14 May 2008 |
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The word simony was coined from the name of biblical Simon (Acts 8:18-24) who offered Peter and John money so that they could give him the power with which they laid hands on the new converts in Samaria to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Apostle Peter’s reaction was swift. He placed a curse on Simon because he thought he could buy the gift of God with money. Selling and buying of benefice is generally refered to as simony. Martin Luther the former catholic monk who later formed the Lutheran church had accused some catholic priests of simony because he felt it was wrong to clloect money from a christian before the priest absolved him/her of sins.Though the catholic priests of the epoch were using the money for projects of the church, the practice had long been stopped.It is now the turn of the pentecostal pastors. During my few years sojourn in Benin-City before I re-migrated to Europe,I had witnessed many young girls going in large numbers into a makeshift building that was housing a church.After many weeks of observation, I had gone to a relative nearby to ask him why it was only girls that attended the church.What he told me was very startling;he said men attend the church too but that they were not as many as the young girls.He went further to explain to me that the pastor prays for those girls so as to have their visas easily for Italy.He said the girls pay the pastor between N10,000 to N15,000 for the prayers and those who succeed to get their visas will pay him $2,000 as soon as they are settled in Italy. Armed with the knowledge of what those girls were going to do in Italy, I got worried whether a pastor is biblically authorised to pray to God to grant certain girls smooth passage to a place they will engage in prostitution - a trade that is vehimently condemned by the bible. I watched this pastor grow materially on daily basis.From an old car I met him with, in less than two years he had a jeep. My maternal aunt came to my house early in the morning one day to ask for a loan of N100,000. When I questioned her what she wanted to do with that sum,she said her daughter(my cousin)has been asked to do deliverance in one church that she had marine-spirit.When I inquired what relationship has the money with spiritual deliverance,she said the consultation fees for “faith clinic” is N10,000 and each time she will go for deliverance is N10,000 and before she will get to the G O(General Overseer) who will conduct the full deliverance she would have exhausted the sum she was requesting for. I asked her the name of the church and the G O. She told me.After about five minutes intensive thoughts, I told my aunt that I had the money but unfortunately, I will not give it to her. I said that there was no where in the bible that it is written to pay pastors to conduct deliverance for any body.She left disappointed but I was completely at peace with my conscience. About three years ago, a local church in Genova invited this G O for a programme.When I saw the poster,I made up my mind to see the man who eventually took more than N150,000 from my aunt for the “deliverance” he conducted for my cousin.At the end of the usual disco-like praise worship, this Rev,Dr. Chief came on stage.He told us that we were in Europe to make money.He said we must sow a seed of faith to enable us succeed.After about thirty minutes of jumping from one corner of the stage to the other,he said that it was now time for the sowing of the seed..He called those who had €2,000 to come out.Nobody came out.€1,500 nobody come out,€1,000 nobody.He looked hard at the congregation and asked, “are you people so poor here” The money was now reduced to €500.Only one person came out-a Nigerian who runs a cosmetic store in down-town Genova.From there he asked those who had any thing to sow a seed to come out provided it is not less than €50.He prayed for them and asked them to watch out how God was going to bless them.It is worthy of note that the Nigerian who gave out €500. was ejected from her store by a court order for non-payment of rents a day after the end of the church’s programme.She may by now not have fully recovered from the shock. I went to Rome for a conference recently.On a Sunday before I came back to base,I went to a local church with a friend that put me up.There, it was a different story altogether.The pastor during his sermon accused his congregation for not being faithful.he said a member of the congregation had bought a jeep for a native doctor in Nigeria but “ here in the church no body donates nothing”.He made it clear that from that moment whoever was coming for prayers should have €500 ready other wise he would not pray for such person.When we were leaving, I asked my friend how God can even answer prayers said for people who are still dailly engaged in prostitution.His answer was that he needs to go to church on Sundays and that the pastor was his friend. These various methods of obtaining money from unsuspecting believers are against the teachings of Jesus Christ.As a matter of fact, there is a General Overseer in Edo State that you cannot see without having bought N50,000 worth of telephone recharge cards for him which are later re-sold to the congregation members at the kiosk nearby. In the gospel according to St.Matthew (10:7-8) the bible says:-And as ye go, preach, saying.The kingdomof heavenis at hand. Heal the sick,cleanse the lepers,raise the dead,cast out devils:freely ye have received,freely give.This is the instuction given by Christ to his disciples and this is the bedrock of christianity. “If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you dont like, it is not the gospels you believe but yourself”- St.Augustine
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