You are the reason I tap my feet to the beat; the reason I force myself to smile on my gloomiest of days. You are the reason I drink this glass of water to keep myself from feeling malnourished, unhealthy, and dizzy. Drink more water, they told me. You need your fluids. If I didn’t have you, I would enjoy this woozy feeling of inadequacy. I would have been far more fascinated by the tubes and needles flowing fluid into me. I would have been far more fascinated by the morbidity of the situation I just recently experienced than I was. I am not used to that, and I have this tremendous feeling of gratitude for it. This unknown. This unfamiliar. This love. I thank you.

I’ll never forget the look on your face. I’ll never forget the exhaustion of your body. Laying there, arms wrapped around my legs, using my lap as a pillow as I lay there. I only woke up briefly, but that image is burned into my brain. That comfort. That smile I felt creep across my lips when I saw that you were still there. I love you. I love you. Trapped inside my head, clenching my metaphorical fists and screaming – this is not something I feel today, or have felt for a long while. When you are near, or when thoughts of you and I enter my head at any time of the day, an uncontrollable calmness envelops my entire being. No matter my emotional state. It’s there, I want you to know that. It will always be there.

I appreciate you. I adore you. You are the most realistic dream. You are part of my dream. I respect you. I say something I shouldn’t and immediately feel guilty. Even if I haven’t already apologized for it, it’s there. Flitting about my consciousness, weighing me down. All we be resolved. You are my teacher. You are my fellow student. You are my partner. I am most relaxed when I lay next to you.

Poetry and/or writing doesn’t do this feeling any justice. It’s frustrating for a person like me. A person who does nothing but break down her thoughts on paper or on a screen. A girl who has always been able to find the words (maybe not necessarily the right ones), the words that fit. It’s frustrating because I want to tell you, I want to show you – and I’m still only learning how. I never realized just how much I did not know how to say or do until I met you. I always thought I had everything figured out, or knew it could be figured out. Neat. Packed tidily in a little box in my mind. I run into a situation and I’d always know how to solve it. But, not with you. This also provides for the excitement that I feel when I am with you. Nothing is ever set in stone, other than the fact that I am firmly planted in my honesty, faithfulness and love for you.

You are my other half. And I quite like that. So, thank you. Thank you for being my hero. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being you.

I want to admit something to the masses knowing that my Gorgeous will never see this.

I am afraid.

Seriously, I am scared shitless- and it scares me that I’m so scared.

If I never would have stopped his friend, if he never would have smiled over at me, if I hadn’t giggled like a bashful little school girl and took his card when he offered it – I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t feel this way and he would be just another man.

But I did, and he did; now I’m burgeoning with this feeling so big and exciting, but so calm and I want to keep scream out loud and keep it to myself at the same time. It’s been so long since I wanted—or even cared about my future in terms of family; he makes me feel like home though, and I want to build a home with him.

I know, how strange is it that this in your face no apologies (canbe) straight up bitch is seriously sitting here thinking about marriage. We’ll see where things go, of course; I’m trying to practice letting life just happen to me.

And do I? Yes I do believe I do honestly love him. I crave him, I covet him, I want a union and a family and home with him. This is fucking crazy! Only one man ever made me think about settling down and he didn’t have the cajones to tame this heart, maybe I’ve met my match. My Gorgeous.

I think he’s afraid too—afraid of what he’s feeling, afraid to lose me. Honestly, how insane is it that two people that could have just passed by each other if it weren’t for one smile and one giggle, should be so scared to lose each other? It’s been a long hard year and I think I’ve finally made peace with everything because I want to give all of myself to him and I pray with everything in me that he can do the same.

I think the hardest thing is accepting that we’re not on the same level of emotion right now. It makes him very hard to deal with at times. I want to hold him and tell him I love him and I want him to stay in my life forever, but I can’t– or rather I won’t cross that line. He has made it perfectly clear that he wants to be with me for a long time, but he’s not ready to let go of everything and I fear that this will be our undoing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This is my open letter to him that he will never see… well maybe he will.

Dear Gorgeous,

I want you to know that this heart that I have given you comes with thorns, jagged edges, and dead ends. I am strong, fragile, beautiful, impetuous, and imperfect. I whirl around with arms wide open through the eye of the hurricane; I run straight through licking, searing flames.

I want you to know that my breath catches and my heart stops when I see those lips slide up into that gorgeous smile. The way you breathe when you sleep and the sound of your slowing heartbeat get to me and I want to wrap myself up in you.

 I want you to know that I am much too much. Too much love; too much hate; too harsh, too sensitive; maybe too much for one man. Prove me wrong. I have never prayed so hard that I was wrong.

I want you to know you move me in a way that makes me want to close my eyes and when you press your silent lips to mine the world falls away. I could spend forevers with your brawny arms drawn tight around me and your nose pressed into the crook of my neck; I never felt so safe and warm.

I want you to know that I am hard to be with; a frustrating, maddening, confused, crying, broken mess. This is me and I make no apologies; I am imperfect and I won’t change my colors, but my heart is burgeoning for you.

          Love,

                    Me

An open letter (set to music) to Lord Peter Mandelson protesting against the proposals outlined in new Digital Economy Bill to cut off Internet access to UK households if anyone within that household is found guilty of illegal filesharing

Dear Doctor or Professor,

As an undergraduate student, like many others, I may find myself lucky and fortunate enough to read one of your books or articles as part of my studies.  Your knowledge is impressive and astonishing, and has often helped me to futher understand a wide variety of topics, and to even form my world view at times.  But sometimes I struggle.  I really do.  With your ability to write English.  I already am aware of your superior intelligence, and this wisdom is evident in the fact that you have been chosen to write as an expert on a particular subject.  But there is no need to demonstrate your knowledge in your choice of language.  Sometimes you can go a bit over the top with this.  Using long, complex and rare words with the frequency of Berlusconi making a political blunder is not appreciated.  Yes we know that you are intelligent, and that your vocabulary range is immensely larger than ours, but that does not mean you have to make your writing intelligible.  One does not enjoy having to write a long list of words that need to  looked up in order to fully comprehend a passage, and then discover that half of them are not even in the dictionary (and I am not talking your pocket unsubstantial run-of-the-mill dictionary,  I mean back breakingly heavy chambers dictionary).  Although students read mostly for studying purposes, please do not take away any pleasure we may have in this simple act by making it ridiculously difficult.  I am not asking you to dumb down your works, nor speak down to your intended audience – but to consider writing using more language which is within the grasp of a well educated individual.  This would reduce the amount of fustration, annoyance and anger people, well mostly students, feel towards you, and may stop you too from feeling alienated from those you seek to impass your knowledge and theories on to.

Many thanks,

Lucinda Wilson

You have deemed yourself unworthy of anything. By this, you are unworthy of anything that is classified as a living thing and anything that tastes like a rice cracker. Now for the next test. I know you may have not yet passed the first one, but be prepared.

Test 2: Cleanliness. You are to be rid of all mutable entities. If and when you fail, you will become nothing but the rest of them. Now, if you know what to do, then why aren’t you doing it? Clean up your mess, your act. Get those bloody hands washed and your filthy hair rinsed. Once you are finished, you shall clean your surroundings. It should be rid of all things that may hinder you from becoming alive. Then clean yourself again. Your hands have been dirtied by the soil on which you stand.

Haste, my dear. Time is chasing you.

Like the female computer loser that I am, there’s a couple of forum websites that I frequent. I am curious as to how these sites end up becoming dating sites after a certain amount of time. Once a forum becomes popular, or if you join a popular forum, you begin receiving incoherent and almost completely ineligible messages from men of all ages giving you their phone number, asking you out, trying to get you to meet up with them immediately, asking for sex, telling you you’re beautiful (even when you have a picture up that doesn’t even show what you look like – you’re female and that means they might have a chance, apparently), etc. These messages usually go something like this:

hey sxy, wan 2 met up? u r sooooo sexy.

or, similar to a message that I received yesterday from some creep that went something like this:

hi i m mail new in calgary and looking for a good grl plz call me if u r interested my no is 403-890-#### thanks

This kind of behaviour baffles me. It’s not just men who do it. I know there are women online (and many young women) that fall for, take advantage of or instigate this kind of crap. It’s appalling. I no longer reply to any of these messages. I used to make sure this person was aware of how ridiculous I thought they were and, basically, how I’d like for them to rot somewhere not so nice during their next possible level of existence. Part of me feels somewhat bad for making fun of the illiterate, so I’ve stopped. Hence the non-replying stance I’ve taken.

It’s like when a really wonderful and curious person with trisomy of chromosome 21 asks when your birthday is and is seemingly quite interested in having a conversation with you. In this situation you usually – or at least I do – partake in this conversation. Why? Because I am genuinely interested in having a conversation with them, too. They always have something so profound and simple to say. It’s amazing. Anyway, back to my point: It’s like trying to make fun of someone you deem to be unfortunate to their face. You just don’t do it. The people who can do this without feeling guilty are simply not good people. I like to think I am a good person because being mean in certain situations actually makes me feel guilty. This is one of those situations, even though these sexually desperate imbeciles are bringing it upon themselves.

