COVID-19 LOCKDOWN & “THE SADDUCEES VERSUS THE PHARISEES”

NOTE: First published on July 17, 2020. The “Published” date on the tab is the date that it was uploaded on this new site. Though some issues in this piece may still be current (depending on…), this is to avoid mistaking this piece as current news.

This is “No Bullshiting,” by Harry Agina.

Pastor Chris Okotie has finally added his voice to the self-serving game of the 419 (scamming) church business men that Nigerians call Christian pastors. Every man from his own angle, their game is for one purpose of keeping their church businesses going, in the face of the Covid-19 danger.

We have heard Pastor David Oyedepo’s fake meeting with God, and his big lie that God told him that churches must stay open to serve Him. Before that, it was Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s madness of associating covid-19 with the 5g Communication Technology; again, in effort to make a stupid argument that there is no need to shut down church business.

         And, when Pastor Enoch Adeboye spoke, what we got was a selfish hypocritical pronouncement. I expected him to categorically discourage congregation of any form, and direct his gazillion churches around the world to stay shut and continue with virtual congregation for now. Instead, the dude told us that it’s okay for his churches to open for BUSINESS; however, his family and he will not congregate, because he doesn’t want to die of covid-19 infection from churches…the same churches that he opens for other families to congregate in.

          I still disagree, even now, with the idea of reopening religious houses. For now, congregation should happen only for unavoidable reasons, such as where we make our living, and where we purchase food to sustain life. To me, church congregation is akin to nightclub, and the madness at the recent wedding of a son of Nigeria’s head of law, Attorney General, Abubakar Malami…pure  madness!!! And, what did we get from Mr. Minister of Justice who knows not what is called leading by example? Stupid and insulting denial with impunity, that’s what!!! And, that’s yet another affirmation of my theory on “Two Faces of The Law in Nigeria.”

Back to the main subject, and, I repeat that congregational worship (for Muslims, Christians, or any other) is avoidable, and not among my “No Bullshitting” essential list, because God is omnipresent. We don’t have to congregate to worship Him properly. I will use Okotie’s own statement on the omnipresence of God against him, as I condemn his condemnation of the position of the christian association of nigeria (CAN), which supports the suspension of physical congregation in churches.

I truly hate sectional ethno-religious arguments, especially those that are devoid of objectivity and sincerity. We must be sincere and objective in addressing this matter. I will illustrate:

        Let’s just say, hypothetically, that, between Christian churches and Islam mosques, ONLY ONE (for whatever  hypothetical reason) must be allowed to congregate; I’d bet you anything, that Okotie and his type will find one self-serving false-prophetic reason to open the churches, and shut the mosques. I am a Christian like Okotie, but, for a sincere and OBJECTIVE REASON devoid of selfishness or sectional favoritism, I would vote to allow the mosques to stay open, rather than churches, because, I consider church services to be higher risk than worshiping in mosques.

        Plenty of my fellow Christians that read this will call me all manner of names, including and especially “traitor.” Yet, if I pursue it in that evil favoritism line, I can actually convincingly argue that I vote to shut churches because I don’t want my Christian brethren to die; and, conversely, I don’t mind Muslims to congregate and kill themselves with covid-19, if they choose to. That’s the way too many ignorant Christians think; and, vice-versa for ignorant Muslims. Of course, such mindset is un-Godly, and unlike “No Bullshitting,” too.

       My sincere and objective choice to keep churches shut and mosques open is based on elimination of congregations where transmission of covid-19 is most likely. And, clearly, Christian church services are RISKIER than the Islam worship mode, and, I’ll tell you why– THE factor of singing and chanting in churches, which is not prevalent in mosques– that’s why. If we agree with who that coughing, sneezing, and speaking are the major ways to transmit covid-19, then, singing can be likened to continuous combination of coughing & sneezing & speaking, by members of a church congregation, all at the same time, for the duration of all the songs that are sung in the church. This, in a confined church auditorium, makes a church more dangerous than a mosque where no singing happens, and even riskier than a marketplace, which is an open ground with ventilation.

