Deborah Samuel and Christian religion’s intolerance

Deborah Samuel murdered by extremists in Sokoto

Of the 3 major religions in Nigeria (Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion {ATR}), ATR is clearly the most tolerating of all. Because Islamic extremism is already well documented in Nigeria and beyond, this write up will only focus on the largely neglected Christian extremism🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ in Nigeria. Islamic extremism in Africa and the Middle East is already globally well documented. The recent unfortunate murder of Ms. Deborah Samuel by her undergraduate nitwits of classmates only adds to the long list of the many unfortunate consequences of religious extremism in our society.

Historically, unlike ATR, Islam and Christianity are both alien to Nigeria. However, over time, these two foreign religions have assumed a god status thereby lording themselves over the people and freezing out the indigenous ATR in the process.

Without sentiments, both Christians and Muslims are guilty of religious intolerance in Nigeria although their respective levels and consequences of intolerance vary. While for instance, the consequence of ‘blasphemy’ in Islam is brutally and ghastly violent, the consequence of ‘blasphemy’ in Christianity may still be confrontational (depending on the Christian denomination) but not ghastly violent.

Following the successful entrenchment of Christianity in Southern Nigeria, members of the ATR have plausibly been relegated to the background as second class citizens. The points are discussed below:

1. In most rural areas and oftentimes, in some urban areas, too, it is common to have Christians seize public spaces like schools, market squares, playgrounds, LG headquarters or even stadiums for their religious programs often christened ‘Crusades’. While these programs last, very annoyingly strident/loudspeakers and grandiloquent mannerisms are usually employed by the organisers to the utter annoyance, distraction and pollution of the entire neighbourhood. People who live nearby can hardly sleep while the events last; and are strangely not even expected to complain about the noise pollution they emit. Sheer arrogance!

As if the above is not enough, pastors or guest speakers at the event devote their time and energy to pour sour invectives or insults on any deity of the land and their worshippers as well. What can be more provocatively blasphemous than this?

2. In most cities in southern Nigeria, early morning preachers callously wake or stop people from sleeping in the name of preaching. While they do this, they don’t miss any opportunity to insult and condemn anybody who holds a different faith than the preachers. Beyond this, these preachers hunt for virtually any empty room (even within a residential compound) to use as a church. When they find one, they go for a high capacity speaker that ensures that sleep takes flight from everyone who dwells in the neighbourhood; and come to think of it, oftentimes, the number of congregations may be less than 10 which makes the use of speakers unnecessary.
3. In my village, we have a big stream called the Ebonyi River. While some Christian denominations often go there for their baptisms and other Christian rituals, ATR members are prohibited from using the same river. Within the past few years, some lucky ATR worshippers who dared to visit the river for a ritual have been caught and stripped naked; while unlucky others were maimed in addition to stripping.

I have always risen to the defence of these people and I have maintained that ATR worshippers’ rights to use the river just like Christians’ should be respected but I have been threatened myself. It’s incomprehensible that Christians who accuse Muslims in Nigeria of religious extremism and intolerance are the same people who oppress and deny ATR worshippers of space to worship. Pure hypocrisy!

4. A few years ago, I was in a certain village where I grew up to visit my parents. Then about 10 am that fateful Sunday morning, I had just returned from the church, I heard an alarm from a neighbouring compound and I went to know what the problem was. There I met a certain pastor who had come with a son of the alarmist to ‘uproot/destroy’ a deity belonging to the old man that owns the compound (the alarmist). The old man was resisting the cretinous pastor and his overzealous halfwit army of followers who wanted to forcibly take away the deity. I joined forces with the old man to resist intruders and with God on our side, we won but not without my being called unprintable names with my Christianity questioned. Not as if I cared about their tantrums anyway but the point is that you don’t have to forcefully convert anybody to Christianity. It smacks of arrogance and sanctimoniousness to do that. Yet, this is what many Christians do with brazen temerity. Christian religious extremism!
5. In November 2019, witches wanted to hold their conference in an auditorium at UNN, Nsukka. Just when the announcement was made public, holier than thou Christians fought the initiative and made sure that the Lily-livered authorities of UNN denied the conferees the usage of the hall. Some of these Christians probably don’t know that witchcraft is a form of religion and this being the case, Christians ought to allow them to practice their faith in peace; after all, freedom of faith and religion are guaranteed rights in Nigeria.

Christ whom Christians claim to fight for never during or after His ministry instructed His followers to obstruct worshippers of other faiths…be them of Baal, Samarians, Assyrians, Romans, Canaanites, ATR etc.

The above are just a few scenarios of how intolerant some Christians are. And it seems in the latter days Christians are the prime suspects.

Read also, Read the full text of Bishop Kukah’s speech at US congress that is causing Buhari government stomach upset

I don’t want to count many times I have resisted being forced to stay awake in the middle of the night in hostels I have lived in as an undergraduate in the name of midnight prayers. Do we talk about the coercive commercial evangelism in motor parks? What is staggering about intolerance among Christians is that in their hubris, they callously think their position is unassailable, divine, compulsory and final irrespective of their feelings or reasons for the country. Unfortunately, their intra and interpersonal relationships are incongruous with their preachings.

Lastly, ATR worshippers have become victims of alien religions in their own land. The servility, docility and equanimity with which they have remained calm in the face of these provocative Christian oppressions have been unparalleled. It’s either they’re all conquered people or that they are the most civilized of the 3 major religions… worthy of emulation by the rest.

Therefore, Christians should stop accusing Muslims of intolerance that they too are guilty of. Treat the ATR worshippers the way you would want Muslims to treat you. He who seeks equity ought to do equity.

But what do I know kwanu? Mine is just an unpopular junior opinion which may not matter.