Calling All Christians 

By

Uju Afulezi, PhD

I consider myself a devout Christian and a dyed-in-the wool Catholic. At my age and my level of education, as well as exposure to the world at large, I can safely claim to know quite a bit about the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ. From the outset, let us understand it abundantly clear that the definition of "Christian" is "one who follows both the teachings and ways of Christ." I have advanced to that point in my Christianity that, when confronted with a situation, the first question I would ask myself is "if Christ is confronted with the same situation, what would he do?" A good Christian would, of course, resort to the teachings of Christ called "the Scriptures," the teachings of the Church, and the great traditions of the Catholic Church over the years in her two thousand years since Christ instituted it, for answers and guidance. It is an incredibly bottomless springwell source for Christian living.

Throughout my childhood when I was taught the Cathecism, that is, the understanding of the spirituality of Christianity as handed over to His Church by Christ himself, I cannot remember any time, that any Cathecist, teacher, priest, or any Christian for that matter ever taught us to wage an armed war against anybody on behalf of the church, or on behalf of Christ. In fact, I come from a town where about 99% of the people are Catholics. We were never taught to wage any war, or start a fight against others who are not Catholics or who do not belong to the christian religion. We were taught that Christ, who is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity (Three Persons in one God)is Love Himself. He lived a peaceful life as man on earth, and taught us to love one another as His Father (God the Father)loves us. He taught us forgiveness. In the prayer he taught us called "Our Lord's prayer," He taught us to pray "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

He never encouraged violence. When he was being scourged by the Roman soldiers on their way to crucifying Him on the Cross at Calvary, Peter, his chief apostle, in anger and outrage drew his sword and cut off one of the ears of the soldiers. Jesus rebuked him at once, and picking up the man's ear, returned it to his ears in an instant miracle. Christ then admonished Peter to sheath his sword, saying, "those who live by the sword shall perish by the sword... know ye not that I could call on my Father now, and He would send legions of Angels to come and fight for me?"

On the Cross, Christ under incredible scourge and pain, called out loud to His Father "Father, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." The Holy Scripture is awash with chapters and versions where we were admonished not to resort to violence. "Revenge not for vengeance is mine" so says the Lord. Christianity teaches us that human beings are not capable of fighting for God. For, after all, is He not almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere? Who can claim to be fighting for God, who embarks on the slaughter of God's own children?

For me, as a Christian, it sounds entirely and densely stupid for anybody to assume that he or she has the power to fight or kill in the name of God. I would look very ridiculous indeed, if I would take off to some obscure corner of the world to be taught how to kill my fellow human being all in the name of Christianity. And to make it doubly foolish, some insane demagogue would say that for committing murder, one would have a ready place in paradise. This is nothing short of absurdity and total contradiction in terms, to say that a murderer will enter into the kingdom of heaven.

There is no question in my mind that those plane highjackers who plunged into the twin towers of the WTC are burning in hell. And they of their own accord made their own hell, for there can be no hell than that towering inferno they created by converting the World Trade Center into balls of fire. Any spiritually advanced person would see those angels of darkness leaping up and down in that hell fire every second, every minute and every hour of eternity. Those who aided and abetted the scourge will equally share in the just judgement.

Christians must hold fast to the teachings of Christ. We must love one another, even those who hate us. We must not ever pervert religion and make it an instrument of hate and discord. The world cannot afford to keep raising temperatures of hate and religious bigotry, so much so that some clowns would arrogate to themselves the appelation of "believers" and others "unbelievers."

For everyone of us, time on earth is short. We should use all of it to do good, love each other, and as Sammy Davis Jr. would sing in his "Candy Man" song "Candy Man can, for he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good."

Ogaranya Uju Nkwocha Afulezi,Ph.D. Duru Akwukwo III Ndi Umuohiagu

October 2001