—

Dear Online Rejects Who Message Me Trying “2 Get Sum”:

I’m happily taken. If I weren’t, I’d be far more interested in a message I could actually read. This message would have to be intellectually stimulating. It could not include “a/s/l?”, numbers in the place of words, shortcut words, or anything displaying your psychological laziness and lack of respect for the English language. I’m sure one of the other 28 women you’ve messaged within the past hour will be interested. If not, keep trying. Eventually you’ll find the person you are looking for. (Why, oh why, are these people allowed to procreate?)

Never Yours,

- Calluna.

To all journalists working in America: The truth is out. Your employers have been revealed. Your employers employers have been revealed. Your employers employers employer has been revealed. The truth is out.

 I repeat: The truth is out !!

The biggest crime against humanity in modern time is taking place right in front of our eyes – and you, all American journalists, are quiet. I repeat: The biggest crime against humanity in modern time is right now taking place in front of our eyes – and you are quiet.

To all journalists working in America: with this letter I want to tell you that you have a choice. Either you immediately, and I do mean immediately, start reporting what is really going on in this country and all over the world – or else, as of today, you will be regarded as accomplices in this close to unimaginably horrendous criminal act against the people of America and against the people of the entire planet.

-

-

I repeat: To all journalists working in America, either you immediately start reporting what is actually going on in the world, or else you are considered enemies to the people of this world.

Passivity is no longer an option. Silence is no longer an option. Propaganda is no longer an option. Disinformation is no longer an option. As of today, wednesday, the 18th November 2009, you will start to write, tell and show us the truth.

Your employers, the corporate media in America and around the world, are right now under the control of the most evil international crime syndicate that has ever existed. We know that they have siezed your base of operation.

CNN, ABC, PBS ,NMBC ,CBC,CBS …etc… , and all you other lackeys of evil – we know that right now, you are all being used as the central unit of propaganda, in America, for the most cynical conspiracy that humanity has ever seen.

We know that this conspiracy stretches all the way from Wall Street, to the White House, to the World “Health” Organization, to the UN, to the European Union, to the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, to the upcoming meeting in Copenhagen, to media moguls, to the world’s leading bankers, to top politicians, to the Canadian government, to Canadian banking, to the Canadian press, to the  drug agencies, and to corresponding institutions all across the world.

I understand if this sounds unpleasant, but this is nothing compared to how unpleasant things will become if we all don’t take this absolutely seriously. Right now. Today. Absolutely seriously. This is nothing to smile about. Nothing to dismiss. Nothing to ignore. The crime that is right now taking place in front of our eyes is a part of the most hideous, and sophisticated, conspiracy that can – unless you and we take immediate action – bring more pain and suffering to both us and coming generations than we ever could have imagined.

In the case you choose to call this crazy conspiracy theories without even informing yourselves about what is actually going on in the world: stop this nonsense right away.

The truth is out. We know what is going on. The majority of the people in America and around the world are not aware of the things that are taking place, but there are enough people who are aware for me to, once again, repeat this ultimatum: Starting today, the 18th of November 2009, you will start working with conveying the truth about the swine flu, the vaccine and the ongoing mass vaccinations to all people in America.

If you refuse to meet this demand, then I, and all others who are aware of what is going on, and all of those that within a near future will start to understand, will – for the rest of your careers, for the rest of your lives – hold you responsible for just standing on the side and doing nothing but observe, while this disgusting crime was taking place.

All of you  journalists, it is your job to scrutinize those in power. It is your job to report to us when they abuse their power. It is your job to inform the  people about current events. Right now, you are not doing your job. This will result in fatal consequences, unless you immediately start doing what you are supposed to do and what you have to do.

In case you journalists want to write real articles but have them refused by your scoundrel employers, then your news will be very welcome to any Alternative News Website,  they will publish them on their sites. You guys are good journalists , you are just stuck with bad employers .

The same goes for all the people. The most dangerous thing we can do right now is wait for someone else to take action. We have to start taking matters in our hands. You have to take matters in your own hands.

Right now, we dispose over a fantastic means of communication, the Internet. We have to start take advantage of this. Thanks to the Internet, we can communicate with each other directly, by sending links, video clips, documents and articles. It is very important that we do not take our current communicative freedoms for granted. It is equally important that we spread this information that governments , mainstream media and all those in power want to keep away from us, as much as possible and as quickly as possible.

Communicate with the people around you, both in everyday life and on the Internet.

Talk to each other, discuss, ask questions, think critically, exchange ideas, send links, post information on facebook, twitter, blogs, in different forums, and spread the word that our future is right now at stake and do it in every way possible.

For every day that passes, our freedoms are being taken away from us, both on the web and in our communities, without most of us even noticing it. If we want to come out of this fight victoriously, then we need to exercise our rights and use all our means of communication to the fullest. Now, right now, right away.

Unfortunately, I believe many of you, both journalists and citizens of America , have still not grasped how serious this situation is. Let me speak clearly: Our lives are at stake. Our childrens lives are at stake. Our grandchildrens lives are at stake.

If you have ever wondered how it could happen that Hitler, about seventy years ago, could come to power and terrorize the entire world for a decade without noone stopping him, then you don’t have to study any history books, all you need is take a look around you, right now, in your own life, in the world today. This is how it happened. This is how it happens.

One of the big questions of this century is whether humanity has learned the lesson from the mistakes that were committed back then, in the middle of the last century, or whether this time as well, we will stand paralyzed, blind for the truth, ignorant, obeying authorities, intellectually and emotionally hypnotized, while the most powerful people on the planet will control humanity as they please, steer us into depravity, as were we a herd of stupid, little sheep?

This is what these people think of us, as sheep. As fools. As slaves. It is up to us if want to accept this, because that is what we have been doing for hundreds of years, or whether we finally, once and for all, will realize what a superb creature each and every one of us in fact is, and then take away both the power positions, means of power and resources from these utterly few but incredibly evil people. I believe the time has come for this. I hope so. I know so.

If you journalists only dare to not start reporting what is going on the world, then we, the people of America, will hold you responsible for indirectly having worked against this and thus contributed to an imeasurable amount of suffering for our friends, our sisters and brothers, our families, our children, our grandchildren, and also for yourselves. Don’t be mistaken; right now, when you are reading this, is the time when you have to make a decision.

The truth is out. This whole story will come to daylight. Believe nothing else. If you think you can get away with your silence, then you are wrong. If you think that you will be able to blame someone else, then you are wrong. If you believe that you are powerless, then you are wrong. You have to start doing your job.

I suspect, as well, that many of you have already started digging into this whole thing and possibly even, to a certain extent, have engaged in some sort of journalistic work. But for some reason, all of you are quiet. I suspect that you have been forced to not write about these matters. I suspect that you are afraid of getting sacked if you start doing what you are supposed to do. I even suspect that some of you have been threatened. I regret this. But if you believe that this an acceptable excuse for your silence, then you are wrong.

If you do not break this silence immediately, then you will – when all of this is brought to dayligt, which it soon will be – from the entire population of the world , receive such an avalanche of fury that whatever it is that is right now frightening you will appear as a drop in the ocean in comparison.

The fact that you call yourselves journalists is a disgrace without equal right now, you are nothing more than servile writing whores, prostituting your pens and intellects to these cynical-beyond-belief people who crashed an entire world economy, who put the puppet Barack Obama in the White House and made sure he received the Nobel Peace Prize while his politics are raping the entire planet, who made sure this con-artist and his criminal cronies performed the greatest robbery of all time by robbing the american tax payers of hundreds of billions of dollars when they handed out the so called “stimulus packages” to the same banking crooks that staged the whole crash of the economy from the beginning, who made sure that all allied governments around the world did the same thing (including the swedish traitors), who – in an austrian laboratory – mutated virus strains from bird flu, swine flu and human flu and by doing this created the virus called A(H1N1), who far in advance had created the vaccine which they then claim “protects” against the genetically manufactured A(H1N1) virus, who released the virus on the planet’s population, who fabricated the lie that the completely new and “unknown” virus had emerged among mexican swines, who fabricated the lie that the so called “swine flu”, which is the result of this virus, is a lethal threat to humanity, who fabricated the lie that we are facing a full scale pandemic, who made sure that the World Health Organization – which is in their control – on completely ridiculous grounds raised the pandemic level to phase 6 so that, in the almost 200 countries that follow the decisions of WHO, mass vaccinations could begin without any safety control of the vaccine whatsoever, which will then be followed – and this is where we are now – by applying martial law in all of the world’s countries so that the entire population of the planet will be facing forced vaccinations, followed by another injection with the purpose of targeting the human being’s immune system and by doing so – a three-step attack with this biological weapon – carry out an international genocide, whereupon the architects of the whole thing would be able to bring in a global, fascist, totalitarian dictatorship using the UN – which is in their control – as a central base of power for a new world government, and since both the mass vaccination murders and the “financial crisis” robbery would to such a great have weakened the people of the world, we would not be able to revolt, and by doing all of this, these criminal masterminds will be able to keep and strengthen their own positions of power and at the same time consolidating the positions of the misled masses as their ignorant slaves.