I maintain that the ideal thing is to stop all non-essential or less-essential gatherings for now. And, yes, despite the self-serving emotional blackmailing campaign of pastors, churches and mosques are among my “No Bullshitting” LESS-ESSENTIAL congregation venues that we should shut for now. And, yes, mosques are less-risky than churches.

       Alas, whereas some Nigerian Muslims insist to congregate due to ignorant extremism, Pentecostal Christian businessmen that are called pastors campaign to congregate for money-making reason.

The Book of Isaiah, chapter 26 (verses 20 and 21), confirms that I am speaking for God; and the commercial pastors are speaking for their VAIN flamboyant lifestyles of private jets, heavenly mansions, exotic cars, and evil lust for women, in some cases.

        Incidentally, the key subject of this blog (Pastor Chris Okotie), lives in the worldly vanity of cruising about with convoys of exotic cars that are estimated to be worth well over a billion naira, with serialized, personalized number plates…this is a so-called minister of the humble non-materialistic Christ. The bible calls it: “vanity upon vanity,” meeeen!!!

I’ve been listening out for Pastor Chris Okotie’s Covid-19 message in his customary ego-tripping bombastic grammar. Sure enough, he has just delivered; he hardly ever fails. In a recent sermon to his “Household of God Church International Ministry” congregation, Okotie said that “the leadership of the christian association of Nigeria (CAN) is a modern-day pharisees, bereft of any authority to speak on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ.”

         In essence, Okotie believed that he was speaking “on behalf of the church of Jesus Christ,” as he condemned CAN’s position, which supports the lockdown of religious houses to curtail the spread of covid-19. Naturally, Okotie’s Church business has been hurting due to the lockdown, and he deems it necessary to condemn whosoever that contributes or contributed to his suffering church business.

My view is that Okotie actually exalts CAN by likening it to the Pharisees movement. Why? Because, the Pharisees were democrats and they were eclectic (objective, open or broad minded ideology). They were people-oriented. In contrast, the Sadducees were elitist and aristocratic.  The Pharisees and the Sadducees were among the major movements in Judaism at the beginning era of Christianity that Okotie refers to. Other movements included “The Essenes” and “The Zealots”; and, of course, the emerging “Jesus Movement.” Jesus condemned SOME aspects of the ideologies of those other movements, for lack of Godly values.

           Since Okotie calls CAN the Pharisees, then he must be a Sadducee. I can tell you without a fee, that he and the other funky pastors of today’s Pentecostal Christianity certainly would never have qualified for the “Jesus Movement” of that era. How could they, with their vain, extreme materialistic and flamboyant lifestyles that make a mockery of jesus christ? In the war of words that Okotie has initiated (his favorite thing), the POSITIONS and PURPOSES are clear to me, thus:

        Whereas the CAN (“Pharisee” group) speaks for the masses with its eclectic (objective) and SENSIBLE, Godly, life-saving position, Okotie is a selfish elitist (Sadducee) who speaks for the minority aristocratic crooks that are called pastors. With MISCHIEVOUS interpretation of the bible, false prophesies and fake theatrical miracles, they deceive ignorant miracle-hunting Christians to worship them, instead of God. And, Okotie’s Sadducee-view is simply based on how to brainwash ignorant Christians, in order to make money, in the 419 name of Christianity.

I will now play on some of Okotie’s own statement to point out how selfishly hypocritical his Sadducee class is. In one paragraph he said:

         “God knows where you are; if He was not interested in the assembly, you don’t need to come to church; you can pray in your house. I pray in my house. You praise in your house. I praise in my house. He can see all of us. He doesn’t need computers. But that denies Him who He is…you must not forsake the assembly of yourselves together.”

