The Prelate of the Methodist Church, Nigeria, Dr. Kanu Uche, has justified why Christians must now go beyond the biblical injunction of ‘turning the other cheek’ and put on garments of self-defense in the face of heightening provocation by Islamic militants. The prelate, who was fielding questions from journalists in Lagos recently, said: “But if you come to my house to kill me I will bite you, even as a priest, I will bite you. I am using a metaphor, I will bite you.” He was reacting to the recent call by The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Suleman, for Christians to defend themselves.
“I believe that we Christians should now be on the defensive. So we should get ready to defend ourselves, but we should not be the one to offend them. People should know that they don’t have the monopoly of killing, other people can equally kill. And so we, and not only him, the Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN) has decided that our followers should defend themselves. It is high time we started defending ourselves.” The Prelate, however, pointed out: “That is not the utmost.
What we are preaching is that there should be harmony, there should be tolerance and there should be peaceful co-existence. But if a man like you takes a knife to hurt you, what are you doing there? Use a stick and strike him on the hand so that the knife will drop; if it drops he has become a devil; break his head. You are not killing him, you are breaking his head!” Speaking on the state of the nation, Dr. Uche noted that Nigeria was on the part of growth and development until the nation deviated from the righteous part and enthroned immorality, greed and avarice.
His words: “People like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Opara, Akintola and the Awolowos were brought up by the missionaries and they brought us independence. And the missionaries brought us schools, hospitals, other healthcare centres and social institutions where they care for the blind and where they care for other people.
And so the missionaries made us what we are by teaching us the way of the Lord. But along the line we deviated during the period we call oil boom; morality was played down, moral depravity was enthroned, spiritual bankruptcy became the other of the day and we have been wrestling with it until it has assumed an alarming crescendo.”
He described the economic down turn in the country as the result of the many sins of Nigerians: “Now, what we call recession is our sins of the past that have culminated into recession.” On the way forward the prelate said: “Going back to the old ways is going back to the ways that we were thought, the way of decency, the way of integrity, the way of being our brother’s keeper, the way of tolerance.
In those days, Muslims and Christians related together, lived in harmony. I know that even the lands we acquired in Lagos, Abeokuta, Igboland, Kano, Kaduna and Jos were giving to us by even Muslims.
So there was that harmonious relationship.” Some avaricious and greedy persons are using religion to cause disintegration, disaffection amongst Nigerians. He said that every religion should preach peace and harmonious co-existence. “That is what I mean by we should go back to the old ways of life that we were thought, not the old way of immorality, or slave trade no; part of moral rectitude, part of righteous ness.
“I believe that Nigeria will recover if we mean to have our country recovered. If we decide tomorrow to change some of the obsolete, obnoxious policies of government Nigeria will recover. If we want to implement righteousness in the oil money we are getting, if we want implement righteousness in the foreign exchange, foreign exchange I believe and I strongly say it is being manipulated rather than money going to the banks it goes to individuals hands to trade along the streets and that is why Nigerian are suffering, I must tell you. So we can change from the heart and Nigeria will rebrand,” he added.
Like Us on Facebook!
Do You Need a Sugar Mummy, Sugar Daddy, Girlfriend, Boyfriend Wife or Husband? If Yes, Then Click Here For Details
0 comments:
Post a Comment