The truth is out. This is their plan. And you, all Mainstream journalists, are quiet.

Fortunately, there is still such a thing in this world as real journalists. One of those is called Jane Bürgermeister and she was the one who first presented the evidence of the mindblowingly evil crime that is currently developing both here in Sweden and all over the world. All the information is available for everyone, including you. And yet, you are quiet. The evidence have been confirmed and confirmed again and confirmed yet again.

For every day that passes, this conspiratory plan is progressing, and for every day that passes, the fight to keep it from succeeding is also progressing – and you, all journalists working in the mainstream, are quiet.

You should be ashamed of yourselves. How can you look your children in their eyes? How can you look yourselves in the mirror? The level of integrity that all journalists in mainstream have shown for the past year is so terribly low that you, whose job it is to scrutinize those in power, are not worth more than stinking rats.

If you dismiss all of this as conspiratory nonsense without even trying to dig into the case, then you are turning yourselves into the enemies of the  people. It is your job to search for this information, look at it, investigate it, question it, but if you’re not even touching it, if you’re not even telling about it, if you don’t even dare facing it, then you are nothing more than rotten henchmen for the incredibly small gang of super criminals that for centuries have tortured humanity and for centuries to come aim to keep on doing so.

In order to take part of the most essential information about all of this, you can read Jane Bürgermeisters summary of this criminal case by clicking on the following link:

http://www.theflucase.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=355&Itemid=56&lang=en

In case you think all of this just sounds to unbelievable to be true, which is understandable (but at the same time, it is not a rational way of confronting the claims) then you can start to look through the evidence.

For example, you can read a two-part memorandum from WHO, which was written in 1972, about how to – in three steps – turn a vaccine into a deadly weapon: first by weakening the immune system, secondly by injecting a large dose of virus into the body which the weakened immune system can’t cope with, and thirdly by injecting an adjuvant that triggers a massive inflammatory reaction and a so called cytokine storm.
This memorandum can be read here:

http://theflucase.com/downloads/WHO_Memo_1_searchable.pdf
and here:

http://theflucase.com/downloads/WHO_Memo_2_Searchable.pdf

To continue, you can have a look at patent application for the vaccine against “swine flu” that the pharmaceutical Baxter filed before the “completely unknown” swine flu virus “suddenly” appeared in Mexiko.

http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/documents/vaccines/Baxter%20Vaccine%20Patent%20Application.pdf

Baxter is also the same company that, in an austrian laboratory, created the “swine flu” virus and in february earlier this year sent 72 kg of falsely labeled contaminated vaccine material to laboratories around the world in order to spread the virus. The evidence for this, and much else, can be read in Bürgermeister’s 134 page document where she has put together substantial evidence that the swine flu, the vaccine and the mass vaccinations are part of an extremely complex plan to carry out genocide.

The defendants are (among others): Barack Obama (President, USA), David Nabarro (Coordinator of Influenza, UN), Margaret Chan (Director-General, WHO), Robert Parkinson (CEO, Baxter International), Daniel Vassella (CEO, Novartis International), Andrew Witty (CEO, GlaxoSmithKline), George W. Bush (Former President, USA), Bill Gates (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation),  Kathleen Sibelius (Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services), Janet Napolitano (Secretary of Department of Homeland Security), David de Rothschild (Banker), David Rockefeller (Banker), George Soros (Banker) and Alois Stöger (Health Minister, Austria). This document is found here:

http://theflucase.com/downloads/Evidence_of_the_use_of_pandemic_flu_to_depopulate_USA.pdf

Worth reading are also the charges that have been filed with the FBI. The indicted are (among others): WHO, UN and the pharmaceutical companies Baxter och Novartis. You can read this document here:

 http://theflucase.com/downloads/Criminal_Charges_FBI-US.pdf

If you would like to approach the case from another angle, I’ve put together a list with more than 75 links to various videos, sound recordings, news articles and important documents concerning all of this. All of this information is, in other words, available just with a few clicks on your mouse, and is found here:

http://www.wordmworld.net/bubble-words/informationskriget-svininfluensan

On this page you will find, among many other things, the following documentary about a swine flu virus, a vaccine, a corporate media propaganda campaign and a massive coverup. This might perhaps sound familiar to what is now going on – and yes, it is very familiar, except for the fact that it took place in 1976 and was a trial run for what would come later on, and what has now come.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_9I1L_P370

You can also, for example, listen to a sound recording from the incredibly influential, and for many people unknown, Council on Foreign Relations – which operates closely to the american government, where they discuss how mainstream media should create a false image of scarcity in order to drive up demand. A tactic that has been applied by corporate media both in Sweden, Germany, the United States and many other parts of the world.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsKsgHbxuc0

Or, you can listen to something so unusual as an uncorrupted health minister’s opinion on the swine flu and the vaccine, namely Ewa Kopacz from Poland. Where are you social minister Göran Hägglund? Where are you health minister Maria Larsson? Why are you so quiet, you rotten flies who call yourselves leaders of the swedish people? From whom do you take your orders? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlqWFV098xw
Where are you, prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt? We know that you know what is going on. We know that you are a pathetic little puppet for the Bilderberg gang.

Where are you, foreign minister and previous prime minister Carl Bildt? We know that you are one of the most evil people that has ever walked on swedish ground and the puppet master in swedish politics.

Here is a message to all of you, and to all others that this concern – you know who you are (finance minister Anders Borg and education minister Jan Björklund, for example): your days are counted. You are finished. Finito. Farewell.

And to all you other cowards who call yourselves politicians, no matter the party to which you belong – all the way from the social democrats to the lefties to the green party to the liberals to the christian democrats to the conservatives to the center party, you are going down. Not any single one of you has had the courage to stand up and tell the truth to the swedish people, and that is why you are finished. The time has come when the swedish people will realize that you are nothing but morons, wimps, confused little clowns that get a kick out of controlling other people.

Back to you journalists. You can also read an article about a certain Joseph Moshe, a microbiologist at MOSSAD, who in a desperate attempt to convey the truth called a radio show and said that a virus was being created in a Baxter laboratory in the Ukraine, which would be used as biological weapon. Shortly thereafter, the american security service arrested him, saying that he had threatened to bomb the White House. Since then, no one has heard from him. You can read about this here:

http://www.unfictional.com/joseph-moshe-mossad-bioweapon-swine-flu-vaccine-westwood

And keeping the situation that is currently evolving in the Ukraine in mind, which the swedish media completely ignores, the Moshe case should be particularly interesting.

http://www.infowars.com/reported-cases-of-mystery-flu-in-ukraine-double-in-two-days/

Jane Bürgermeisters own homepage, which is invaluable, is found here:

http://www.theflucase.com
And to understand what the connections is between this and the current financial crisis, as well as understanding who the true Barack Obama is (which is the most dangerous woolf in sheep’s clothing and the most skilled deciever that the world has ever seen) you can watch the film “Fall of the Republic”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebOTc-7shU

To understand how the banking complex is involved in the financial crisis, then a startpoint can be this very well written article about how the investment bank Goldman Sachs, which is under the control of the same people that control the White House, WHO, UN, EU, news agencies suchs as Reuters and Associated Press, banks such as JP Morgan and Rothschild Bank, the Federal Reserve, the pharmaceutical companies Baxter, Novartis and many more of the world’s most powerful institutions in everything from politics, business, pharmaceuticals, mainstream media, banking, entertainment and so on, knew in advance about the crashing economy:

 http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/77791.html

If you have a hard time seeing the complete picture of the situation, then you can read a thourough explanation of how the responsible crime syndicate, which is called The Illuminati, operates by reading the article “Flu is not the biggest danger – it’s the vaccine!”, written by David Icke:

http://www.davidicke.com/content/view/25191

Surely, all of this might for some of you still seem very confusing, and I understand that. The lies that we have been fed with are so massive and have been going on for so long and are so sophisticated and skillfully covered up, that anyone is at risk of getting lost. But we cannot allow ourselves to get lost. We have been lost for far too long.

Now is the time that the people will start to understand where the real power structures are that have been dictating the evolution of humanity for centuries and to understand the forces that have planned the atrocities currently taking place, and have been taking place for longer than I think most people believe is possible.

But it is possible. We shall always remember how amazingly cynical these people are, how strong their contempt of life is and how – in an evil way – incredibly brilliant they are. Now it is your job, all  journalists, to start tell the  people about all of this. Immediately. We will not tolerate one more day of propaganda or screaming silence. The choice is yours. You know the deal.

