Chidi,
From the metaphysical and the poetically surreal to the really real :
Re- Your infallibly modern approach . You say that "Accidents are not caused by "the devil"
How do you know that accidents are not caused by the devil ? So you don't want to blame the devil for the Biafra Genocide? ?What About the Nigerian Military's Operation Python Dance II ?
One day ( Sunday) , so I should say, one Sunday, the pastor at Umuahia announced in church that "All sickness is from the devil !", which left me nonplussed especially when he continued that having to wear glasses was the work of the devil and those of us - the devil's victims still wearing glasses should surrender our glasses to him and he would cure us all , " in Jesus name, Amen" . One by one the bespectacled people stood in line to surrender their glasses to him, and soon enough there was a little pile of googles on his table. Before going up to him, I carefully put my one and only pair of glasses in my pocket ( for security's sake) because it looked as if he was going to smash them all , but the next moment he was only cursing the pile of glasses or the devil in the glasses in Jesus' name. When it was my turn to step up to him in his pulpit, he requested that I close my eyes and then with thumb and forefinger he squeezed one eyeball and then the other for about thirty seconds and then asked me to open my eyes. I did.
Do you see anything? He asked
Yes, I replied
Praise God, said he.
WHAT do you see? ( Perhaps expecting that I would say, " I see an angel !" , or "I see my Redeemer Jesus! ")
I see many colours, said I - and verily I did see many colours, it was like a kaleidoscope in front of my eyes
Glory be to the Highest , he shouted to the congregation !
We sang the Igbo Negro Spiritual Onye Nworum Ya
The Pastor's fame spread first throughout the church building and then like a river through the city, that just like Jesus the Pastor had healed another Blind Bartimaeus
I was at Ephesus in 2015 visited St. John's burial site. I'll tell you this: to even begin to understand Paul and John , who believed that Jesus' return was just round the corner, one has to imagine the environment in which they lived. A trip along the Caucasus mountain terrain would give you a rough idea. Very different from feeling like a little human being when you walk between the skyscrapers in New York City and have to look up to see the sky....
To get the full import of what somebody told you earlier, "Christ I know, Socrates I have read. You are neither of them.", you have to re-turn to this piece of Christian scripture:
"Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out."Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding." ( Acts 19 : 13- 16)
On Friday, 29 June 2018 10:26:17 UTC+2, Chidi Anthony Opara wrote:
Accidents are not caused by "the devil", so, deemphasize prayers, emphasize safety and strict adherence to safety regulations. God rules through humans.CAO.
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