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CHRIS OYAKHILOME AND MIRACLE SCANDAL IN SOUTH AFRICA
A report in the South African =
newspaper, the=20
Sowetan reveals the deception, fraud, manipulation and =
exploitation=20
underlying the miracle claims of penticostal churches
CHRIS OYAKHILOME AND MIRACLE SCANDAL
IN SOUTH AFRICA. In April, a South African newspaper the Sowetan, published a = report=20 revealing the deception, fraud, manipulation and exploitation = underlying=20 the miracle claims of the Nigerian televangelist, Pastor Chris = Oyakhilome=20 and his church, the Christ Embassy. The report indicts Pastor = Chris for=20 staging and faking miracles. A member of the church in South = Africa=20 revealed that one of the pastors offered him 10,000 rands ( 1,400 = dollars)=20 to rehearse and pretend to be in a wheelchair three weeks before = the all=20 night prayer called Night of Bliss held at the Johannesburg = stadium in=20 April. The man was approached by a pastor of the church in the = quest `for=20 people to work for the church' and `help draw crowds' to the = event. The=20 plan was that the man would sit on a wheelchair and be moved = around while=20 pretending to be physically ill and would stand up and walk as = soon as=20 Pastor Chris stopped praying for him." But this man later turned down the offer. "I just told myself = that=20 using the Word of God to lie to desperate people is immoral. So, I = refused=20 to take up their offer." He stated. According to this report, some church members claim that Pastor = Chris=20 has been hiring people to pretend to be sick and disabled and then = "be=20 healed" during his television shows and public prayer meetings. It = says=20 that those claimed to have been healed during miracle sessions are = actually trained weeks before the event. "Even children who are = healthy=20 are whisked around in wheelchairs. Some use crutches. Everyone is=20 allocated a person who tells the congregation about your = background, your=20 specific illness and suffering. The Pastor raises his hands and = places=20 them maybe on your legs if you cannot walk, and few seconds later = you get=20 up and walk around the room." In its reaction, Christ Embassy has denied staging any miracle, = describing the report as `rubbish' and a blackmail by a soft = selling=20 newspaper to discredit the church and "this holy crusade". Anyone who is acquainted with the South African media knows = that the=20 Sowetan is not a soft selling tabloid. In fact the Sowetan is one = of the=20 major newspapers in the country and might not have made up this = story.=20 Christ Embassy just put up this defense to launder its image and = still=20 preserve this fraudulent scheme called miracles. What the report in the Sowetan did was to let the `cat of = miracle scam'=20 out of the bag of Christ Embassy and the penticostal business. Miracles are not new to Nigeria, especially to the country's = fast=20 growing pentecostal churches that are springing up everyday and = fiercely=20 competing for fellowership and money. And one of their most potent = weapons=20 to attract members is `fake' healing. As a billboard along the=20 Lagos-Ibadan expressway-one of Nigeria's major highways, says = "Miracles=20 happen everyday" Indeed, miracles happen everyday in Nigeria. But they are all = fake.=20 They are all stage-managed by the pastors and their gullible folks = to=20 sustain the penticostal hocuspocus. Pastor Chris and his Christ = Embassy=20 are alone in this business. Other Nigerian pastors, T.B Joshua, = Enoch=20 Adeboye, David Oyedepo, Matthew Ashimolowo and their church = members also=20 stage miracles. Personally I don't know why it took the miracle = session in=20 South Africa to reveal this "open secret" about pentecostal = churches in=20 Nigeria - that they fake miracles. Again this report reveals how = church=20 members themselves are collaborating in this spiritual scam by = allowing=20 themselves to be used by these con artists called faith healers. There has never been any real instance of miracle. Miracles are = fantasies which human beings use to explain what they do not = understand=20 very well or they don't understand at all. Hence miracles thrives more under conditions of ignorance than=20 knowledge. All instances of miracle which I know are founded or = informed=20 by hearsay, self-deception, gullibility and fraud. All the = miracles talked=20 about in the Bible and other sacred texts are lies, sacred fairy = tales and=20 pure fabrications. Jesus did not perform any miracle. Prophet = Muhammad did=20 not perform any either. Jesus did not change water into wine in = Galilee as=20 the Bible tells us. Jesus did not heal the sick, raise the dead. He did not make = the blind=20 see, the lame walk, and the deaf hear. At the end of his life, = Muhammad=20 did not ascend to heaven in a flaming horse (He died and was = buried=20 somewhere.) The miracle claims of and about the ancient prophets = are=20 false. They are mythical tales created and crafted by primitive = minds to=20 support and sustain the transcendental illusions and superstitions = of=20 religions. All the miracles attributed to Jesus in the Bible are = sacred=20 allusions to make him look divine and get people to believe in = him. The=20 same with the Koran and Prophet Muhammad. So, staging miracles did = not=20 start with Pastor Oyakhilome and the Christ Embassy or with = thousands of=20 churches that litter the nook and cranny of Nigeria. It started = with the=20 authors of the Bible and other sacred writings. It started with = the=20 founders and purveyors of religious wares. They invented and = codified=20 these mythical accounts so that people would believe and believe = blindly=20 and thoughtlessly. And until Nigeria nay Africa embraces critical thinking, = skeptical=20 intelligence, free thought and rational outlook; until there are = Africans=20 who are ready to live and act honestly and courageously like this = church=20 member in South Africa, all these miracle peddlers, mongers = scammers and=20 stage managers prowling the continent will continue to prey on, = exploit,=20 darken and scandalize Africa and the world. KEYWORDS: Sign up for=20 a Complimentary Member Account... Join the community! It's = fast. And=20 it'll allow you to take advantage of all this site's great = features!
CHRIS =
OYAKHILOME AND MIRACLE SCANDAL IN SOUTH AFRICA | 8 =
comments (8=20
topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
CHRIS =
OYAKHILOME AND MIRACLE SCANDAL IN SOUTH AFRICA | 8 =
comments (8=20
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