If you want information to work with, if you want a few pieces of the puzzle, if you want to start examining the real rulers of the world, if you want to convey the truth to the people, then I believe you will be able to dig deeper with the help of a collection of key words and links that I have posted here below.

The truth is out. Will you remain silent?
Evil want this information to be kept away from us.
Love demands this information to be brought forward.

INFORMATION THAT THEY WANT TO KEEP AWAY FROM US:
1. History of World Banking
For example:

 http://www.fourwinds10.com/resources/uploads/pdf/the_brief.pdf
2. The Rothschilds
For example:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F4IGwuKdUQ

3. The Rothschilds, World Central Banks
For example:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG4y1xg0kSQ&feature=related

4. The Rockefellers
For example:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUNoFodlIOY

5. Rothschild, Rockefeller, Federal Reserve
T ex:

 http://www.land.netonecom.net/tlp/ref/federal_reserve.shtml

6. Goldman Sachs
For example:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCWN4M5RkQI

7. Goldman Sachs, Federal Reserve, Timothy Geithner, Lawrence Summers
For example:

 http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12953

8. Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, above the law
For example:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol3mEe8TH7w
9. Zbigniew Brezinski, “The Grand Chessboard”
For example:

 http://sandiego.indymedia.org/media/2006/10/119973.pdf
10. Rockefeller, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Trilateral Comission
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKq_rpFPidw

11. Zbigniew Brezinski, Columbia University, Barack Obama
For example:

http://www.davidicke.com/content/view/18281

12. House of Windsor, Battenberg, Queen Elizabeth, Nazi Roots
For example:

http://abundanthope.net/pages/article_3812.shtml

13. Rockefeller, The Bilderberg Group
For example:

 http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=7781

14. Cecil Rhodes, Africa, Round Table
For example:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iRHbBiHuuA
15. Rothschild, Cecil Rhodes
For example:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Rhodes

16. Rothschild, Rockefeller, Round Table
For example:

 http://www.terrorism-illuminati.com/round-table
17. Bush, Hitler, Nazi
For example:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/sep/25/usa.secondworldwar

18. Bill Gates, Ted Turner, Rockefeller, Al Gore, Warren Buffet, George Soros
For example:

http://www.oldthinkernews.com/Articles/oldthinker%20news/elites_launch_global_impact.htm

19. George Soros
For example:

http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2001/2832_soros.html

20. George Soros, Sweden, financial crisis, 1992
For example:

 http://wwwc.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/9806/12/soros.html
21. George Soros, Carl Bildt (Foreign minister, former Prime Minister of Sweden), central bank reserve, 1992
For example:

http://www.internetional.se/fischerpolt.htm

22. Carl Bildt, Bilderberg, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Trilateral Comission
For example:

http://www.eaec.org/svenska/carl_Bildt_vargen_i_f%C3%A5rhuset.htm

23. Bilderberg, Athens, May 2009, Carl Bildt, Jan Björklund, Timothy Geithner, Rockefeller
For example:

http://www.nyapolitiken.biz/bilderberg/bilderberg-agenda-avslojad.html

24. Bilderberg, Ottawa 2006, Carl Bildt, Wallenberg, Fredrik Reinfeldt (Prime Minister of Sweden)
For example:

http://www.svd.se/naringsliv/nyheter/artikel_3787597.svd

25. Bilderberg, G20, Timothy Geithner, Ben Bernanke, Anders Borg (Finance Minister of Sweden)
For example:

 http://www.bilderbergbook.com

26. Bilderberg, Athens, May 2009, Carl Bildt, Jan Björklund (Head of Liberal Party), Jacob Wallenberg, Paul Wolfowitz, Queen Beatrix, Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, Lawrence Summers, Daniel Vasella
For example:

http://www.infowars.com/bilderberg-2009-attendee-list/
27. Daniel Vasella, Novartis, Swine Flu, Vaccine
T ex:

http://birdflu666.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/novartis-recalls-h1n1-vaccine-two-months-before-h1n1-outbreak-in-mexico/

28. Swine Flu, Vaccine, Daniel Vasella, Novartis, George Soros, Barack Obama, George Bush, Rockefeller, de Rothschild, Bioterrorism evidence, criminal charges
For example:

http://theflucase.com/downloads/Evidence_of_the_use_of_pandemic_flu_to_depopulate_USA.pdf
29. Queen Elizabeth, Queen Beatrix, Rothschild, Rockefeller, Bush, Barack Obama, Clinton, Illuminati, New World Order
For example:

 http://www.wordmworld.net/bubble-words/benjamin-fulford

30. Rothschild, Rockefeller, Illuminati, Freemasonry, New World Order
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLzRlLS4V-w

31. New World Order, George Bush
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a9Syi12RJo
32. New World Order, Barack Obama
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iotc10SGzxY

33. New World Order, Henry Kissinger
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD3BqK-9ZiU
34. New World Order, Gordon Brown
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbFcaQpqqt4
35. Henry Kissinger, Bill Clinton, George Bush, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, New World Order, Al Gore
For example:

http://www.truthandliberty.com/New_World_Order.html
36. Al Gore, Global Warming scam, 31000 scientists
For example:

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/al_gore_global_warming/2008/05/19/97307.html
37. Al Gore, Global Warming scam, Barack Obama, Timothy Geithner, Lawrence Summers, Goldman Sachs, New World Order, Copenhagen
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebOTc-7shU

38. John F. Kennedy, secret societies, assasination
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnkdfFAqsHA
39. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Trilateral Comission, Council on Foreign Relations, War on Terror
For example:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=15686
40. Trilateral Comission, European Council on Foreign Relations, Urban Ahlin (Swedish congressman), Socialdemocratic Party
For example:

http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Ahlin

41. Göran Persson (former Prime Minister), Leif Pagrotsky (former Finance Minister), the Wallenberg family, Investor, Bilderberg
For example:

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/de-rikas-hemliga-motesplats-1.596647

42. Bilderberg, Henry Kissinger, Queen Beatrix, Carl Bildt
For example:

http://www.bilderberg.org/2000pics.htm

43. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Council on Foreign Relations, Al-Qaeda
For example:

http://www.takeoverworld.info/brzezinski_note.html

44. Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, Tim Osman, CIA
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-v34Lf0g6U

45. Osama bin Laden, Tim Osman, Zbigniew Brzezinski
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJTv2nFjMBk

46. Al Qaeda, 9/11, inside job
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yx9NRX37SM

47. Osama Bin Laden, Benazir Bhutto, assasination
For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1uLdmct8_E

48. Osama Bin Laden, audio tapes, fabricated intelligence
For example:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=3009

49. Barack Obama, Zbigniew Brzezinski, New World Order, Goldman Sachs, George Soros
For example:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13607099/Webster-Griffin-Tarpley-Barack-H-Obama-the-Unauthorized-Biography

-

http://www.wordmworld.net/uncategorized/open-letter-journalists

Dear Law School,

I wish all I thought about WASN’T you! You make me sick, literally! I despise you! why do you make jurisdiction, negligence,proximate cause, causation in fact, quasi contracts, restatements, etc. ALWAYS float around in my head? Why can’t I stop dreaming about you? If you were a sexy dark attractive man it would be okay for you to enter my dreams… but you are a smelly, ugly, sickly, hellish figure.. and transformed my once sweet slumber into terrifying nightmares. Thanks by the way. The one thing I can thank you for is helping me realize I need the gym to survive you next semester. Although I will have to wake up at 5a.m to go. Oh and Law school F’YOU you made my best friend in school decide to leave, because she hates you too! Everyone hates you, I don’t know one person that is like wow I’m in law school excited to learn! NO they hate you… How does it feel to be so hated? You make a average day horrible and a good day horrible. You make me want to cry. I have no idea why I am in you… because law school you suck. My relationship is hurting because we both hate you and take it out on each other… oh and never see or talk to each other THANKS LAW SCHOOL. You have made me lose all contact with the outside world… and successfully made me a hermit that only goes to school studies and goes home to study and sleep… oh yeah you make me forget to eat, or so ill i cant bare to eat. THANKS…. You never fail to make me frown, and you have even taken away my laugh and smiles… The only emotions I now feel are stress, hate, anxiety, fear, brain dead, tired, sad, upset, crying, overwhelmed …. never happy, or giggly or upbeat… THANKS … as finals approach if the hard work doesn’t pay off my towel may be thrown in…

with despise,

your old friend

overwhelmed 1L

“Emiratele Arabe Unite intră într-o epocă strălucitoare a viitorului” declară Excelenţa Sa Ambasadorul Yacub Yousif Al Hosani în dialog cu Prof.dr.Anton Caragea

Emiratele Arabe Unite sărbătoresc pe 2 decembrie Ziua Naţională şi cea de-a 38-a aniversare. După cum explică Excelenţa Sa, această dezvoltare uimitoare într-o perioadă scurtă este firească, Emiratele Arabe Unite se bucură astăzi de unul dintre cele mai înalte şi sofisticate standarde de viaţă dintre ţările lumii, cu o economie puternică şi o societate democratică.

