RELIGION AND POLITICS, WHY WE ARE AWAY FROM ALL

RELIGION AND POLITICS, WHY WE ARE AWAY FROM ALL A PAPER DELIVERED AT THE BIRTHDAY LECTURE OF THE VERY SON OF MAN ON THURSDAY, 30^TH DECEMBER, 2021 BY BISHOP FRYDE CHUKWUEMEKA OKOH HOUSEHOLD OF GOD, ENUGU STATE.

VENUE: DIAMOND FOREVER SUITE, NO. 63 EMMA UDEGBUNAM CRESENT, NKISI PHASE 1 ONITSHA, ANAMBRA STATE

WE RECEIVED A MESSAGE THAT SAID, “IF WE ARE CONVINCED THAT GOD IS GOD AND HE IS THE ONE THAT HAS REVEALED HIMSELF AMONG US, WE SHOULD COLLECTIVELY WORSHIP HIM. BUT IF WE ARE NOT CONVINCED, LET US GO HOME AND HAVE OUR REST”.

-THE SON OF MAN-

ARE YOU CONVINCED? Preached on 15^th April, 2012. pg 28:29

ONLY FACTS ARE CONVINCING

The Saints of God, I salute you all in the name of Almighty God, our Redeemer. To our distinguished guests, we welcome you all to this special and memorable occasion.

