Okenyi Kenechi
A picture went viral on social media last week. It is that of a church announcing the removal of a holy water bowel from the church’s entrance so as to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Hilarious, isn’t it? Even religion knows its boundaries and it dare not try its luck.
Coronavirus has killed over 3000 persons since it made its way into our consciousness in December 2019. It has forced the entire world to take a defensive approach. The method and the speed with which it has been spreading has put the entire world in panic mode. Countries like Saudi Arabia banned movements and visits to its holy sites or business sites. Bethlehem, the said birthplace of Jesus was locked down to avoid the spread. In South Korea, the rise in cases there has been attributed to a church. People have deserted it. Who wan die?
Iran is another country where the virus is wrecking havoc. An Islamic cleric hung a Qur’an on electric wires last week in order to stop the spread of the disease. But before they knew it, it had killed tens of persons forcing the government to ban visits to a holy site where people rob their faces on the wall. Religion has been given a back seat with its hope and belief methodology devoid of empiricism while eyes are on science to develop a cure.
The spread of the disease has also forced president Buhari to sit down in Nigeria for a full month without jetting out to any place where whistles are blown at him.
But why are Nigerian pastors silent? This is a very lucrative business that they should take the opportunity of.
Pastors like TB Joshua that cure AIDS with his afro and sees who is a witch (a construct used to con and put fears in the minds of the people) and who isn’t; Christ Oyakhilome that makes a blind to see and the lame to walk; Enoch Adeboye that drives a 100 million Naira Rolls Royce without fuel( he actually bought a car of 100 million but can’t buy fuel of few thousands?) have all not gone to China, Italy and Iran in their private jets to cure people of the disease? What a wow.
What they don’t know is that going to China, Italy, and Iran to eradicate the disease with the blood of Jesus will take their Ministries to every nook and cranny of the world. They will be on the front pages of international magazines like the New York Times, the Economist, The Independent, UK Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and on international TV channels like CNN, BBC, Aljazeera, Bloomberg, CBS, and even the digitalized NTA. Why can’t they take this business opportunity?
It is surprising that these Jesus merchants gave out thousands of prophecies and none captured the Coronavirus epidemic. Why couldn’t they see that and then work on how to stop it? Or are their prophecies fake or just the usual gamble?
In essence, religion has limits to its madness. Everyone is waiting for science to bring a cure and heal the thousands who have been infected. The disease is also wrecking the world’s economy with airlines losing over 113 billion dollars as thousands of flights are canceled, planes grounded and people afraid to travel.
Nigerian pastors should show the world the magic they have been showing us, heal the world and redeem themselves. It is not by paying people to testify that they were healed from unknown sicknesses.
Never mind that none of them has taken their holy ghost fire to Sambisa forest to tackle Boko haram nor did they ever visit Congo and those countries ravaged by Ebola Virus to heal them. We forgive them but they should prove the stuff they are made of with this coronavirus outbreak.
We need to see the power of anointing oil, holy water, coconut, and stickers. Eradicate coronavirus and watch your businesses prosper.