Cum a fost posibil acest lucru într-o perioadă atât de scurtă?

Emiratele Arabe Unite, în demersul de unificare început acum 38 de ani, au înregistrat multe realizări care au putut transforma statul şi societatea, precum şi pe cetăţenii săi, pentru a intra în secolul XXI înarmaţi cu capacitatea de a face faţă provocărilor şi beneficiilor acestui secol. În acelaşi timp, au căutat permanent  să-şi stimuleze cetăţenii  pentru a obţine mai mult şi pentru a întări ceea ce s-a realizat, asigurând astfel generaţiilor viitoare o viaţă decentă şi stabilitate. Desigur, Emiratele Arabe Unite au parcurs un drum lung în ceea ce priveşte dezvoltarea economică şi socială,  însă noi am fost în măsură să construim o viaţă instituţională puternică, cu un grad mare de deschidere către societate. Aceste aspecte care au caracterizat procesul de dezvoltare, susţinute şi de spiritul de toleranţă, au prevalat în toate segmentele societăţii. De asemenea, ca ingredient important, puternica noastră viaţă spirituală ne-a fundamentat şi îmbogăţit experienţa, plasând ţara noastră pe un loc special, nu doar la nivel regional, ci şi la nivelul întregii lumi. Într-adevăr, Emiratele Arabe Unite trăiesc de mai mulţi ani un proces de dezvoltare nouă care a transformat E.A.U. într-un centrul financiar şi comercial internaţional. Pe lângă aceasta, trăim o experienţă parlamentară nouă, în adevăratul sens al cuvântului, care corespunde standardelor internaţionale. Pe de altă parte, succesele obţinute la nivel naţional nu ar fi fost posibile fără o politică externă înţelept promovată de stat, care a facilitat îndeplinirea obiectivelor.

            Transformarea Emiratelor într-un centru  economic global nu a fost posibilă doar prin luarea unei singure decizii, ci este rezultatul planificării pe termen lung şi a eforturilor depuse în mod susţinut. Aceste eforturi nu s-au limitat numai la simple construcţii economice, ci se regăsesc în infrastructură, în calitatea serviciilor, în dezvoltarea socială, incluzând aici şi dezvoltarea resurselor umane prin programe de formare continuă, în crearea unui mediu legislativ şi juridic în acord cu evoluţia economică şi socială atât la nivel naţional, cât şi global. De aici rezultă că poziţia Emiratelor Arabe Unite pe harta economică mondială nu este temporară sau conjuncturală, ci este rezultatul unor eforturi continue. În cadrul acestui proces de dezvoltare au fost antrenate multe instituţii economice şi financiare, care au construit o fundaţie solidă pentru a depăşi criza cu care se confruntă astăzi economia mondială.
Care este situaţia actuală din Emiratele Arabe Unite şi ce planuri de dezvoltare aveţi în viitor?

 Nu există nicio îndoială că E.A.U. au înregistrat mari realizări în ultima perioadă, însă noi ne continuăm eforturile, urmărind permanent să ne dezvoltăm. Statul sprijină constant acest proces de dezvoltare, astfel încât să poată gestiona optim fluctuaţiile regionale şi internaţionale sau orice alte evenimente.

Pentru că ne aflăm la începutul unei noi etape, suntem preocupaţi să asigurăm cetăţenilor noştri accesul la informaţiile necesare pentru a avea mai multă putere în demersul de angrenare a tuturor membrilor societăţii în toate instituţiile statului (culturale, de învăţământ,mass-media, economice etc.), contribuind astfel la construirea naţiunii noastre. În aceste momente, când aniversăm 38 de ani de la fondarea statului, speranţele pentru ţara noastră nu au limite; aspiraţiile guvernului nostru pentru cetăţenii săi, aşteptările noastre pentru un viitor mai luminos sunt, de asemenea, nelimitate. Vom intra într-o eră nouă, care reflectă viziunile ambiţioase şi grija faţă de generaţiile viitoare, sub conducerea înţeleaptă a Alteţei Sale Preşedintele Statului, şi a Vice-Preşedintelui, care păşesc pe urmele Sheikhului Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, fondatorul şi tatăl Emiratelor Arabe Unite, Allah să-l odihnescă în pace.

 Excelenţa Voastră cum puteţi descrie relaţia dintre România şi Emiratele Arabe Unite?

 Istoria relaţiilor bilaterale este marcată de interacţiuni la diferite niveluri, care au debutat, în plan diplomatic, la 1.08.1989. Relaţiile sunt întărite de vizitele reciproce la nivel înalt efectuate în ultimii  ani, care au contribuit la dezvoltarea prieteniei şi aprofundarea cooperării între cele două ţări. Emiratele Arabe Unite beneficiază de o semnificativă experienţă de dezvoltare, dar şi de o înaltă apreciere venită din partea organizaţiilor economice internaţionale, ceea ce a facilitat relaţionarea dintre cele 2 ţări. Faptul că România este una dintre ţările europene interesate de relaţiile cu ţările din regiune, în general, şi cu Emiratele Arabe. Unite, în special, este importantă dezvoltarea relaţiilor în toate domeniile. De exemplu, în 2008 volumul schimburilor comerciale a ajuns la 522 de milioane de dolari. Dublarea volumului schimburilor comerciale în ultimii cinci ani este un indicator clar al dinamicii care caracterizează relaţiile dintre cele două ţări.

 Excelenţă, care sunt planurile dumneavoastră pentru dezvoltarea relaţiilor dintre România şi Emiratele Arabe Unite în domeniile politic, economic şi cultural?

 Emiratele Arabe Unite, prin directivele Alteţei Sale Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan, urmăresc să dezvolte relaţiile de prietenie şi cooperare fructuoasă cu România, împărtăşind dorinţa comună de a extinde perspectivele de cooperare în beneficiul celor două ţări. E.A.U. se vor concentra asupra căilor de consolidare a relaţiilor bilaterale, dar şi asupra modalităţilor de intensificare a schimburilor în diverse domenii de activitate, cu scopul clar exprimat, de satisfacere reciprocă a intereselor. Un rol important revine Comisiei Mixte Ministeriale, care oferă cadrul instituţional necesar dezvoltării cooperării bilaterale într-un mod practic şi coerent. Sper ca în perioada următoare să extindem cooperarea -  în beneficiul ambelor ţări – şi asupra altor domenii de activitate, precum turismul şi investiţiile.

 Care este mesajul Excelenţei Voastre pentru cititorii noştri, cu ocazia Zilei Naţionale a Emiratelor Arabe Unite?

 Ţara noastră a devenit un actor important pe scena economică mondială şi, totodată, este renumită şi pe harta turismului internaţional ca o destinaţie foarte apreciată, toate aceastea datorându-se conducerii noastre înţelepte. Cu această ocazie îi invit pe prietenii noştri români să viziteze Emiratele Arabe Unite şi să observe realizările obţinute în timpul celor de 38 ani.

Articolul ”Emiratele Arabe Unite intră într-o epocă strălucitoare a viitorului” declară Excelenţa Sa Ambasadorul Yacub Yousif Al Hosani în dialog cu Prof.dr.Anton Caragea a fost publicat dupa Revista Business Point numarul din luna noiembrie 2009. Revista Business Point  cu un numar de 1 milion de cititori in Romania si 200.000 in Europa este cea mai importanta revista de politica si afaceri din Europa. Puteti contacta Business Point scriind aici 

Oh God I’m such a terrible person. I missed Leonardo DiCaprio’s birthday by two days. To celebrate: an open letter.

Dear Leo,

Can I call you Leo? Thanks. Leo, you’re awesome. You’re one of the first Hollywood hunks I ever had on my wall (right there next to Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Devon Sawa). Your role in Titanic was extraordinary. My mother might have had to cover my eyes, but the second time around I saw the WHOLE thing. Since then, you’ve pretty much been up there on a pedestal. Romeo + Juliet might as well have been called Suicide Never Looked So Delicious. The Departed really brought you back into the spotlight for me (ehhh, Gangs of New York) as well as for many others. There was a gap somewhere…it’s okay, not like anyone is keeping tabs on that. What I’m really trying to say, I know it’s kind of convoluted at this point, is that no matter how pompous, pretentious or puffy you get, I’ll still love you. Mostly younger incarnations of you, but still you. You’re a versatile actor. You’ve got great hair. You like the environment. That’s rad. I hope you had a swell birthday with whichever model du jour you’re dating and that you enjoyed yourself plenty.

love,

-Estherocket

P.S. TODAY is my superduperbestfriend’s birthday and to celebrate her fabulous anniversary of existence, I leave you with something that makes both of us happy (and that we might have secretly choreographed in my living room one day).

