Bishop Josiah Idowu Fearon of the Kaduna Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), on Friday described the Boko Haram as a cult group in religious facade.
He said this during the launch of the Presidential Address at the third session of the 19th Synod of the diocese themed: “In the world, but not of the world”, a scripture taken from John 17:14-15.
Fearon said that those who saw the Boko Haram as a religious group were “naive, mischievous or simply looking for sympathy from the devil”.
Bishop Josiah Idowu Fearon
He said the propaganda would not help and urged Nigerians to be honest about the country’s peculiar problems and jointly find a lasting solution to them.
He urged Muslims and Christians to secure their liberty through advocacy for the liberty of their beliefs.
Fearon also admonished Christians to accept the reality of the oneness of God in order to restore peace in the northern part of the country.
“Every well-informed leader in both faiths knows very clearly that Islam and Christianity teach similar things about this one God.”
The cleric dismissed as false the insinuation and claims by some leaders that the entire northern states would be turned into an Islamic Republic.
Fearon described such allegations as baseless since Nigeria is a pluralistic nation.
“A significant number of these comments are religiously inflammatory, inciting and can easily lead to a religious war in the northern parts of the country.
“Some God-fearing politicians have had to caution religious leaders over their selfish, divisive and worse still, uniformed utterances.”
He said that only dialogue could stamp out religious conflicts and make Nigeria a better place.
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8 Comments
Why do we always want others to say what we want to hear? This Bishop has spoken well and reasonably so. Does it mean that a Christian cannot say anything good about Islam or vice versa? People have different experiences and when they speak about it, people of their faith start calling them cowards. I recall in this forum when I said that injustice was done to the Morsi-led Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt by driving them out of power even though they were democratically elected, a co-commentator here said he was not sure if I am a christian and that he did not expect any Christian to talk like that. Also when I said here that the Fulani herdsmen I had come in contact with were peaceful and would not wilfully allow their cattle to destroy other farmers’ crops let alone fight their host community, some people said I was being apologetic and economical with the truth; they said as Moslems every Fulani herdsman is wicked and kill anyone without baiting an eyelid. I blame some of these misconceptions on ignorance and lack of exposure. If you are a southern Christian and live up north, and have dealings with both Christians and Moslems on daily basis, you would discover that indeed many Christians and Moslems can live peacefully with one another. That a few people have allowed themselves to be wrongly indoctrinated is not enough to stereotype a particular religion. A true Moslem and a true Christian have the same disposition to showing love and peaceful coexistence.
Leave the man alone. He said “teach SIMILAR things”. He did not say the two religions teach the same things. Why are you black people always more Arab than Arabs, and more Oyibo than the whites. Oyibo and Arabs have been fighting this their fight for over one thousand years, and now we have joined our mouth. Abeg, just worship your God as you see, whether Christian or Muslim. For me na Christian only Sha. No vex my muslim brothers.
this man can not be a christian
This Bishop doesnt know whats talking about. Better say the truth instead of hidden in darkness. You should know that, there can never ever be an agreement or love between muslims and christians in the north. For the past many decades the muslims have been killing and terrorizing the christians in the north. Tell me how many churches that have C of O in whole north. Stop lying and deceiving people. Aboki can never ever stop their evil ways against the christians in the north. Dislogue can never work. They are animals. The said unity is fake eeeeeeeeee.
the devil is a liar.God Will Unite Us.
This Bishop is trying to compromise his faith perhaps to escape death, persecution or hatred from the muslims. We know that christianity and Islam don’t teach about the same God! There is only one way to God and that way is Jesus Christ. Does this agree with Islamic teaching. Do they even believe that God has a Son? These are fundamental issues that are not negotiable!
Like it or curse it,the truth is that the”boko haram” is a cult group and not a religious one.Besides,no any good Muslim will impose Islam on others as that is against the religion.
good talk baba.I don’t know why some people hate one religion for other