend the answer to both questions is No.
There is this story of a man whose wife became very successful. She was very wealthy as he struggled. His friends cornered him and said he had let his wife use his destiny. I read it and said, “Really”! It is an idea that underscores the absurd depth of misunderstanding, mischaracterization and resulting misdirection present-day “Men of God” have driven society.
Priests believe they can control and manipulate the spiritual lives of others, the destinies of their followers. Adherents learn and believe that destiny can be controlled by fellow humans. In other words, these teachings ascribe to humans powers God clearly reserved for Himself, at least so the Bible teaches.
The tenets of the theology propagated by Men of god is what feels good (prosperity gospel and feel-good theology) and what destroys perceived enemies (holy-ghost fire). In essence it attributes everything that happens in peoples’ lives to human control and manipulation. Is such doctrine genuine? I suggest it is questionable, at best. As one grapples with this thought, there is little contesting that the theology has led adherents to playing God.
Many believe they can advance their fortunes and avenge for themselves.
Oftentimes, they engage in such escapades without thinking about implications and consequences. I see this as total misdirection of what religion should be about, clear effrontery to God’s admonishments.
When I hear screaming and shouting of holy ghost fire and babbles that no ear seems to understand, I often am tempted to ask if these are not powers of blessing and judgment, which God reserved unto Himself! Why the screaming?
What suggests that God is either blind or deaf? He sees, hears and knows everything. Why the screaming? Besides God is very jealous. His jealous nature includes over the powers that differentiate Him from man (Exodus 20:2-6). This is evident where He specifically warned us to have no other God beside Him (Genesis 12:3), His exclusive power to bless or curse (Deuteronomy 12:3), and to punish (Jeremiah 30:20).
Besides God is self-sufficient and does not need human help or impersonation of Him. He does not delegate His powers to man.
When Moses insisted on knowing who God would send to go with him as he led the people of Israel (Exodus 33:12) God simply replied that His presence would go with Moses (Exodus 33:14).
When Moses persisted, God without mincing words, assured him: “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion (Exodus 33:19). Right there God also made a supreme point: “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). Are these men of god reading the same Bible?
These are just few of several biblical statements on the divinity of a jealous God. Nowhere did God make provision to share His powers, His supremacy, His divination with any man. How then do these men of God come up with visions, often steered by events that are current in human circles? How do they see God and live?
I contend that these teachings ascribe to humans divine powers only God can exercise. They are teachings that contradict God’s own injunctions, which the Bible states. Examined closely, they amount to men playing God, transferring the fate of fellow humans into their own control. That, in my thinking, is blasphemy that smacks of idolatry.
God is spirit and those that worship him must do so in spirit. I believe this means you entrust all your belief, hopes and expectations into God. He decides on your life, your fortunes, and your well being.
From available indicators, prosperity gospel, feel-good theology, and holy-ghost-fire religion are mere marketing gimmicks. They are maneuvers used to convince humans to believe and pursue things that are beyond human capability. They trail on things spiritual. Those powers belong to the Spirit that is God.
But the strategy works among people. The question is why? It works because as people believe what they are taught, they become more and more willing to invest in it. The testimonies (theirs and others’) help to consolidate the belief, and they keep coming back for more; that means the Man of god’s purse fills more.
This strategy has been coined in the language of sewing seed. People are led to believe that God compensates, rewards, and blesses them because of the seeds they sew. Is that really true? Or does it run against the clear grains of biblical teachings? What happened to the idea that God sent His only Son to die on the cross and, in so doing, wiped away our sins? How can God be so generous yet so petty in His demands and requirements of us? To a genuine believe, that is impossible, clear contradiction! God is the giver of all life and all fortunes. There is nothing you have or can give that God did not provide or make possible. So, thinking that one can placate God or purchase His favors through seeds is clear deceit; it is heresy. What is evident is that these seeds are additions that enrich the pocket of the Man of god. That is the bottom line. For that matter, all that God wants and expects from us is undivided, undiluted honor and praise of Him as God. Multiple verses in the Bible are clear that God blesses us not because we pay or deserve, but because of His Grace. Nowhere does it say to wait until our pockets are full of dollars, euros, or naira for seeds. That is the reason he asked us to come as we are.
The danger and consequence of the misleading teachings of misunderstood and mischaracterized religion are the abominations we are witnessing in this age. Violation of things sacred, self-dehumanizing behavior, fraud, etc. are all driven by a scramble for wealth induced by false teachings. Because people have become so groomed and saturated into misleading ideas from counterfeit theology and holy ghost fire ideology, they no longer know where to draw the line. It is all spiritual, and once one drifts into that realm, one loses the ability to discern, to separate which spirits are positive or negative.
Our people need to return to God in a clean way. Slow down the drift and stop using religion as a marketing tool for financial enrichment. Hard, honest work will always yield fruits. That is what God expects of us, and has equipped us with the energy and health to serve Him. Serve Him and work hard, and He will bless you in ways that come with His peace. Society will also benefit.