Open letter to our President:

That’s right, Sir. Don’t listen to the same old, same old military plans. Ignore their mantras, “We need more troops.”  Avoid going to war AGAIN with no exit strategy.

Will we never learn?

This is a new era, and we need major paradigm shifts to survive.

The old solutions won’t solve new problems.

Get out of the middle east. It’s all about oil, anyway.

The new Civilian Conservation Corps–which could put to work the thousands of us who are unemployed–should be an army of citizens driving an economy based on alternative fuel sources. No more oil!

I’m from New Hampshire, and we’re all about common sense.

Continue to demand alternative options, Mr. President. Military intervention is something that must become obsolete. We’ve got some serious problems to address in this country!

Take the military budget and pour it into education and alternative energy, and you will truly change the world.

Resist troop build-up. PLEASE!

My good friend Davis Mac-Iyalla is an Anglican Christian from Nigeria. He had to flee Nigeria for his life and has come to the UK. Why? Because he is Gay.

When we sent an Open Letter to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May, Davis joined in on behalf of Changing Attitudes Nigeria.

The Guardian Newspaper published an Open Letter from Davis to the Primates of the Anglican Community in reference to the action of some in Uganda and the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The Anglican Primates in the West have been spectacularly, shockingly and inexcusably silent. It isn’t surprising that the African Primates have been silent – but that in and of itself should highlight the true cost of the ‘gay debate’ within the Church.

The letter follows:

To the Archbishop of Canterbury and primates of the Anglican Communion,

I am writing to you to call on the Church of England and the wider Anglican community to condemn Uganda’s proposed anti-homosexuality bill, which will make gay relations between disabled people and those under 18 a capital offence. “Carnal knowledge against the order of nature” – as homosexuality is termed in Ugandan law – is already punishable with life imprisonment. However, if passed, the new bill will widen the scope, including promoting homosexuality, aiding and abetting homosexuality and keeping a house “for purposes of homosexuality”. This means that the relatives and friends of gay couples could face execution if they allow them to stay in their homes.

The anti-homosexuality legislation proposed and enacted in Uganda and many other former British colonies has caused misery for many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, many of whom are forced to flee their countries due to this persecution. Religion is often cited as a justification for state and non-state violence against LGBT people. As a gay refugee from Nigeria who has faced this persecution, I am well aware of the misery LGBT people can go through in Africa. As a practising Anglican Christian, I believe it is crucial that the Anglican Communion unites to prevent the killing of people on the grounds of sexuality.

I would like to remind you that the Lambeth Resolution 10 in 1978 recognised the need for pastoral concern for those who are homosexual. Resolution I.10 from 1998 commits the communion “to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ.” It also condemned the “irrational fear” of homosexuality and called on the communion to assure homosexual people that “they are loved by God.”

Legislation of the kind proposed in Uganda is based on irrational hatred and a desire to entrench the stigmatisation of LGBT people. There is no place for love, understanding or acceptance in such laws. As such, the Church of England has a duty to condemn the anti-homosexuality legislation and put pressure on those MPs who support such laws. Whatever the divisions within the communion about homosexuality as a moral issue, Anglicans should unite in condemnation of violent persecution and discrimination of LGBT people whoever and wherever they are, particularly when it is carried out in the name of Jesus Christ.

Davis Mac-Iyalla

I need somewhere to get everything that’s in my head – out. Which is the point of this blog. Now, I am horrible at blogging. I run a business and I need to constantly blog to keep my clients updated on my whereabouts and adventures – and frankly I blow at doing it. I can twitter, facebook, all on a frequent basis, but when it comes to journaling my thoughts whether it be on paper or in electronic form – I’m an epic fail.

Background: early 20’s. professional photographer involved in the music industry. blonde. blue eyed. busty, but a tad over weight. (I’d tell you if I was morbidly obese, trust me). I am severely in debt, in fact I should not be typing this from my  brand new macbook pro but I like to over spend – it’s just how I am. I have a desire to be constantly moving, touring, exploring and I’m dying for a  job that results in me touring (I figure my love for musicians and their music is a good place to start looking)

I’ve been in love, I am in love, and I have been in love with two people at once. Polar opposites of each other and I loved them so dearly. Now I really don’t know what to think, maybe I can use this to help figure out who I am, muse a little, yanno.

A good start to constantly blogging would be to post this as my home page and have at it, I suppose.
Another thing? My absolute favorite musician in the entire world is John Mayer, he makes me go crazy for him. CRAZY.

I need you guys, find me. Comment, and help me.

After consultation with colleagues, an Open Letter to the Obama Administration is available through this blog.

Please sign this if you are a psychologist or psychology student of any discipline, resident in Britain, and would like to see 1) realistic representations of the NHS in the American media and 2) the rights to accessible, comprehensive and quality mental and physical health care, free-at-the-point-of-access, extended to our American fellows.

We take a lot for granted with the NHS, and it isn’t perfect, but it is infinitely better than the economic devastation and psychological and physical distress currently experienced by so many in America due to the current private insurance system, whether they have insurance or not.

I can confirm that this open letter will be published in Clinical Psychology Forum (issue tbd) and will appear in other places as well, as well as being put forward to the administration, so sign up and make yourself heard!

UPDATE: Below is Kaduk’s response and as a sidenote: as a columnist, I understand that a poor choice of words can sometimes come off wrongly and be read in a way not intended for the reader. It can also be read exactly the way a writer intends for it to be read. That is why I contacted Kaduk. Letters from readers is part of the game. I get them too.

 Jeffrey:

I certainly understand your sensitivity to the issue, but please know that I meant no offense.

Thanks,

Kevin Kaduk

UPDATE II: Kaduk feigns apology despite saying one thing in his e-mail and then redirects fans to this Open Letter via his Twitter page. Kaduk’s message on Twitter: “This guy is upset bc I wrote that I was glad Sammy Sosa did not have a disease. I can’t figure it out: http://tinyurl.com/y99cgod“

Given that we are still getting more signatures, we’ve decided to EXTEND the deadline till December 6, 2009 to give an opportunity to as many people as possible to voice their support for Michael and to be able to cover more countries.

“We will not sell or share your information to any third parties.  Your signature is for the sole purpose of supporting this letter.”

Please add your signature to our Open Letter (see text below) that will be sent to the media aimed at rectifying and preventing future damaging publications about Michael. This is targeted to reputable publications who, we hope, will heed our request. This is not targeted to tabloids who will use it for kindling and fuel to further infuriate MJ supporters.

MJ has long been the target of merciless press and we, those who love MJ, need to stand together to restore his name to where it belongs – with honor, respect, and the dignity that he deserves.
Please send an email with your information (Title, Your Real Name, Place of Residence) to: mjforum2009@gmail.com. Your information will be held in confidence as it will not be printed but sent as confidential attachment.

Or click here to use the contact form on this site.

Let’s all stand strong and act together for Michael who has given this planet nothing but LOVE and JOY. It’s time to give back to him, send your signatures in.  You can also help spread the word about this effort by sharing the link with your Facebook, mySpace, and other social networking friends.

“You can change the world (I can’t do it by myself)
You can touch the sky (Gonna take somebody’s help)
You’re the chosen one (I’m gonna need some kind of sign)
If we all cry at the same time tonight” (CRY)

From the OPEN LETTER project team (hb, Miranda, and MJJmahal) – WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!

_________________________________________________________________________

Appeal to the News Media and Journalist Community

We hereby call on the news media and journalist community to express our disappointment at the sensationalized and biased coverage of any news or other information related to the late Michael Jackson.

News media plays a crucial role in influencing public opinion.  Reporters, editors and the entire journalist community are expected to observe the Code of Ethics of Professional Journalists, share a dedication to ethical behavior and commitment to objectivity.

Regrettably, this cannot be said about media treatment of Michael Jackson. It is painfully clear that the media, in their quest for sensationalism, has completely forgotten the notion of objectivity, human dignity, and integrity.   Opinions are routinely disguised as news, distortion of facts runs rampant, selective omission of facts and misuse of true or partially true information are commonplace. The extent of misinterpretations, falsifications and gossip spread by the media about Michael Jackson is atrocious.  All this creates an impression that, chasing ratings, the media does not care about truth or proof.  Barely having any evidence to back up their allegations, reporters continue to portray Michael Jackson as an oddity and a monster, gleefully using humiliating labels like “Wacko Jacko”.  Any positive story is dismissed, sources of positive information are derided, and facts not salacious enough for coverage are purposefully ignored.