We are here today to celebrate a Great Man, the Shining Star emanating from the Orient; the Immutable voice, the Regulating ONE of the Formative world. God en-morphe. He is a man of many parts, an enigma, a sage, a paradox and a quintessential personality.
I am short of adjectives to qualify this towering mountain. An oracle and a mysterious being, and also, we are talking about a Man who is an All- pervading Intelligence.
One may ask why I have to eulogize Him to this extent? YES! He is a marvelous being radiating superlative aura full of sharp colours.
He is masked with very unquestionable and unchallengeable truth; the truth that looks like lies to the uninitiated, and all about Him are filled with unbounded energy.
I am profoundly grateful to Almighty God for this rare opportunity given to me to stand before you all today to handle this topic- RELIGION AND POLITICS: WHY WE ARE AWAY FROM ALL.
There are many sitting here among us who can handle this topic better, but given the opportunity, let God help me as I paddle across this vast ocean of historical knowledge. But before I commence on this journey, I have to introduce who we are. Yes! It is the right thing to do.
We are a gathering of Realistic, Natural people and that is the reason why we call ourselves “The Realists” meaning “A person who accepts and deals with a situation as it really is and does not try to pretend that it is different” by Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary.
These are a group of people who have one ideology, believing the unbelievable and who sincerely uplift the Truth no matter how bitter it may seem.
We are more concerned with those who will be deceived, misled, and destroyed if we don’t speak the truth but we can never worry about who will be offended when we speak the truth. That may be a painful conflict with religion which is laced with lies that looks like truth, and also is an admixture of traditional and foreign folk tales plus ancient and modern cultures.
Our message(s) is not easily acceptable but it remains the Truth, the undiluted truth that only an inquiring and inspired mind can believe.
We are worshipping a man, the physical manifestation of the Deity in human form. We do not worship unknown gods. We see, touch and relate with the personality we worship. He (God) has one universal Church and with Christ as the foundation which is the Son of Man.
I know many of you would find it very hard to swallow this hard and unpalatable Truth but I have no apology. I have to say it now so that as we move along, you can then understand where we are coming from and follow us creatively to our port of anchor.
I pray that at the end of the day, these lectures will be an impactful session. May I sincerely crave your indulgence to oblige me your listening ears as I read out what I wrote down because time would not permit me to expatiate fully as we navigate around this topic.
Let us look at the meaning of religion, its foundation and its effects on our psyche and culture as a people before we can attend to the challenges of politics and its problems would pose.
The question now is, what is Religion? Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary, International Students Edition defines religion as. “The belief in the existence of a god or gods, and the activities that are connected with the worship of them.”
We have heard the definition and the meaning. That is, that religion is tied to the worship of multiple gods. That is truth and running away from it is an unpardonable sin.
Truth is truth no matter where it is told. Hear the wise words from a great mind, a spiritual mind, Haile Selassie 1 in his words titled “SPIRITUALITY DOES NOT COME FROM RELIGION. IT COMES FROM OUR SOUL”
He said “We must stop confusing religion and spirituality. Religion is a set of rules, regulations, and rituals created by humans which were supposed to help people spiritually.
Due to human imperfection, religion has become corrupt, political, divisive, and a tool for power struggle.
Spirituality is not theology or ideology. It is simply a way of life, pure and original as given by the Most High. Spirituality is a network linking us to the Most High, the universe and each other.”
Listen to this, “CNN’s Belief Blog, John Blake offers four warning signs of when religious beliefs become evil. These include absolution, Charismatic leaders, apocalypticism, and the end justifying the means. He noted that “the line between good religion and evil religion is thin, and it is easy to make self- righteous assumption.”
Then the question arises- is there any good religion? Then in the message – Only Facts are convincing, preached 2006 by Apostle Peter Odoemena, The very Son of Man, in page 6, Chapter one, titled “Religion- Man’s invention”, He believes and that is correct that nothing good can come out of an evil gathering.
Evil is evil and religion in its entirety is evil. Its only aim is to instill fear in the minds of people. Hear Him “Nothing instills fear in man more than religion. Nothing creates an aura of insecurity around a human being more than religion. It is better to be in a political prison than in a religious prison.
Religion proclaims liberty, which is false! It proclaims liberty but practices imprisonment. In the same vein, religion proclaims peace but practices violence and causes unrest. It proclaims love, but manifest hatred.
It proclaims abundant life, yet it manifests abundant death. This is hard to believe, but only facts are convincing, and facts abound all around us to convince us of this”.
Another writer wrote “Religion is based primarily and mainly upon fear. It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes. Fear is the basis of the whole thing- fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death.”
They are also engulfed in violence. Religious groups can be marked as evil because they are imbricated in violence, death and destruction.
Other sound minds contributed their own quota thus; Sigmund Freud said “Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires.”
Karl Marx added “Religion is the sign of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world, and a soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”
From the same message “Only Facts Are Convincing, page 12, Son of Man continued “You can never be happy if you are religious. You can neither be at peace with anyone nor ever love anybody. You do not even know the meaning of love, because the hostility that is in religion can never permit you to exercise your natural talents.
Every true seed of God is naturally talented to make his fellow man happy so that God will be glorified in him. Nevertheless, religion will always try to check it. It will tell you that it is foolishness for one to be happy always, but that is a lie!
Nothing takes the place of happiness. Happiness is a medicine. Once you do not have happiness, your life is in danger.”
Another thinker Appleby, a leading expert on fundamentalism and religion and violence argued that “Religion in practice isn’t really about building peace but rather “trying to build and maintain a flock” and “protecting one’s own religious community, even if that means exaggerating and amplifying discord with neighboring communities.”
From the mouth of Martin J. Scott, we heard this “one religion cannot be as good as another, for the simple reason that falsehood cannot be as good as truth.”
From the same message – Only Facts Are Convincing, page 11, Son of Man continued “So it is with every other religion. These are movements, which human beings initiated. That is why God disassociates Himself from every religion.
Observe all religions and you will notice they are full of politics, intolerance, violence, and are very bloody. If Christianity can be bloody, in spite of the love it professes even using Jesus as an example, what other religion can be exempted from being bloody? Is there any proof that Christianity is not bloody?
“Religious movement is numerous and man-made. Some of them are Muslim, Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Judaism, Confucianism, Shinto, Taoism, Jainism, Buddhism, Mystical groups, Traditional religion etc.
S. K. George made us to understand that “religious intolerance has been responsible for some of the blackest crimes in human history” This is evident in all historical records. Even as today, with numerous churches scattered everywhere, crime waves have been increasing astronomically.
Again, idol worship is now increasing in galloping progression and the adherents are the so-called church goers.
Another form of judicial system has been introduced where a case is instituted against someone in the shrine courts and not in the customary court, which is the grassroot Court, or any other court as enshrined in the constitution of the country.
The Igbos call this form of judicial system (itu mmadu n´arusi) This is now the order of the day. All the people that patronize those shrines, cult houses, are they not church goers? Some are elders, some pastors, some congregational members.
Then where is the proof that Christianity as a religious movement is potent and spiritual. Is it not a fact that religion or religious practices are more of a confused gathering or what one may term spiritually constipated organ, because its roots are based on mixture of cultures – foreign and local. All are encircled by superstitious belief.
From the foundation of the world, superstitious belief had been a strong cankerworm that has eaten deep into the spiritual aspect of man, introducing the fear of the unknown that climaxed the emergence of religious movements and reformers.
Some will say they don’t fear the unknown but majority will still stand to affirm that they fear what they think they know about the unknown.
Many follow their religion out of fear rather than a genuine religious devotion. They believe that that spirit they worship either called Satan will visit them with natural disasters or curse them with misfortune if they don’t pay the proper tribute of rites or sacrifice.
It is an illusion, and that is religious belief at work. People have long used the Devil Pod to ward off evil, and for that purpose they place it above a door way, facing outward as a potent charm, much in the manner of a Roman Janus or Tibetan Door Demon.
Likewise, it makes a splendid inclusion in Mojo bags (a small object or a collection of small objects in a bag, that is believed to have magical powers) of the type commonly known as “Jinx Breaker”, “Keep Away Enemies”, or “Run Devil Run”.
This action of theirs, whose silliness can, like ignorance in action, will always pose a truly dangerous and destructive end and would still engulf the human mind with fear of the unknown.
This fear normally come into existence by the spoken words or ideas introduced into the receptor senses which then evolves into a physical manifestation, and that may be called, state of being. Religion makes the mind of man to believe any lies you tell it.
Apostle Peter Odoemena, The very Son of Made it clear that “religion covers a lot of sins”. This is a fact because the religious practitioners and their leaders (pastors) employ pretentious mishmash of styles to manipulate their adherents into accepting their fake sermons.
Their bizarre form of incantations and worship seem to intoxicate their members like insects, by the scent of the flowers that attract them. This is very common with Pentecostalism, a new wave of Christianity from America. To run away from this virus, we should always feed our minds with Faith, truth and love.
The author of the book, “SANCTUARY OF SELF” Ralph. M. Lewis made it clearer in his write up that religious worshippers are not confident in their worship by their methods. Hear him – “the methodical manner of their devotion is indicative of an inherent fear rather than something born of inspiration.
“This means that religious practice is like living in a deep darkness and there lurks terror from their unbridled imagination.
History will always remain a very excellent example of past karmic causes of the fake religious practices and such erroneous belief system is very dangerous because it caused the mind to deny realities which they could have accepted and overcome their spiritual challenges by believing the absolute truth.

