Don’t Damn Damina Yet

By Betty Abah

Dear fellow Christian, just a word of brethrenly advice: rather than lining up behind your favourite Daddy and Mummy GOs and insulting or e-mauling Dr. Abel Damina over his recent controversial teachings (that have stirred an online ruckus), why not pause and studiously search the scriptures yourselves to find out the TRUTH on these contentious issues?

Truths

I think if you remove his unconventional approach, you would find so many TRUTHS hidden in his teachings if nothing else other than his exposé of the MANIPULATION OF THE MULTITUDES through tithes and other mediums by SOME of our G.Os.

How long should the Milking of the Meek Multitudes continue? Eg someone is hawking miracle black soap and holy cream somewhere in Warri so that buyers can get rich quick and some gullible people are already falling for the scam in the name of religion. My beloved GO says non-tithers won’t smell heavensgate, and we think all is okay?

Have you bothered to wonder why there is largely no financial accountability in the religious system here and if that is what obtains elsewhere? When was the last time you took time to compare notes? Have you ever wondered why many of our mega Pentecostal pastors are creating generational wealth, still living so large, swimming in open, forbidden affluence with their families while the majority of their congregants and even staff (who contribute all of those resources) are impoverished by the day yet keep giving and giving excitedly?

Why can’t there be more welfare programmes amid the current widespread hunger so that “there may be meat in the Lord’s House?”

Have you processed the miraculous economic outcome for the country if a quarter of the resources invested in building mind-blowing religious edifices are utilised in empowerment skills for a quarter of our youth population (who consists of almost 70 of our entire population)? Just a quarter. Since what date has God started dwelling in temples built by men?

Do you know that if you ask these questions, you won’t drop dead but the system may improve and will imbibe a more compassionate and people-oriented disposition/practice (since that is the hallmark of Christianity)? We all know that our government at all levels are a colossal, pathetic failure (and we are currently pressing their necks for that), what’s wrong with the church helping out especially since it is flush with so much fund?

If you don’t see anything wrong in the excessive obsession with materialism and sheer transactional gospel being sold by many GOs at the expense of spirituality, salvation, and other moral values, the core messages of the faith, then there is a problem.

And look, you could continue paying tithes, but it wouldn’t be wrong too to probe its usage…

Dear brethren, looks like Damina is more of the rugged, angry, and crying wilderness prophet, and as you may know, typically, wailing wilderness prophets like Elijah, Elisha and John the Baptist aren’t too likable but they make impacts all the same.

Jesus and the whip

Have you ever pondered at the image of Jesus, whip in hand, lashing at the temple kalo-kalo merchants? Does that even cut the image of the gentleman preacher he was meant to be? Desperate times have always required desperate measures

Warts and all, believe it or not, Damina may just be starting a revolution that will go a long way in reshaping Christianity in Nigeria and by extension to other parts of the world where charismatic men, mere men all the same, goaded by blind hero-worshipping, hold millions of fellow humans in a chokehold of erroneous teaching while benefitting beyond human

Look, Dr. Damina isn’t perfect (just like none of us is), and I wouldn’t even want to dabble into some of his contentious teachings which some of us don’t also agree with, but I don’t think we should throw away the baby with the bath water simply because he/she is a cry-cry baby.

All one is saying to his livid online attackers is stop the sentiments and unquestioning followership and hero-worshipping mentality of your religious leaders and analyse his teachings. There is some substance in his sermons and it looks like things won’t remain the same anymore.

Maybe, just maybe, you should calm down, take the message and ignore the imperfect messenger.

Ms Abah is a Lagos-based writer and activist