You simply open the pages of any Nigerian Newspaper or even local tab1oids, you will not be tired of reading stories of the criminal accusations against some pastors. Yesterday, it could be the accusation of a pastor raping one of his lady members. It could be another involved in armed robbery. Or even another arrested for duping one of his church members. The list of heinous crimes or accusations against many pastors could be amazing indeed. It has become so rampant that many have started to question the authenticity and genuiness of many of those so called “white robe workers.”
But apart from many pastors being accused of some criminal misbehaviours, there is another anti-social misconduct these pastors commit. And that is using radio preaching to spread false happenings which they use as illustrations to drive home their lies.
Please, I ask any of those who may read this article to take note of this when they listen to radio preaching or when they go to church service this or next week. In fact, it is no longer a behavior restricted to the modern day Pentecostal pastors, but has equally become rampant among other Orthodox Church Pastors. The type of connected stories they dish out are numerous and varied.
They may fabricate a story about the king and his palace: a teacher and his pupils the most incredible tale of a miraculous deliverance which they have performed. They deceive, tell lies, fabricate unfounded stories and tell stories of their pastoral exploits. If it is not helping a barren woman to have triplets after twenty years of barrenness, it could be helping a young man to get a very lucrative job in any Oil Company with fantastic salary package. Some may tell a story of the healing of chronic ill.. .health that had even defied all kinds of prayers by well known prayer warriors: it equally could be a story of a student whose second name has become “F9” with GCE or even WAEC or even in JAMB in which the student had hardly made above 80. With their special gift, they saw through vision what was causing the problem for the student. In the next examination, the student scored 9As or over 300 in JAMB. Bulshit indeed. Pastor, my foot.
The most annoying thing is that many low minded and credulous listeners tend to believe these former ma street magicians who have found solace in the pulpit. They now speak in tongue which they themselves annot understand. They smell banks every week, while their members continue to make poverty their immediate neighbor and regular companion.
In all honesty, what baffles me and many people is what moves these men and women, young and old to throng these sectarian places of worship with different names and descriptions. The answer is not too far to seek. On the surface, it may appear that they are looking for proper interface with the Almighty God. Certainly, no.
For sure, are they looking for salvation? Not at all. Are they looking for redemption? Far from it. Are they actually looking for. Miracle? .
Their needs are as varied as the number and countless number and names of Churches they are going. One may find names such as: The Finest Missionary Church; Adam and Eve Ministry;
The Holy Child Church of the Liberated; Holy Cross Ministry of the Chosen Children etc. then their needs are definite not spiritual things but mundane needs.
These may include: child for a barren woman; suitors for “old but young” ladies; looking for the stability in their marriages; other ladies are looking for “Mr. Right.”
On their parts, the older men folk are looking for success in business; income and profits; the young male adults are looking to get employment; pass JAMB; or equally to get “Miss Right” as well.
But in all and all, they are principally looking for “miracles in the hands of the so called miracle performers.
Because of these individual needs of those who are in search of miracles, they become too credulous believing anything and everything that comes out of the mouths of these so called “modern magicians” who have found sanctuary on the pulpits. Their so called miracle seekers become helpless believing that “honey shall fall from the sky.”
It may be pertinent to pose one commonest question to these miracle seekers. In both truth and in fact, can they point out one concrete and verifiable miracle which their “pastor soothsayers have performed. None, what we hear is nothing but “testimonies” of the wonderful work of God. We hear stories upon stories of various wonders performed by the young generation of self- seeking pastors, claims upon claims of unimaginable dimensions. Yet, nobody but nobody has seen a real blind man who reigned his or her sight through the “wonderful prayers of these self styled miracle performers. Nobody should play God or Christ.
It must be admitted that the type of social damage being caused in our society by these pastors which one columnist called, “clerical merchants” is enormous. They have broken several homes through faulty predictions and sinister visions. They have driven wedges between family members. They have created perpetual enmity among communities and communities and among people of one kindred. They have seen unseen things which they convey to low minded and credulous miracle seekers. Above all, they have caused some businessmen to fold their businesses in the hope to be better and richer.
It is unnecessary trying to enumerate all the damages which these fortune tellers and “modern native doctors” have inflicted in our society.
Therefore, it is high time that the government must step in because the social and economic consequences of these “pastoral witch doctors” are hurting our society in a large scale. They must be stopped before they stop us. Finally, it must be admitted that there are some gen1ine one among them. But unfortunately the deceitful ones among them are greater in number. This is a challenge for the newly elected CAN President and his team to rise up to the occasion before it is too late.