IF YOU ARE A TRUE CHILD OF GOD, MAN OR WOMAN, THE SAME WAY ALL TRUE CHILDREN MUST BE GUILTY OF “RELIGIOUS OFFENCE.” YOU MUST BE GUILTY OF RELIGIOUS OFFENCE. REMEMBER, RELIGIOUS OFFENCE MEANS BREAKING OF MOSES’ LAWS, ITS MORAL AND RITUALISTIC DEMANDS. IF YOU ARE A TRUE CHILD OF GOD, YOU MUST BE GUILTY OF IT. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU MUST BREAK IT. ALL TRUE CHILDREN OF GOD MUST BE GUILTY OF RELIGIOUS OFFENCE WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT. EVADING IT, MEANS DENYING OF THE FAITH OF CHRIST

-THE SON OF MAN-

DISPUTE AMONG THE BRETHREN “A SIGN OF DEFEAT” pg 220:80-82

RELIGION POINTS PEOPLE TO UNKNOWN GOD

Let us go back to historical religions of human history. It is believed that the study of anthropology of religion, evolutionary psychology of religion, all show how religion is tied to culture, geography, time and place in history.

All is fraught with human construction. It looked like a huge amount of evidence that we created God, not vice versa, i.e. God not creating us. But is that true?
Due to fragmentation of religious organizations, different types of gods were worshipped during the past generation. Those religious groups found it extremely difficult to unite and worship one god.
It is a known fact that there are 1,028 psalms addressed to various gods in the Rig- Veda and as the first book of the Hindu Scripture, it is the oldest Sacred Scripture of a living religion. Check what is at stake, numerous psalms to various gods. That is religion for you.
Some so- called Christians belong to other various cult groups. This is a small secret circle of secrets (known more generally as a mystery cult or mystery religion). Examples abound everywhere.
Today people don’t even hide their identities anymore and it has an adverse effect on the youth of this country. Many, today are involved in money rituals, blood rituals and all sorts of devilish activities.
Those involved, are they not Church goers? They even carry the membership stickers on their cars and come to Church to worship the gods they created. Some wear amulets, charms and still come into the Church to worship.
Somebody told me a story of his old father whom he convinced to convert to Christianity so that in case anything happens (if he dies) their church members can come and return the burial contributions he has been contributing for a long time.
Their doctrine and law (because they are legalists) stipulates that for your parents to be buried they must be a financial member of the Church before they will come for the burial. After a long persuasion, the father said, “under one condition will I accept”. The son replied, what? The father responded “unless those charms I kept there, you promise, should not be touched by anybody”.
When the son inquired to know why he still believed in those charms. The father told him that “I have to keep those charms in case the other god fails. A man does not move about without his trusted chi” which in Igbo language is translated (adi amama. Nwoke adiyi agbawa onwe ya aka)
My late uncle was a stark illiterate and a local politician. He is a traditional believer and his legs had never stepped into any church but he answered a Christian name, David. Is it not terrible?
How can we reconcile this issue? Where and how did he start answering that name? We can see that religious practices are one. A traditional religionist answering a Christian name. That means one can still leave a shrine with traces or mark of white chalks and go to the church to pray and nothing will happen.
All these mixed cultures are the result of foreign influence. Our kingdoms have been desecrated, defeated and divided by a pandemic disease. The division has castrated and made Africans impotent.
Listen to Apostle Peter Odoemena, Son of Man and hear what He has to say about this “Do you know that just as there are United Kingdom, there are also a divided Kingdom. That of the whites are United Kingdom. That of Africa is Divided Kingdom. Who divided ours? It is operation divide and rule.
They could not have succeeded until they divided us and used religion to plant enmity between us. The only thing they used in planting enmity between the North and South is religion, and it affects even our politics. Our politics is tailored along religious line.” Son of Man. From the message – Preserve Your Cultural Heritage. Preached 2007, page 24-25.
We can see that “when two cultures collide is only time when true suffering exists.” Hermann Hesse.
Due to this collusion, many gods were created in the minds of religious and traditional worshipper and the worshipping of those gods commenced effectively within those enclaves in that past era.
Such gods as the Spartan god called Hyacinth. His three days festival was held each year in spring of early summer. Another was Attis worshipped in Rome annually from March 22nd- 25th (his death or resurrection) plus other gods not mentioned here.
Also, in our traditional cultures, festivals celebrating different gods are being held in various communities at different times of the year. Generally, in our African traditional societies, the influence of western missionaries affected our cultural balance by their introduction of western religions.
Many of those missionaries came with various religious cultures and doctrines thereby planting their different gods against our own culture, mainly fear of heaven and hell.
They came in batches – Roman Catholic missionaries; Fr. Alexander Lejeune who was appointed Apostolic Perfect of the Lower Niger Mission on 23rd May, 1900. Fr. Rene Pawlas who succeeded Fr. Reling as the third Perfect of the Lower Niger Mission. He assumed his post in December 1898 only to die in Onitsha in March 1900.
Another of the Catholic missionaries was Fr. Joseph Lutz who was the first Apostolic Perfect of the Catholic Lower Niger. He led a team of four Catholic missionaries that arrived Onitsha on 6th December, 1885. Bishop Joseph Shanahan was the designated successor of Fr. Lejeiune who died in 1905. He adopted and perfected Lejeiune’s policies. He was ordained Bishop in 1920.
Fr. Francesco Borghero was the Catholic Missionary that visited Lagos from Ouidah (Dahomey – modern-day Benin Republic) and said the first Holy Mass in that city on the 9th of March, 1862.
Presbyterian missionaries had in their flock, Samuel Alexander Bill He arrived Ibeno on 1st December 1887 to fulfill their request of asking for a missionary to be sent to them by the Ibeno people in Cross River Region in 1886 which later metamorphosed into what is known today as Qua Iboe Mission.
Mary Slessor of Calabar was a Scottish national who volunteered for the United Presbyterian Mission in Calabar in 1876. Another Presbyterian missionary was Rev. Hope Masterton Waddel who was the leader of a team of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland Missionaries that arrived in Calabar on10th April, 1846. (The famous Hope Waddel Institute in Calabar was named after him)
The Anglican group were comprised of Samuel Ajayi Crowther. He was a member of the 1841 British Niger Expedition following which he accompanied Henry Townsend to Abeokuta Anglican Mission in 1843. Henry Townsend was the British Missionary of the Anglican Church Missionary Society. He landed in Badagry on 17th December, 1842.
After the Niger Expedition of 1841, the Wesleyan Methodists were the first missionaries to enter the territory today known as Nigeria when Thomas Birch Freeman and William de Graft (a Fanti) arrived Badagry on 23rd of September, 1842 and the last but not the least was the Baptist missionaries led by Rev.
Thomas Jefferson Bowen. The Southern Baptist Convention of America appointed Rev. Thomas Jefferson Bowen in 1849 as its first missionary in Nigeria.
