Religion

‘Abel Damina no longer representative of Body of Christ’ – Christian group

Published

6 months ago

October 31, 2024

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‘Abel Damina no longer representative of Body of Christ’ – Christian group

Mr Damina denied the group’s claim that he said, “There is no heaven,” and advised the entire group to join his discipleship class to listen to his teachings.

A Christian group, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs, has berated a Nigerian cleric, Abel Damina for allegedly preaching gospel messages with an “alarming rate of theological errors and heresies.”

In an open letter to Mr Damina, dated 15 October, the group said Mr Damina’s messages constitute “hate speech and cybercrime against the Christian faith.”

“Dr. Abel Damina, you have crossed the line, and you are, therefore, no more a representative of Christianity (The Body of Christ) in Nigeria,” the group said in a letter signed by the secretary of its elders’ council, Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies.

Mrs Adesanya-Davies, a bishop and professor, said the letter serves as a disclaimer to the “heresy’s messages” spread by Mr Damina.

The letter was posted on Facebook.

“Heresy is a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine and any belief, teaching or practice that explicitly undermines the gospel,’ she added, while citing several Bible passages to support their position.

Controversial message titles

The cleric highlighted some message titles allegedly preached by Mr Damina, which her organisation has issues with. The messages include “There is no heaven”, “You don’t need God to Succeed”, “Jesus is not coming back”, and “Heaven is scam.”

The cleric said that most of the topics are mere “fallacies and heretics,” laced with unsound arguments, targeted at attracting an audience to Mr Damina through “content creating hype rather than being correct and spiritual.”

Unlike the two main Christian groups – the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs is relatively new in the country, and it is not clear when it was founded.

Two clerics in Akwa Ibom State, Ifiok Essien and Emmanuel Udoatta, told PREMIUM TIMES they had never heard of the name before.

They are bunch of jokers seeking relevance, Damina fires back

Mr Damina, the founder of Power City International in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State is known for stirring controversy through his Christian teachings.

In a live Facebook video, responding to the allegations against him, Mr Damina said he had served as the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria National Youth President for eight years and that he had never heard of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs.

He said the group did not send him the letter directly, but someone drew his attention to it based on his response so that the public is not misled.

“I am not even aware of its existence. It is a situation of notice me by force,” he said, describing the group as a “bunch of jokers” seeking to be relevant.

Mr Damina said the entire group needed to join his discipleship class to listen to his teachings because their conclusions mean they have never listened to any of his teachings completely.

“They are looking at how to malign me. They said I am heretic; therefore, they have decided that I am no more a representative of the Body of Christ in Nigeria. What a laugh – what an effrontery – what audacity.”

Mr Damina refuted the group’s claim that he said “there is no heaven”, emphasising that he never said so.

“I have never said there’s no heaven. I only said the heaven the Bible teaches is not the heaven in the sky. The heaven the Bible teaches is the heaven of the immaterial. So, for this body to say I said there’s no heaven it means this body is a bunch of jokers.”

He also refuted the claim that he said “Jesus is not coming back” and offered explanations to what he said.

“I never said that Jesus is not coming back but I took time to explain the concept of Jesus’ coming back as an appearance. The Bible says He will appear. They who seek for the Lord, the Lord shall appear. We that are with him shall appear with Him in glory and I took time to explain the appearance of Christ which is what we called the rapture or the second coming of Christ,” Mr Damina said.

“They said that I also said you don’t need God to succeed. Yes, I said that but that is the conclusion of the argument and the explanation was that when it comes to material things and material wealth God doesn’t get involved in making people succeed.

“Because when you said it is God who made people materially rich and others materially poor, therefore, it means God is responsible for class in society and we never saw such teachings from Jesus nor did we see such teachings from the apostle.

“They also said that I said heaven is a scam. I never said that. What I said is that heaven at last is a scam. Again, they are quoting me out of context and saying what I never said. They are a bunch of unserious people,” he said.

Religion

You are locking your destiny and hindering your progress if you keep sleeping with a lady during her menstruation——- Bishop Ephraim Ononye.

