NIGERIA ANGLICAN CHURCH PRIMATE THREATENS SECESSION FROM AMERICA – ANGLICANS OVER GAY BISHOP…

President Olusegun Obasanjo: Nigeria self-acclaim born again president in a show of hypocrisy typical of Nigerian clerics; Akinola, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion was reported by the Tribune Newspaper, Nigeria, Monday 26, July 2004 and the report is replicated below: “Akinola inaugurates American diocese next month. To effectively cut off Nigerians from gay bishops in the United States, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Peter Akinola, would next month inaugurates the American diocese of the Church of Nigeria. Primate Akinola discloses this on Sunday at the consecration of three new bishops for the Church of Nigeria. Most Reverend Akinola describes gay clergymen as people he cannot do the work of God with. Akinola has been vocal in his opposition to the consecration of gay bishops and the establishment of the American diocese was seen as a practical demonstrations of speculated threat to sever links with pro-gay American-Anglicans. The above report again confirms the saying that Nigeria clerics only bark at issues they know little or nothing about. Because of the proliferation of religious fundamentalisms in Nigeria; most of the clerics lack deep epistemology especially those of naturalistic ethics, human psychology, biblical higher criticism, and exegeses---- Mind you they are very good in the area of 'eisegeses' that is; making the bible say what they want it to say and not what it actually meant as in the case of biblical exegeses under the theological field of hermeneutics. It is this ignorance that pushes them to make statements that rank far beneath what could be termed intellectual, Akinola statements inclusive. Where was Akinola when our ‘born again’ President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who also double up as a prominent member of an Yoruba Traditional Religious society member known as the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity (this group was founded surprisingly by an Anglican clergyman almost a century ago with headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria); insulted an Anglican priest who is also the President of CAN, Plateau State Chapter? The ‘born again’ president described the cleric as stupid and idiotic. But it is really a pity that our judgmental bishop Akinola did not see any reason to shout at the president. I am sure I can’t do such because some months later the Obasanjo raised the sum of 25billion naira for the completion of the National Church and Ecumenical Center in Abuja, Nigeria. This is the Federal Capital Territory, a city that has 1,100 beggars. “In a new repot published by task force on the management of the destitute and street hawkers, there are over 1,100 beggars and destitute in the FCT. According to the report the FCT has over 500 family heads that are beggars between the ages 12 and 40 are about 600. From this figure; the crippled and the lame constitute the highest percentage followed by the persons afflicted by leprosy….” Punch Newspaper, Nigeria, Friday, July 30, 2004 pg.4. This is a City where the President of the Beggars Association of Nigeria lives, I am not joking the beggars in Nigeria numbers over 200,000 and they are organized with an Hausa man as their president. Akinola and our ‘born again’ president never bother about this people in the society. God will never send them to these ones but to the rich and the mighty in Nigeria. Nigeria government filled with religious people cannot help these ones but they were able to complete a stadium at record time and sum of 40 billion naira and a Birmingham replica was built for the Queen on her visit to Nigeria. Akinola is a prominent member of the CAN; non of the body’s member has ever come out to condemn the actions of the president for insulting one of them, an offence a poor man dear not commit. Some of the parishioners of Akinola are politicians and government officials who embezzle and siphoned public funds for the work of God or personal use as exemplified in the case of that televangelist----- Chris Oyakhilome whose member siphoned the money of an organization to the tune of 25 million Naira and when caught exclaimed that he never spend the money on himself but he used the money for God’s work; till date Pastor Chris refuse to refund the money. Bishop Akinola will never see anything wrong in this action. When the Anglican Church in the United States was ordaining female bishops; Akinola and his cohorts never threatened secession on the ground of unbiblicity, but now they are appealing to the bible to condemn the American bishop who came out unhipocritically to declare his sexual preference. Does Akinola even know that the title Reverend he is wearing is only attributed to God in the Bible? Psalm 111:9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant forever: holy and reverend is his name. Does he know that it was never use by any of the church fathers down through the medieval period and it was first use as an epitaph for a dead man? The title priest wore then was Mr. And not Rev. not to talk about Most Rev. Therefore Akinola himself is guilty of trying to be equal with God which is a graver ‘sin’ more than that of homosexuality I presume. Where is it in the bible that a female should be a bishop? They were to keep silent and not to teach in the church. Where is it in the bible that a bishop should wear either a miter or a skull cap? Akinola wear this when Paul wrote supposedly under inspiration that men should not cover their head in church: 1 Corinthians 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch, as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 1 Corinthians 11:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. The above text implies that all the prayers of Akinola said with covered head are abomination unto God as indicated above by apostle Paul. But though I have problem with Paul who lack adequate knowledge of the Torah I presume as the Torah: Leviticus 10:6 And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. (Whole Chapter: Leviticus 10 In context: Leviticus 10:5-7) Leviticus 21:10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; (Whole Chapter: Leviticus 21 In context: Leviticus 21:9-11) Akinola might use these texts to save himself but these texts applies only to the Hebrews including Paul who later brought out his own teaching perhaps out of ignorance of the Torah. Jesus must have covered his head while preaching in the synagogue, as this is required of all Jews. But Paul’s teaching negates the ordinance of God as prescribed through prophet Moses above. Akinola is a Christian and not a Jew, why is he covering his head in Church with skullcap? Where is it in the Bible that Christians should worship on Sundays? Where is it in the bible that a church should be named after dad saints (such as St. James, St. Barnabas, St. Luke, St. John etc.)