From all indication, it was clear they hid their motives but in actual fact colonization, not religion was their main focus. Religion was secondary. They believed that once they were able to colonize us, the other things will fall into place.
They achieved that by castigating our culture and substituting same with theirs. All the religious buildings (Pantheon) that were built to honour our traditional gods were pulled down which brought our culture to the realm of bad taste.
Who were those that brought such woes to us? It was the new wave of religion (Christianity) that proclaim that “Everybody must be born again” that broke down our cultural heritage and destroyed our shrines.
Like jaded Roman emperors, full of pride and felt uninteresting to all they saw, that is, all our cultures, lifestyles became inconsequential to them and they were marked “devilish” because they felt they had a better option.
Let us see the technique they used in bringing us to our knees. Lord Macaulay addressed the British Parliament on 2nd of February 1835 where he informed them of how to conquer the wisdom of the black race and introduce theirs.
Let us hear him “I have travelled across the length and breadth of Africa and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief, such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage and therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Africans think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their nature, culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation”.
Hear this “We must realize that no one can colonize a people without colonizing their Religion, language, and destabilizing their rich cultural heritage.
Let me put it this way: most of the things we were disarmed of by western religion are things that are greatly essential for our existence.
Believe it if you can, the origin of Orthodox medicine is African medicine. All types of medicine emanated from the tropics. Without the tropics, the talk of medicine would not arise.” Son of Man. From the message – Preserve your Cultural Heritage, preached 2007, pages 1-2, second paragraph.
It is now clear to us that they came with different gods and secret ambitions. There was no visible difference between our traditional gods and the gods they brought to us. Both were unknown gods.
Is it ethically wrong or one may ask, is it contrary to natural law to believe in non- existent being as God? In fact, it does because one who believes and worships an unknown god is regarded as a heathen and that fellow will always remain blind in the things of God.
Follow me to the scriptures. In acts of Apostle chapter 17:22-23. St Paul confronted the Athenians because they were worshipping an unknown god “St. Paul standing before them at the Mars Hill Forum, addressed them as follows. “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious for as I was out walking I saw your many alters and one of them had this inscription on it – ‘To The Unknown God’ You have been worshipping him without knowing who he is and now I wish to tell you about him.” LB.
He enumerated all the striking qualities and manifestation of the living God to them. He made them to know He alone (God) created the entire universe and He doesn’t live in man-made temple.
In verse 27, he informed them that his actual purpose of telling them about Him is for them to seek Him (God). “His purpose in all this is that they should seek after God, and perhaps feel their way towards him and find him- though he is not far from any one of us.”
Ralph Lewis argued “Can we damn or condemn a barbaric people to oblivion because they conduct themselves and their lives in a manner which is in accordance with the intelligence which is theirs? Though, they were ignorant of the existence of Almighty God at that generation of theirs but they still knew there existed a supreme force they couldn’t fathom or understood its operations.
They started worshipping anything around them as a medium to reach out to those unknown gods that staggered their collective imaginations but some developed minds among them knew then that there existed a power that radiates above human comprehension and their sincerity of purpose can be sincerely wrong.
“It is not worshipping God that counts, but God confirming your worship is the most important thing. It is not sacrificing that matters; rather, it is God accepting your sacrifice that really matters.
Did Cain not sacrifice to God? Did Abel not sacrifice, likewise prophets of Baal, Elijah, Moabites, even Balaam and Balack? Also, God’s children did sacrifice.
Oh no! It is good for someone to know the God he is worshipping. Those that know their God must do exploits.” Moment of Truth, The Son of Man. 11th Sept. 2008, page 29:26-27.
We were like them before, worshipping unknown gods, which made us pagans. It was when The Son of Man arrived on the scene and called us unto Himself that our eyes started opening to the realities of God and He also made us to know what are the characteristics of a pagan.
The Son of Man, Apostle Peter Odoemena gave us the graphic illustration of a pagan in the message titled- Flee From Idols, page 76:69-70. He said “A pagan never believes that he is deceived; he holds on tenaciously to his age long tradition and that is all.
Anybody can easily change but a pagan can never change.
Who is a pagan? A pagan is one who is strictly dedicated to things that are not god to the point that one can no longer restrain oneself from them.”
He rescued us from Idol worship, otherwise we could have remained blind till date.
Today religion, like emotive power depends too heavily on superficial references. Religious articles are sold or invented, that is, things like Star of David Key chains, holy medal pocket flashlights, Scapular which was invented by Simon Stock an English Monk in 1125AD.
The Rosary, mechanical praying instruments invented by Peter the Hermit in 1090AD. The authorized worship of the cross, images, relics was invented 786 AD.
Confession to man instead of God instituted by Pope Innocent 111 at Lateran Council in 1215AD and making of the sign of the Cross was introduced in 300AD.
Comical techniques in the form of theatre or film were used also to modify Christian ideas to suit the various interpretation of various sects. For example, the American staging of the British rock opera- Jesus Christ Superstar made the passion for a simplistic Vietnam war protest.
The combination of trendy nudity, flower children, and over production made the play a relevant kitsch. Here, in the American movie version (1973), crucify the hippie Messiah was the slogan.
sIn our own environment, it is also tenable. “Come to Ochanja and see where articles of Idolatry are sold in the market. They are of different types. It depends on the amount of money you have to invest in it and the type of Idol you want to institute and then, you give it a name” Son of Man – From the message – Flee From Idols, part 2 , vol 2, page 42:18.
We can now see that religious articles shed their sacredness (if any) when they become decor materials or commercialized. They become very cheap both in production and marketing.
In America today and most western world, due to the emergence of Pentecostalism, most religious materials are now reduced to technological gimmicks and has more to do with commercialization (selling of postcards) than with speaking the Word of God.
In Jeremiah 7:17-19, The Lord was not happy with those who were worshipping the Queen of heaven which is an Idol. Let us listen to the anger of God “Don’t you see what they are doing throughout the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? No wonder my anger is great!
Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build fires, and the women knead dough and make cake to offer to The Queen of Heaven” and to their other idol- gods”.

