- By Tajudeen Adigun
It was a revolt of people who had been earlier indoctrinated by the white missionaries to embrace Christianity, belief in God, and persuaded to drop their idolatrous ways of life. The white man’s evangelism hit the bull’s eye as Africans took the white missionaries’ message of God and Christianity hook, line, and sinker. It was wholesomely swallowed, changing and rejecting the perception, belief, and everything that they had earlier believed. The new ways and beliefs brought by Christianity had completely permeated the people’s lives and style of living.
So, when the mentors, the advocates of Christian ways of life, now turned around to sell a new deed that was strange to the earlier doctrine they were imbued with, deeds that incurred the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, such as gay marriage, lesbianism, transgender that were not found in the religious dictionary of Christianity, but now advocated by Pope Francis as the new symbols of liberation and freedom, the African bishops had no option, but to say ‘No’. This was fouling the atmosphere of decency and piety as instructed by the Holy Bible. They could not reconcile the belief in God’s ways of life that had been earlier sold to them and the new agenda of the Pope directing Catholic Church priests to bless same-sex couples. It was, therefore, not a surprise that they said ‘No’ and embarked on a collision course with the Pope, who has emerged as the chief spokesperson of same-sex couple marriage and lesbianism. The Pope, in a display of what could be described as an accommodative large-heartedness, advocated the blessing of a same-sex couple by Catholic Church priests.
This did not go down well with the bishops and priests who were indigenes of Africa. The bishops did not make any pretense about their belief that the Pope’s instruction was against the word of God in the Bible. They rose in unison and anger, saying that the Pope’s stance was nothing but a dagger to the church’s heart. A repackaged paganism. With one voice, they opposed what they tagged a march to Sodom and Gomorrah. They reminded the Pope that it is heresy for any man of God to pray for a couple that is not a man and a woman in a holy union. And here is the spiritual and administrative head of the Catholic Church advocating what made God destroy the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. This is not only profane but a total absurdity.
The biblical narrative said that Abraham had met the holy angels of God on their way to destroy a city, Sodom and Gomorrah, that was steeped in sins that were repugnant to what was holy and God’s ways. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were neck-deep in lesbianism and gay relationships as men shared anus sexual pleasure among themselves.
Abraham had interceded and pleaded that God should pity the sinners and allow them to repent. God said that if 10 percent of the city’s residents were found to be holy and in compliance with God’s instructions, the city would be spared. In the absence of such people, Abraham said he had family members in the city. Lot was the head of the family and Abraham pleaded that Lot and members of his family should be spared. God accepted the pleadings of Abraham and spared Lot’s family from the calamitous of being burnt to ashes. Members of Lot’s family were, however, under strict instruction not to look back as they were exiting the city. Lot’s wife, either out of folly or pig-headedness, did look back as the family members were exiting Sodom and Gomorrah and she instantly became a pillar of salt.
Most Christians, not to mention those who had undergone theological courses that qualified them to become priests, bishops, and men of God are all aware of this biblical story. Perhaps that was why the African bishops were shocked that the Pope had turned himself into a salesman of priests blessing same-sex couples, which was nothing other than what miffed God to incinerate Sodom and Gomorrah in the past. Is it not, therefore, surprising that the Pope, who is the postal boy of religiosity, spirituality, and regent of God on earth has become the promoter of lesbianism and gay marriage?
The Catholic Church was the first church on earth. It came to life during the Roman Empire. It assumed as it were not only the religious and spiritual supremacy but also the political sovereignty of the Roman Empire. The orthodox churches, such as Methodist, and Anglican, among others, came later after the protest of a German clergyman, Martin Luther. Pentecostal churches were to follow later, emerging from the crucible of the orthodox churches.
Earlier, the Anglican Church or the Church of England had come to Nigeria and perhaps Africa with the sugar-coated tongue selling gay marriage, lesbianism, bisexual, and transgender agenda to the continent. The salesmen, however, met a brick wall as the Anglican Church clergy in Nigeria said no. This was one of the reasons that gave birth to a change of name and the Church of Nigeria came to life. The Church of England came to Nigeria on the wings of the British colonialism expedition.
It was in between the deliberate moves of the two churches, the Catholic and Anglican to ram gay marriage, and lesbianism into African minds that the political version tagged: the European Union-Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Countries partnership agreement came. The promoters brought with them tempting subsidies and subventions that were not easy to shun. They were, however, surprised that country after country in Africa said no. That was before the clergymen voiced their opposition to the agenda. They said capital’ No’. The clergymen were not alone in this. It’s on record that former President Goodluck Jonathan and many other political leaders in Africa refused to sign what could rightly be tagged a devilish pact.
What put off African clergymen and, of course, governments in the continent were the immediate implication of the pact for any country or association that signed it. First, the policy of the pact would usurp the primary position of the country’s constitution on related issues. In other words, the pact becomes superior to the constitutions of the countries that signed it.
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If the pact on transgender, gay marriage, and lesbianism had been ratified by African countries, it would have been a giant step on the path of promoters of the agenda of the New World Order and their resolve to remove the idea of God in the minds of people.
In 1800, a document tagged: The Protocol of Elders of Zion hit the public in Britain. Its major thrust was the promotion of science above God. Most of the promoters, who were members of the Lunar Society, were products of Edinburgh University. They were not only against the monarchies but were also spearheading the promotion of the removal of God’s ideas from people’s minds. Charles Darwin, that popular scientist, was the leading personnel of the Lunar Society’s cause for science. They believed that science was the new champion for solving human problems and overcoming their challenges. If people, who believed in the power of knowledge and science were shouting and singing its praise from the rooftops, it’s an embarrassment, of the highest order, for the clergy to join in the eulogy of science and the relegation of God to the background in the affairs of men.
The New World Order is premised on the belief that freedom should not be compromised. Every person is free to live the kind of life that appeals to him or her. Provided, he or she does not encroach on another person’s right and freedom. No obstacle should be allowed to hinder people’s enjoyment of freedom. Fueled by pragmatism, the advocates insisted that people should live as they wish. Gods or religious injunctions should not be allowed to hinder their freedom. They resolved that dogmatism that hangs everything about life on fate should be kept at bay. Observers have, however, attributed the new quest for rejection of dogmatism to the gift of the sixth sense. The ability of man to engage in abstract thinking and dwell in the realm of imagination, thus indulging in speculation that sometimes has no solid structure in reality could be vague, spelling disaster for the speculators.
On this note, Pope Francis, who was shocked that the clergymen in Africa revolted and outright rejected his direction on blessing same-sex couples, fingered the preponderance of African culture for their uncompromising stance on same-sex couples.
To Africans, only man-and-woman should be husband and wife. Same-sex as advocated by the pope, to them is not in compliance with God’s order. That is why it must not be touched with a 40-meter pole.