Published

2 days ago

April 24, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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The Anambra clergy man posted a video yesterday where he mentioned that any man that keeps having $ex with a woman when she’s on her period is locking up his destiny without knowing.

He asserted that this revelation is generally acceptable by all religions including African traditional worship(Omenana) and Christianity.

He further encouraged men to stop having $€xual activity with a lady when she is menstruating. Link to the video is in the comment section.

Religion

Pope Francis: Australian leaders pause campaigning

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Pope Francis

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Australia’s major political parties on Tuesday paused campaigning following the death of Pope Francis, with leaders paying tribute to the late pontiff.

The early voting would open on May 3, with the federal election.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended a morning mass at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral, while opposition leader Peter Dutton said he would spend the day reflecting.

He added, “today was not the day for big politicking,’’ broadcaster ABC reported.

According to news agency AAP, both leaders cancelled scheduled campaign events but will proceed with the third leaders’ debate on Tuesday night.

Albanese, a Catholic, called Pope Francis “one of the most significant of all the holy fathers,’’ praising his humility and focus on social justice.

Flags on Commonwealth buildings would be lowered to half-mast in tribute on Tuesday, the government said.

Religion

Pope Francis: Tributes, mass and vigils held in towns and cities across Europe

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

People attend a mass inside Notre Dame cathedral where a poster shows Pope Francis. -

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In Italy, bells tolled in church towers and flags were lowered to half-staff on government buildings in Rome.

Vigils, tributes and special services of mass have been held across Europe as faithfuls mourn following the death of the late Pope Francis.

In Italy, bells tolled in church towers and flags were lowered to half-staff on government buildings in Rome.

In France, an Evening Mass was held at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, during which worshippers paid homage to the pontiff during a prayer vigil.

Families attending the evening mass lit candles and placed them in front of a large photograph of the Pope.

The Notre Dame bells also rang out 88 times to mark the years in the Pope’s life, while the Eiffel Tower went dark in tribute to Francis.

In Madrid, mass was held at the Almudena Cathedral where some of those attending spoke of the late pontiff, who died earlier on Monday, and said he would be greatly missed and leave a lasting legacy.

“To us, the Pope represents a memory of love and inclusion. As young people, he marked a turning point in the Church. He was a pope we loved dearly and we will remember him with deep affection,” said Sara Ruiz, a teaching assistant in a local Catholic school.

Missionary nun, Miriam Blanco also spoke of Francis’ legacy, saying “it’s a very beautiful memory and the legacy that he leaves us as Holy Father – truth, his simplicity, his closeness, I think it has been very, very good and we are going to miss him a lot.”

Meanwhile, Vatican flags have been raised in Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria, where worshippers echoed similar sentiments.

A Requiem Mass is held for Pope Francis inside Westminster Cathedral, in London.AP Photo/Alastair Grant

In the small town of Szécsény in Hungary, local residents gathered near the Franciscan church and monastery.

“He was a simple, puritanical man who had tried to bring this to the church as well, rather with less success. Of course, today the pope has relatively little power and voice. Whatever he said, unfortunately, the world did not want to listen to him,” said Lajos Vámosi, a local resident of the town.

Mourners also gathered around the Catholic Cathedral in Zagreb, the Croatian capital, to pay their respects to the late Pope.

“I think one great man has left us. One great man of church, God and the people. This is hard for us. We feel very sorry. I believe he will pray for us from paradise, in the same way that he prayed for us on earth. He was working for everyone, poor or rich,” said Sister Antonija Grubisic, a catholic nun.

Catholics in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia lit candles in the city’s Cathedral, where Monsignor Rumen Stanev said Francis “had a profound affinity for those who are marginalised and abandoned.”

“Like Jesus in the Gospels, he walked among sinners, the outcast, and the weak.”

In the UK too, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, celebrated a Requiem Mass at Westminster Cathedral on Monday evening, in honour of Pope Francis.

Flags were also flown at half mast across the capital to mark the Pope’s death.