He is the One uniting all that belong to God from different nations and different religious groups in Christ. That is why all the groups are expecting Him eagerly, each one calling Him different Names; yet they are all pointing to this One Man, God incarnate, to deliver mankind from the rottenness, wickedness and evil in this world.

THE UNRECOGNIZED MESSIAH OF ALL

DISPENSATIONS [PART ONE] Preached on

15^TH JUNE, 2020 pg 110:16 BY APOSTLE LUKE UDOCHUKWU OJIAKOR

THE SON OF MAN IS THE UNITING POINT

At this point we must distinguish those who trust and believe in this Godman in our midst from those who still worship idols in their hearts. Those idol worshippers (are we among?), are the ones who wear religious tag and many do not believe in what they are worshipping.

“There are too many Roman Catholics in this faith. You know it is a spirit. Too many have not divorced even their early religions: rather, they want to mix things up in this Faith, trying to cause disaffection in the Bride, upsetting the Faith of the Brethren”
Son of Man. Almighty God is the one who said these words that some of us are still having Catholic spirit in our minds. It is a dangerous action and the reward is deadly.
We should realize that “there is poison in the fang of the serpent, in the mouth of the fly and in the sting of a scorpion but the wicked man is saturated with it.” Chanakya.
Other religions, especially Christianity has drifted from its former stand. One may ask what was the cause of all these drift that has engulfed Christianity and other religions?
There is Prophesy as regards to that “as it was in the days of Noah, as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, prominent features are there. Population explosion, rising rate of crime and the world was rotten, for every man’s heart was set in doing evil continually. Men and Women inventing new, new evil, yet they were going to church, calling Jehovah, calling Jesus.
This will be the picture of the world at the time when the Son of Man shall be revealed.” Son of Man – Mystery Revealed – page 41:9-10. This prophesy was made manifest and the answer is simple.
Christianity as we were informed in the beginning left Israel as a family, came to Rome as a religion, went to England as politics and ended up in Africa as a business. When it arrived Rome, it became a religion and that was why crime, every form of atrocities came on board.
And as Voltaire said “As far as people believe in absurdities, they will continue to commit atrocities”. That was when indulgences were sold which Martin Luther King as a reformer fought vehemently against with his ninety- five theses at Wittenberg Church in Germany which brought about half of Europe breaking away from Roman Catholic supremacy and setting up Protestant Churches.
Now when it arrived Africa, splinter groups (churches) started breaking off from their major anchor and became business empires. In every corner of the streets, there were/are many churches located.
We have more churches than the number of worshippers. Religious organizations are today still fragmenting into various groups with different names and beliefs because of the commercializing spirit and no spiritual interest in their quest.
To buttress this point let us take an extract from the message- Spiritual Realm volume 2, page 69 Preached by Apostle Peter Odoemena, the Very Son of Man. This is an interview by Olorun Timileyi john, a spiritual leader of Olorun Timileyi Mission of God as he speaks with Dayo Thomas and Shola Akin.
Question: What informed your decision to start a church? Answer: I came into the ministry in 1996 before I became a born again. I was a herbal healer and traditional spiritualist. This I inherited from my father, but after sometime, I decided to drop the native line and I came to Jesus. I said to myself that it will be better now for me to come to Jesus.
Question: What has been your experience since you started your own ministry? Answer: What I saw when I came in was shocking. Let me tell you when we were worshipping idols in Odei Irele in Ikale, we used to see some of these pastors as angels, especially those who put on white garments, but since I became a Christian and held meetings with them, I came to a shocking realization that even those idol worshippers are far better than some of those church goers. I perceived clearly that there is no love amongst them and many just invoke the name of God for personal gain. I have seen many things since I came in.”
For lack of time, if we continue with this interview, we will hear abominable things, even their use of occult powers, duping their members with false miracles. The overzealous neophytes are those who easily fall prey to their nefarious activities.
Due to their blindness, they will fall into their trap, which is their consistent format- that is, after displaying their maniacal behaviour, (acting as if they are crazy) in form of prayer, the next stage is introducing fear into the minds of their victim which will over- whelm him or her. That is what they call “softening the ground” before the hatchet will fall.
In page 141 of the same message, Son of Man said “check all that are on the land. One notorious native doctor said that without the Christians patronizing them, they would have folded up their businesses long time ago; that they are making a hell of money because of the so- called Christians that are patronizing them. I believe it is truth.
That the anti- Christ will not come as a herbalist; that is truth. Have I not told you that before? Can you now see that all of them are business centres? They are performing magic. I told you that God performs miracles, but Satan performs magic.
There in Egypt, Moses performed Miracles, but Pharaoh brought his magicians. Magicians perform magic”
Today you cannot find any magician on the street or market places as before. Where are they now- in the Churches performing magic which they call miracle.
This is the main reason why people flock to those devilish gatherings called churches today, seeking magical manifestations because miracles can hardly be found there because God is not there.
All those attractions look like candied apples that attract youngsters. This is very prominent with the Christian religions. Our cultural practitioners are not as commercially oriented as the Christian religionists.
All those so-called pastors are interested in demonstrating fake miracles. They understand the mindset of their congregation, all seeking for miracles. So, they sell their fake wares to them. None of their so- called miracles have ever proved authentic.