          Basically, Okotie actually agrees with what I have consistently, repeatedly posited, that we do not have to congregate anywhere for god to see us or hear our prayers. Okotie also talked about God’s desire or will to have us in fellowship congregations. Okay, we do agree on that point, too. However, whereas I have a proviso that congregating should happen only under normal circumstances, Okotie insists that it must happen under all circumstances. That’s where he and I part ways…that’s where his Commercial Christianity  bullshitting comes in.

           God does sanction virtual congregational worship under our present circumstance; and, I do have a passage (which exists in Okotie’s own Bible) to make my point. Do check out Isaiah 26, verses 20 & 21, and you will see that, as usual, I ain’t bullshitting you. It says:

          “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past.

          “For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.”

Do note that, whereas Okotie claims that “Covid-19 is a satanic plot to question the ability of God, by keeping Christians away from church,” verse 21 of Isaiah 26 says that God Himself brought the plague upon the ancient Israelites to teach humanity a lesson. For all I know, God is probably trying to teach us a lesson or two this time for the iniquities of today’s Christians and Muslims, which are championed by fake and evil pastors (“false prophets”), and murderous extremist jihadist Imams, meeeeen!!!

In another statement, which reeks of ignorance, Okotie says that “online church is unscriptural.” In other words, it is not written in the bible, therefore, it’s unacceptable. I’m like,  is this dude fucking DUMB, or what? That’s how the funky pastors mischievously use the bible to brainwash and deceive their flocks and lead them astray.

        The Bible contains only what existed in the ancient world when it was written. How the hell does Okotie expect to see contemporary things in the bible, such as online service, computer, and other modern technologies that did not exist in ancient times? Okotie’s fleet of exotic billion-naira cars are not mentioned in the bible, either; so, how come the sinful son of the sinful biblical Adam and Eve does not reject cars, meeeeeeen?!!!

        And, by the way, hasn’t anybody taught Okotie that the bible has actually undergone periodic revisions, and will still undergo more minor modifications, to update it to the modern times. For instance, rather than the chauvinistic language of the early versions, revised editions are now gender sensitive. They no longer categorize humanity as “man.” The  female gender is now recognized, independent of “man.” Also, the revised editions are written in modern English words and syntax, such as you are…, instead of the ancient KJV “thou art…” language. If I have anything to do with it, the next revision of the bible will actually find a way to add online worship solution to the Isaiah (26:20-21) passage, to satisfy ignorant or mischievous Christians like Okotie. Mind you, I would not lie that God said it; it would be a human addendum to God’s word, to update the bible for the evolving world, as God expects us to do.

The fact remains that God Himself sanctions lockdown, including churches. When He commanded the Israelites to lock down through His truly anointed prophets, He did not tell them to visit their synagogues on Sabbath days during the lockdown. Of course, He did not direct them to resort to virtual synagogue congregation simply because there was no such technology then, period!!!

So, whichever way you slice it, Okotie’s mischievous reference to ancient biblical times in the modern world is stupid, and, that’s putting it mildly, meeeeeeen!!!

Also, as I consistently maintain, Nigeria’s funky pastors are lying when they claim to speak for God on the matter of covid-19 lockdown…be it in form of the often confusing bombastic grammar of Okotie; or the false prophesy of Pastor Oyedepo; or in form of the   unscientific 5g science of Pastor Oyakhilome; or the senseless selfish declaration of Pastor Adeboye. Their campaign for congregation in churches is unsupported in the bible. Instead, the bible does support the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. Any campaign to the contrary is purely a business machination of vain, materialistic, self-serving, wealth-grabbing, tithe-stealing funky pastors of the contemporary commercial pentecostal christendom.

        Do remember that some of such fake pastors (at least one that I know of) died of covid-19, due to their stupid faith that God would give them special protection. So, don’t let the jive-talking, brainwashing, self-appointed false prophets and 419 businessmen to tell you any differently. And, you know that I ain’t bullshitting you, meeeeeeeeeen!!!!!!!

Here’s my integrity-trust-worthy source of Okotie’s bullshit:

Online church service unscriptural, says Okotie