? Where is it in the Bible that Christians should celebrate Easter, Christmas, and Lenten? Are these not pagan in origin? Where is it in the bible that the bible should be called bible? If on the above issues Akinola and some of his religiously fundamental lieutenants would appeal to extra-biblical logic in order to save their neck and circularly argued around these issues why can’t they appeal to rationality on this subject of homosexuality? Most people including the chrisitan fundamentalists are deliberately or unconsciously unmindful of the fact that the bible condemns at least 20 of what they now take as noemal; for instance 1.Wearing of trousers by females. 2. Wearing of multi-colored clothes 3. Braided hair( most Nigerian ladies including possibly the bishop’s wife and daughters must have had their hair braided at one time or the other) and costly apparel( the bishop’s robe is costly, hope you know that; a robe Peter and Jesus never wore). 1 Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; (Whole Chapter: 1 Timothy 2 In context: 1 Timothy 2:8-10). 4. Planting of different crops in the same field. 5. Long prayers (in fact the longest prayers in the bible was 15 minutes, said by Solomon at the Dedication of the Temple. You should be aware that the punishment for adultery in the bible is stoning to death. Leviticus 20 9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. 10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. ‘Holy’ genocide as perpetuated in the ‘holy’ bible by Saul under the direction of God against the Amalekites over a sin their forebears committed against the God of the Hebrews: 1 Samuel 15 1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. I suppose this action now sound barbaric to Peter Akinola. If Akinola will not allow such action now but the action is biblical. Akinola would not allow it because it is now unconventional and such practice is outdated. Therefore Akinola should stop using the bible as authority upon which to judge the ethical question of homosexuality. Some ignorant Nigerians condemn homosexuality as unnatural; according to these people, only heterosexuality is natural. This assertion is been made majorly by religionists who try to sound intellectual; as the assertion is weak due to lack of intensive studies of science and philosophy among most Nigerians. Their ignorance could be excused because most of the professors who should teach them critical logic, epistemology, basic physiology, basic physics etc. have now turn pastors and preachers. These people do not realize that millions of organisms engage in asexual form of reproduction. Oral sex, anal sex, fellatioes, are sexual practices that are strange even to the primates and other close relatives of homosapien on the evolutionary ladder. I make bold to say that many Nigerians including the Christians who should be satisfied with the missionary style usually engage in these sexual pleasures. These sexually pleasurable practices could also be said to be bad since it is only the penis and the virginal that ‘naturally’ should be involved during intercourse; sexual positions such as “doggy” and “wheelbarrow” are not ‘natural’. Sorry for sounding profane my lord bishop. I think honestly that sexuality like culture as subjected to man. Man dictates what he likes in the society including religion not the reverse. So in my own opinion I think Akinola and others of his persuasion should busy themselves with fighting for a better future for Nigerian youth and stop this diversionary attitude aim at looking away from the reality. When Jesus was alive, he didn’t have a house, not even a donkey. But Akinola stays in a lavishly furnished Bishop’s Court in one of the choicest place in Nigeria while most of his parishioners live in slums like Ajegunle, Mushin, and Orile in Lagos, Nigeria. A clergy in Nigeria purchased a private jet at a whooping sum of 650 million Naira an amount that could make the whole beggars in Abuja to give up begging and live comfortable lives different that of the abject poverty they are used to. Akinola and his anti-gay activists should note that the bible encourages some practices that are now condemned the world over, for instance slavery: Numbers 31 48 And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses: 49 And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us. I believe slavery is evil and not the choice of someone over his sexual preference, since homosexuality affects nobody, according to utilitarianism theory, it should be permitted. I am not a gay but I do not discriminate against them. As a Bright Humanist I believe that using scriptures to establish ethical issues is against intellectuality as a book of myth has little to offer when issues of psychology, ethics, and biological sciences are discussed. Notes: 1.All scriptural quotations are taking from the King James Version of the Bible. 2.CAN means the Christian Association of Nigeria: an ecumenical body of Christian churches. 3.FCT means the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria’s Capital -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Adegoke is a Journalist, a writer, and a student of philosophy, University of Ibadan, Nigeria._________________

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