In Jeremiah 23:15-16 it is recorded what Almighty God Intend doing to those false prophets “Therefore the Lord of Hosts says: I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink. For it is because of them that wickedness filled this land.
This is my warning to my people, says the Lord of Host. Don’t listen to these false prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for me.” (LB)
These false prophets are mainly found within the religious bodies filled with covetous spirits. For example, there are recorded evidences about fake miracles by the so-called men of God in various hospitals and health institutions in Nigeria.
(1) Pacelli School of the Blind, Surulere Lagos was established in 1962. Number of visits by “Men of God” who had come to pray for the blind students was recorded to be over 5000. Number of students actually cured from blindness through their prayers= ZERO.
(2) National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi Lagos. It was established in 1945. It has 450 beds which has always been filled to capacity. Number of bones reset or limbs regrown through miracles = ZERO.
(3) Lagos Island General Hospital is the first to be established in Nigeria in 1893. It has a fully functional mortuary (since records began) just before Nigeria gained independence. Number of people raised from the dead by any “Man of God” spiritually or otherwise =ZERO. And so, in other hospitals. These are verifiable, well documented FACTS.
The reason WHY miracles have not been recorded in these mentioned places is because they keep BEFORE and AFTER records. And also, the patients are REALLY Blind, ACTUALLY Disabled, and CONFIRMED Dead.
Statistics doesn’t lie. Reality doesn’t deceive. So, if I may ask the religiously over-dozed simpletons reading this, are you not bothered that your intelligence is being ridiculed by all these unsubstantiated miracles happening to other people in churches, crusades, and other stage – managed religious gatherings?
The recipient of the so- called miracles are people who you don’t know their actual identity, or where they live, or of their ailments, or any documented proofs, etc.
I have asked several times WHY are these miracles only happening in Africa. Are we really dumb as people??? The late Reinhard Bonkke spent 50 years raising supposedly dead people back to life in Africa. He did not raise a single dead body in his country Germany, or in the whole of Europe and America. NOT A SINGLE ONE.
Is it only Africans that can be raised from the dead??? Whether I talk or not, people who wear okirika cloths to Church today will still drop money for pastors who wear Armani Suits.
People who are struggling to pay rent will still drop money for pastors who own mansions. People who struggle to pay fees will still drop money for pastors who own schools.
People whose kids cannot sleep at night because of mosquitoes will still drop money for pastors whose kids are living abroad.
People who cannot pay for transport services will still drop money for pastors who own fleet of expensive cars.
People whose old parents are living in relative lack, poverty, and suffering will still be shouting “TITHE IS WORKING FOR ME”. Then later, they will start disturbing their friends and families for financial assistance, while their religious DEALERS, sorry, religious LEADERS, control billions of different currencies.
How can people be so comfortable with being so gullible? Religiously overdosed people are actually proud about the fact that they are being scammed, swindled and taken for a ride! They will even ask you, “is it your money?” Let’s face it.
It is easier to fool most people, than to convince them that they have been fooled. But they can only fool themselves, they CANNOT FOOL REALITY.”
We can now see clearly how those pastors or fake Men of God manipulate their adherents, fleece them of the little hard- earned money they have. All these mind vampires who are religious leaders are basically politicians in outlook.
Politics which is very clearly known as the twin brother of religion took off from Europe.
When Christianity left Israel, its journey ended in Rome where it became a religion before getting to the dark continent of Africa where it was turned into a business venture.
As new religions are emerging based on the satanic, or the occult, or things like astrology so also new political methods and wickedness are also coming into practice.
Henry B. Adams balanced that statement by making this comment “Politics, as a practice, whatever it’s profession, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds” and another mind contributed thus “There is close relationship between religion and political power” so says Ajit. K. Sinha.
John Harman collaborated by adding this that; “Religion and politics are intertwined historically, sociologically, maybe even genetically. They are practically inseparable. Yet more people seem to find this relationship appalling, yet unintelligible, or illegitimate.
“The basic truth is that the similitude between Religion and Politics remains the fact that they are inseparable. Both of them encourages intolerance of others and thus promotes conflicts rather than consensus.
History has recorded that almost all the Religious Wars fought were masterminded by political utterances and actions because Religion gave birth to politics.
There is another saying about politics by Albert Camus. He made it clear that “Politics, and the fate of mankind, are shaped by men without ideas, and without greatness.
Men who have greatness within them don’t go in for politics.” We have to note it that the FIRST, SECOND, THIRD and FOURTH CRUSADES – wars between Christians and Moslems were sparked off due to religious politics.
Hear this; ” For many years in Europe and the Middle East, Christians and Moslems had fought each other until, by the 11thC, the Moslems had conquered the whole of Asia Minor. Then came the startling news; in 1071 the Seljuk Turks had captured Palestine and with it the Holy City of Jerusalem. This was not only an insult to Christendom, but also made things very difficult for thousands of Christian pilgrims who had been flocking to the Holy City for years.
In 1095, Pope Urban 11 spoke to a great gathering in France to urge that a Christian army of nobles and commoners should go to Palestine and win back Jerusalem from the Turks. Every man who took part would be pardoned from all his sins.
The response was over- whelming. Spurred by the promise of absolution and the possibility of loots, volunteers assembled in every Christian country in Europe. Because each man wore a cross as a badge, the enterprise was known as a Crusade (from the Latin Crux, or Cross).
After much fighting which included a battle at Antioch which lasted seven months, the crusaders finally reached Jerusalem which they captured in 1099.