An example of the gross misrepresentation of Michael Jackson is Martin Bashir’s 2003 TV documentary “Living with Michael Jackson”. While the media gloated over every detail of Bashir’s controversial documentary, “The Footage You Were Never Meant to See” which gave the true story behind the documentary subsequently received very little coverage.  Another example is the child molestation charges against Michael Jackson. The media seems to be completely oblivious of the fact that Michael Jackson was fully exonerated in 2005 and continues to call him a child molester.  Proof of his innocence of these charges is well documented in “The Untold Story of Neverland”, a documentary by Larry Nimmer, “Michael Jackson Conspiracy” by Aphrodite Jones, and “Redemption” by Geraldine Hughes.

Throughout his entire paparazzi-tortured life Michael Jackson was the target of ruthless media attacks.  It is frustrating to see that more media voices are joining the cacophony of unfounded and malicious reports after his passing. Derogatory press comments and disproportionate, inaccurate and hostile coverage of Michael Jackson’s life and personality reinforce preexisting public misconceptions and prejudices.

This is an open appeal to all conscientious media outlets and honest journalists to undo the harm already inflicted.  The public needs a thoughtful analysis of Michael Jackson’s legacy and unprecedented cultural impact.  Michael Jackson’s contribution to music is quite possibly the greatest within the recent decades.  It has earned him the status of a world-scale megastar. Five of his solo albums are among the top-sellers of all time. His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time. Michael Jackson was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.  He was named “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time”, the “Artist of the Decade”, “-Generation”, and “-Century”.  In 2002, he was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Major awards won by Michael Jackson total 209, including 22 American Music Awards, 40 Billboard Awards, 7 BRIT Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award, 14 Grammy Awards, 13 Guinness World Records, 1 MOBO Award, 13 MTV Awards, 9 Soul Train Awards, 14 NAACP Image Awards, 56 RIAA Awards, 2 American Video Awards, and 15 World Music Awards.

Michael Jackson was much more than as a musical genius, a versatile artist, and a magnificent entertainer. He was a humanitarian and philanthropist of historic import.  Throughout his life, Michael Jackson contributed over 300 million dollars to a record number of 39 charities. The Millennium-Issue of the “Guinness Book of Records” named Michael Jackson as the Pop Star who supports the most charitable organizations.

“A deeper analysis of Michael Jackson’s work reveals an individual with a burning concern for improving the lives of the disadvantaged and persecuted around the world. Through his prolific body of work, advocacy initiatives and multi-million dollar charity efforts, Michael Jackson raised international awareness and support for some of the most complex and timeless issues confronting the human condition. AIDS, cancer, famine, homelessness, gang violence, racism, totalitarianism, environmental degradation, child abuse, violations of animal rights, restrictions on freedom of speech and other infringements upon basic civil liberties are just some of the difficult subjects Jackson tackled by leveraging the power of his celebrity. Michael Jackson’s intuitive understanding of the problems besetting the human ecological system was uncanny and uncharacteristic for any entertainer close to his magnitude.”[1]

Michael Jackson gave us one of the biggest lessons on how to change the world for better.  He was particularly conscious of the sufferings of the deprived and the disadvantaged and offered them his unfailing and selfless support.  Michael Jackson “forces us to look in the mirror and face the difficult and sometimes intractable problems of our society and in ourselves that we may not want to acknowledge.” [2]

In conclusion, we duly request the media to:

• Retract false and unfair information previously published or broadcasted on Michael Jackson
• Refrain from publishing unverifiable derogatory articles and news regarding Michael Jackson
• Explore positive topics regarding Michael Jackson’s contributions to music and philantrophy
• Let the old and worn-out false information die out by abstaining from rehashing them in future publications

These actions will restore the general public’s trust in truth in reporting and promote good will for the legacy of a man who deserves respect and appreciation for his life’s work.

Signatures:

[2] See the above.

by Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA

suleaos@gmail.com
09 November 2009

“As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence”. Benjamin Franklin

“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say”- Martin Luther

“Oppression can only survive through silence”.-Carmen de Monteflores

Dear Pastor, Reverend, Bishop, Archbishop, Cardinal, General Overseer, Elder, Minister, Deacon, Deaconess, Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist and my beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Calvary greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour JESUS Christ. I hope this letter meets you all in good health; I pray that all may go well with you and your souls are getting along well.

One thousand, nine hundred and fifty-two years ago, Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians at Corinth to address his concerns regarding the activities occurring at the Corinth church. In 1517 AD, nearly one thousand, four hundred and sixty years later, a thirty-four year old Reverend called Martin Luther wrote his famous ‘Ninety-Five Theses’ letter, expressing his dissatisfaction with the abuses of the Roman Catholic clergy.

Coincidentally, in 1963, a thirty-four year old Baptist Minister from Atlanta called Martin Luther King Jnr wrote a letter from a Birmingham jail to eight clergymen in response to the latter’s request for the African American community to suspend their civil disobedience demonstrations. He also highlighted the white church’s apathy towards the plight of the African Americans’ struggle.

I do not consider myself worthy to step into the shoes of these great men of God; nor do I consider myself worthy even to eat the crumbs from the tables of these giants, however, I feel compelled to follow their path and write about some issues that have been a burden to me for the past couple of years.

What is this burden? What has made me follow the pathway of Apostle Paul, Martin Luther and Martin Luther King? I am disturbed about the state of the Nigerian church and I am burdened by the consequence this is having on the effective ministration of the Word of God in Nigeria.

Before I go any further, I would like to introduce myself by answering the following question, which you may want to ask. Who is this person with a Muslim name? Is he still a Muslim? Has he converted to Christianity? Has he accepted JESUS into his life? If he is addressing the church, why have we not heard of him within the church circuit? Is he a minister of God? If he is not a Minister, why is he addressing Anointed Men and Women of God (see Appendix A for a list of some of the  clergies copied)?

By way of introduction, my name is Ahmed Olayinka Sule. I am a sinner (in fact the chief of all sinners) who has been saved by Grace in JESUS. I was born into a Muslim family and had my Damascus Road conversion experience during my high school years. However, shortly after my conversion, I rejected Christ and did not turn back to God until 2000. Though I am not a clergyman, I regard myself as part of the Royal Priesthood, who has been called out of the darkness of sin into the glorious light of my Lord JESUS Christ.

I agree that I may not be the right person to write this open letter, especially as I am not a perfect person. I also know that I am not worthy to even tie the shoelace of the one hundred and fifty clergy copied into this letter.  I also agree that I do not have the moral justification to pen this article. This is especially true as there is nothing good in my sinful nature.  When I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong, and when I don’t want to do what is wrong, I do it anyway.

However, in the words of King Solomon, there is a time to be silent and there is a time to speak. The time to speak up is now. I have been silent for the past eleven years, and the burden in my heart is bringing to light Martin Luther King’s comment  that  ‘”Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”.

This letter is written out of my love for the church and is no way meant to cause division within it. I also have the utmost respect for the church leadership and I appreciate the efforts of millions of Christians working towards taking the message of the cross throughout the nation.

You may ask what I mean by the Nigerian Church? After all, the church belongs to Christ and it is not defined by geographical parameters. Agreed.  The audience of this letter, which I have described as the Nigerian Church, falls into four categories. The first comprises of the Christian community based in Nigeria, which includes all the church denominations. The second category comprises of the churches outside of Nigeria, which are affiliated to the church based in Nigeria. This includes branches and parishes of churches headquartered in Nigeria. The third category relates to churches based outside of Nigeria, which are either shepherded by Nigerian pastors or which have a predominately Nigerian congregation. The fourth category comprise of my non-Christian brothers and sisters, some of whom are eager to accept Christ but have been reluctant to make that commitment due to the attitude of the Nigerian Church. There is also a separate section in this letter specifically addressed to my non-Christian brothers and sisters. It is my prayer that by reading this letter they will appreciate that JESUS is the standard by which Christianity should be measured, rather than the fallible nature of man.

In the last twenty years, the Nigerian church movement has experienced significant growth. It has impacted the country positively, as millions of people have been transformed by the life-changing message of our Lord JESUS. There was a time when Christians could not openly share and declare their faith due to the ridicule and persecution they faced. However, thanks to the leadership of the church, this stigma towards Christianity has been greatly reduced. Furthermore, Christianity has a growing influence in Nigeria, which has resulted in the proliferation of filled-up churches. Nigeria has become one of the fastest growing church movements in the world.  The influence of Christ is not only felt inside the church, but also outside of it. Politicians seek the audience of a number of church leaders for prayers, and Christians are at the helm of numerous corporate entities. The church has also played a role in education, with the establishment of church-run schools providing high quality education.

Despite this progress, all is not well with the Nigerian Church. How do I know that all is not well with the Nigerian Church? What is my benchmark ? The benchmark I have used is based on the life of our Lord JESUS and the Word of God. I have also had the opportunity to attend and observe churches run by both Nigerian and non-Nigerian ministers; churches with predominately Nigerian congregation and churches with a small number of Nigerians; churches within Nigeria and churches elsewhere. This variation has provided me the opportunity to evaluate the activities of these churches.