THE SECOND CRUSADE was proclaimed on 1145. Listen to this story. “When Jerusalem fell during the first crusade, the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem was established, a kingdom that was to last for many years.
Nevertheless, the Moslems began to win back much of the territory they lost and the fall of Edessa on Christmas day,1144 sparked off the second crusade”. Political support came from the Pope- Eugenius 111, King Louis V111 of France and the Emperor Conrad 111 of Germany also brought support.
THE THIRD CRUSADE was launched in 1189. Another story “After the fiasco of the second Crusade, a new and more powerful Moslem army had come into being led by Saladin. It captured one Crusades’ stronghold after another and in 1187 Jerusalem itself was captured. Political support came from three armies led by three kings- Richard 1 of England, Frederick Babarossa of Germany and Philip 11 of France.
THE FOURTH CRUSADE. “Innocent III, who became Pope in 1198, decided that the best way to revitalize religion would be to begin a new Crusade in the traditional Medieval manner.” This was unsuccessful. We can see politics in religion or religion in politics. This is very, very clear.
The Church used their organ to suppress any rising group and if there was any resistance, they would be termed heretics and a Crusade or inquisition would be declared against them.
The Moslems called theirs, Jihad. Uthman Dan Fodio jihad was to clear Islam of its heresy, accretion and syncretism. It was politically motivated but was hiding under religion.
Religious wars were very prominent in the ancient period and all were politically engineered. All were trying to have political control of their conquered territories. Conquest and inquisition were prominent.
This kind of action can be noticed when it was launched against the Albigensian in 1208. That was a cult group and their followers were known as Albigenses, named after the town of Albi, not far from Toulouse in France. The Church regarded their members as heretics.
They grew in population and that forced the Pope to send a missionary to convince them to come back to the “Accepted Church” which resulted in their Legate being murdered in 1208 while in their country. That sparked off the Pope launching a Crusade against the Cult, they were wiped out and ended the reign of the new sect.
Another example of religious wars was the outbreak of thirty years war in 1618. “Since 1555, Germany had been divided into two religious camps- the Lutherans (protestants) and Catholics, forming a Catholic “League” and a Protestant “Union” Then, in Bohemia, an event occurred which was to begin the thirty years’ war.
It began when the Czech leaders in Prague, protesting against the strict rule of the Catholic Hapsburgs, threw out their state officials and elected as King Frederick, the Elector of Palatine, a Protestant prince. Soon afterwards, however, a battle was fought at White Mountain in 1620, Frederick was defeated and it seemed the revolt was over. But the war that had begun in Bohemia soon became an European conflict.
Christian of Denmark (1577-1648) led a protest union against a powerful army of the Catholic League led by Count Tilly and the imperial General Wallenstein. Christian was defeated to be replaced by Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594- 1632). They next met at Breidenfeld (1631) where Adolphus almost destroyed Tilly’s forces and revenged his sacking of the city of Mageburg four months earlier.
Wallenstein was beaten the following year at Lutzen and after that, the war lost its religious character to become a political struggle. Battle followed battle and much of Europe was plunged into chaos and brutal strife until the war ended in 1648 by the Treaty of Westphalia.”
These religious wars and politics have been on since generations past. Every one of them wants to show their supremacy, believing they were more superior than the other.
Hear what the Son of Man said on this issue. “I am the uniting point between the moon and the stars and still remain the sun radiating all over the whole earth. Do you believe that? I am the bridge between the moon and the star.
The only messenger that has appeared on earth and by virtue of the truth He upholds, the moon accepted Him and His message; the Star equally accepted Him and His message. Then the sun shines brightest.
The Bridge, The Mediator between the moon and the Star! “sandastand”. There is no Christian message a Muslim will embrace. Never, never for they know they are in error and there is no Islamic message a Christian will welcome. Then who is the Bridge? Who will bring about peace between the two? Who will divide the wall of partition? Only truth can do that. Amen.”
From the message- THE STATE OF THE NATION, vol. 5, page 25: 11-14 The Moon and the Star represents the two waring religions, Christianity and Muslim religion. Son of Man remains the only power that can unite the both and stop that war that has been raging for centuries. He has come to handle the problem.
It was because of religious politics and what people may term the suppression by the Pope that brought about the Church becoming a religious movement once it arrived Rome. That action made the reformers to started emerging.
Some of those reformers fought eagerly to change the doctrines and return the Church to its former status but it was not easy for them. Most of them died in the course of that struggle.
Savonarola, an Italian Monk was burned hanging from a burning cross in the market place in Florence for trying to reform religion and politics.
Martin Luther when he refused to denounce his belief which was against the Church (that we had formally mentioned in this paper) at the Diet (parliament of worms in 1521) he risked death sentence as a heretic, but was saved by politics. Powerful princes protected him either because they believed in his ideas or they wanted to increase their own powers by reducing the power of the Church.
Tyndale who transcribed the Bible into English was executed as a heretic in Germany in 1536. Zwingli’s reformation was in Switzerland. Calvin the reformer, instead of becoming a Priest he studied for, rather he became a Protestant.
Cromwell was one of the architects of English reformation, supporting the King in his break with Rome. Was executed in 1540.
Latimer and Ridley were burned for refusing to denounce their faith in 1555. Other reformers were John Knox, John Wesley who founded the Methodist Church movement because of misery associated with Orthodox Church of England, so people took to methodism as a political gesture as much as religious one.

CONSIDER NOT THE TROUBLE AHEAD, BUT CONSIDER YOUR SPIRITUAL STAND, FOR YOUR SPIRITUAL STAND WILL DETERMINE THE ACTION YOU WILL TAKE WHEN YOU WILL BE ASKED TO GO HOME AND CONTINUE IN FELLOWSHIP IN YOUR FAMILY.

-THE SON OF MAN-

WHAT IS YOUR SPIRITUAL STAND POINT AT THIS HOUR? VOL. 1 Preached on Sunday, 16^th SEPT. 2018 Pg 112:18

GOD IS LOOKING FOR SPIRITUAL HARMONY

Let us end this discourse by listening to the wise saying of The Son of Man, Almighty God in our midst. Hear Him, “God is looking for spiritual harmony, where there will be spiritual agreement and physical agreement. That can only be found among the sons and daughters of God.

If your spirit rejects me and your flesh accepts me, we are not Brethren. Your Friend and Brother in the sight of God, your spirit and the person’s spirit must be the same. If not, one is opposed to the other.” From the message- Moment Of Truth- Son of Man. Page 97-68.
As Realists, we cannot indulge in any religious practices or politics because both cannot conform to our spiritual faith. As the scripture says in Amos 3:3 we cannot move together unless we agree.
Based on this, it is now clear why we should hate religion and politics and why we all must keep a long distance from that devilish group.
Now “you must divorce your old ancient, traditional customary faith, customary beliefs, for you to embrace Christ. Nobody embraces Christ and still held on tenaciously to the tradition of his people and meet God’s requirement. Impossible.” Son of Man.
As the scripture recorded about religious leaders in Mathew 23:5 “Everything they do is done for show. They act holy by wearing on their arms little prayer boxes with scripture verses inside, and by lengthening the memorial fringes of their robes.”
So also, as Pyarelal said about our politics “If, in this age, men continue to behave politically as men have always behaved in every age of which we have record, then mankind will perish.
“Politics, as a very wicked profession should not be engaged in. No man should indulge in religion or politics for both of them are evil. “You cannot adopt politics as a profession and remain honest”
H. L Mencken and an unknown author wrote “if any channel exists in the world for anyone to do the maximum amount of good to the people, that channel is undoubtedly not politics” and or, religion. That was the basic reason why many nations like China banned religious practice in their country.
China is officially an atheist state and Communist Party members are banned from believing in or practicing any faith; there is concern that religion can function as an alternative to communism and thus undermine loyalty to the government.
“Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan have significant restrictions against the practice of religion in general. Several countries in Asia established a state religion, with Islam (usually Sunni Islam) being the most common followed by Buddhism.” These dangerous evils were being handled with caution by some nations.
If given an opportunity, they will turn that country into staccato. This is what we are experiencing in most African countries, especially Nigeria. If you don’t belong to any organized cult, as a politician, you cannot succeed. It does not matter if you are educated or not, intelligent or not, what matters is that you belong, then you are qualified to be a governor, minister etc.
so also in their religious circle. Once you are a smart criminal, dresses very well, you are qualified to be a pastor or General Overseer.
The next thing is to affix a Dr.to your name and fill all the billboards with your picture/ wife. Ministry or calling has taken off. May God have pity on us.
I close my case and I thank you all for giving me a listening ear. May I step down to allow other worthy Saints to mount the rostrum. Once again, I say thank you all.

REFERENCES.

The Bible. https//goodmenproject. com. World Famous Quotes. R.N Munshi. Where did Jesus Die? J. D Shams. The Secret Doctrines Of Jesus. Dr H. Spencer Lewis.

Only Fact Are Convincing –Apostle Peter Odoemena- The Son of Man, 2006. The Spiritual Realms– Vol.2- Apostle Peter Odoemena, The Son of Man. The Sanctuary Of Self- Ralph . M. Lewis. The State Of The Nation, vol.5. The Son of Man. Moment of Truth- The Son of Man. Flee From Idols, part 2, vol 2- The Son of Man. As it Was In The Days of Noah, As it was in The Days Of Lot.( Mystery Revealed)- The Son of Man. One Thousand Great Events- Edited by Lynne Sabel and Philip Steele. The Mind of Man Against God– Bis Fryde.C. Okoh