There are four reasons for writing this letter. First, as explained earlier, I am compelled to write out of my love for the Church. I hope that the issues raised in this letter will result in a reassessment of some of our activities in church and will eventually lead to a change in attitude.

Second, I know a number of Christians have been disillusioned with the Nigerian Church. I also know some Christians who do not feel the need to go to church and prefer to worship alone, due to what they observe in the church. Paul urges us not to put any stumbling block in a fellow believer’s way. He also states that “If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died“. I am compelled to highlight what ‘food’ we as Christians are ‘eating’ that is causing our brothers to stumble.

Third, I have a sense of responsibility to educate my non-Christian brothers and sisters not to use the activities and attitudes of a few people in the body of Christ as a justification to deny the power of Christ. They also need to know that Christ is our benchmark, even if we often fall short of that standard due to our fallible nature.

Finally, I am writing on behalf of the thousands of believers who have not been able to speak up on these issues due to time constraints, apathy, fear, or a general belief that things will remain the same.

Having introduced myself and explained the basis my writing to you, I would like to discuss five issues that have compelled me to write this letter – namely:

•    The Sheep and the Shepherd
•    Accountability & Responsibility
•    Unity In the Church
•    Teaching/Doctrines/Activities
•    Social Justice

1. The Sheep and the Shepherd

The activities of some of the spiritual leaders in the Nigerian church have come under a lot of scrutiny in recent years. On the whole, church leaders are doing a good job in line with the word of God, however, there are a few outliers that buck the trend. As the scripture says, a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough, and this is a fitting metaphor for the ridicule brought to the church as a result of the activities of some of the clergy.

One area of concern is the excessive grip that a number of clergy have over the congregation. In some instances, the clergy (who are just human and messengers of Christ) are feared and respected more than our Lord JESUS Christ. I strongly believe that the messenger cannot be greater than the message, but this does apply to most sections of the Nigerian church.

Scripture tells us that when JESUS died on the cross at Calvary, the veil was split in two. As a result of his death, we were granted access into the Holy of Holies through the redemptive power in the blood of JESUS. The bible makes it very clear that we should boldly enter the throne of God [Hebrew 4:16]. Due to JESUS’ sacrificial death, we can now confidently approach God through our Lord JESUS without having to go through any other intermediary. JESUS also says that He is the Way and the light and that no one can approach the Father except through Him.

However, a large number of us are not confident enough to approach God directly through JESUS. Instead, we prefer to go through the clergy in order to access God. Some of us even believe that our prayers will not be answered until it is agreed with or backed by a man or woman of God. It is well documented that people spend hundreds of thousands of Naira, and sometimes thousands of pounds, to travel the length and breadth of the world to chase one man of God or other in order to receive spiritual blessing. It is not unusual for a seventy five year old man to call a pastor of thirty years of age ‘daddy’, ‘mummy’, ‘papa’ or ‘mama’.

I agree that it is sometimes necessary to approach the clergy to agree with us in prayers on a certain issue or to seek their counsel. However, this should be the exception rather than the rule. By chasing the clergy all the time, we are putting unnecessary pressure on them.  We, the congregation, need to realise that the work of the clergy is not an easy job. They spend a lot of time fasting, praying and seeking the face of God. They also have to prepare for their sermons and once they have finished the service they end up spending hours attending to a lengthy queue of people gathered outside their office seeking counsel or prayers. We also need to be considerate and realise that they also have families to cater for. Furthermore, the Psalmist tells us that it is better to put your confidence in God rather than in man.

There are two contributory factors that have led to this issue. The cultural influence and the lack of a proper understanding of the reconciliatory power in the Blood of JESUS. I will address the first factor.

A positive aspect of the African society is the respect granted to elders; whether it is our parents, uncles, neighbours, teachers etc. This is also reflected in our history – for instance, the monarchy system in most parts of the country, where the King had absolute authority, and his counsel was sought on all issues. Furthermore, long before the advent of Christianity in Nigeria, the ’Babalawo’ (witch doctor) played an important role in the lives of the people. People would seek his counsel on a range of issues including marriage, children, family problems etc. He was seen as the direct representative of god on earth. In order to hear from their idols, people would approach the ‘Babalawo’ in order to know the mind of their gods. Unfortunately, this tradition has now crept into the church, whereby the clergy have now assumed the role of the ‘Babalawo’.

The Word of God tells us to respect people in authority. I also understand that the clergy has been placed by God to shepherd his people. However, we need to be aware that there is a thin line between respect and hero-worship. What constitutes respect? What constitutes hero-worship? Respect is when one approaches a Minister to agree with him in prayer on a specific issue, while hero-worship is when one thinks that without the minister’s agreement, God will not answer his prayers. Respect is when a family seeks spiritual guidance from a minister, while hero-worship is when the wife or husband thinks that the minister is the spiritual head of the home. Respect is when you seek a minister’s advice on a particular decision, while hero worship is when you cannot make a decision until the minister has sanctioned it.

In a number of Christian homes, the pastors have become the head of the homes and have usurped the roles of parents and husbands. In most instances, this intrusion is not the fault of the clergy – after all, this would not have happened if the couple had a proper understanding of their authority in Christ. Thankfully, the clergy are men and women of integrity so this unnecessary intrusion is the exception. However, in a few instances, some manipulative characters take advantage of the situation and cause havoc within the family structure. It is well documented that a number of homes have been ruined as a result of these intrusions. For instance, frictions and divisions have been created between parents and children, husband and wives, daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law as a result of the intrusive nature of some of these men of God. The activities of some of these ministers are contrary to the example set by our Lord JESUS who went about restoring rather than breaking relationships.

In some extreme cases, some men of God are known to take advantage of gullible female members of the congregation. Unfortunately, because these people do not know their authority in Christ, they find it difficult to rebuff the sexual advances of these wolves in sheep clothing. Sometimes, these so called men of God tell these vulnerable ladies that it is not against the will of God for them to sleep with a man of God. Although this occurrence is rare, however the church leadership should expose and disgrace any pastor found conducting such activities.

My heart also bleeds whenever I meet people who cannot make informed decisions without the sanction or approval of their pastors. Important, life-changing decisions about marriage, education, career, business etc. have been outsourced to pastors. It is time for the body of Christ to pass through the torn veil left at the foot of the cross of Calvary and boldly approach JESUS on his heavenly throne and make their petition known directly to him.

Another area of concern is that a number of pastors have been giving financial advice to the congregation, even when it is outside the pastor’s area of expertise. For instance, during the Nigerian stock market bubble of the past couple of years, a number of pastors advised their congregation to join the bandwagon and invest in the Nigerian capital market. In giving out this advice, the pastors failed to educate the congregation on the risk factors associated with investing in the capital market. Furthermore, they did not explain the fundamental drivers of these asset prices. Unfortunately, since the clergy’s statements are never questioned (for reasons which I have explained earlier), some members of the congregation took positions in these overinflated asset classes. The result of acting on this advice was sorrow ,tears and financial ruin due to the market correction.

This situation was not only restricted to the Nigerian capital market. In the UK, in spite of an overheated housing market bubble, a number of ministers based in the UK encouraged their congregation to take out mortgages in order to take advantage of the bubble in the real estate sector. Like their Nigerian counterparts, the ministers failed to consider the risk factors and the personal financial circumstances of the congregation. There were instances in which the congregations were advised to remortgage their properties in the UK and use the proceeds to invest in Nigeria. In financial terms, this is what is called a ‘carry trade’ whereby an investor borrows money at a low interest rate in a foreign currency (say Pounds Sterling) and invests the proceeds in assets of a high yielding currency (the Naira). Since this strategy involves excessive use of leverage (debt), an investor can suffer significant loss if the carry trade unwinds. Unfortunately, this risk was not explained to the congregation. As a result of yielding to this advice, a number of people took on mortgages they could not afford and are now facing the twin tragedy of bankruptcy and homelessness.

I suggest that pastors should not give financial advice to the congregation, especially when it is outside the pastor’s area of expertise. If, however, they insist on giving it,  they should issue the necessary disclaimers and explain the risks involved. Furthermore, we as the congregation should seek financial advice from professionally qualified financial advisors.

An action that is pervasive in some areas of the Christian community is the issue of ministers placing curses on congregation members who challenge or criticize their decisions. Quite often, the threat of a curse or the fear of a threat is enough to make that member of congregation follow the line of the pastor. This is quite sad and is not in line with Roman 12:14, which tells us to bless and not to curse.

Does what I say regarding the activities of some of the clergy amount to heresy? Am I disobeying the biblical instruction, which says “touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm”? Am I guilty of behaving like the four children who mocked Elisha by calling him “a bald head”?

I do not think so, for several reasons. First, I am not causing harm to the prophets, as what I am doing is out of genuine love and I want the church to be more effective in drawing people to the Kingdom of God. Second, it is not unscriptural for anointed men of God to be rebuked when they stray away from the word of God. From scripture we know that God anointed King Saul. We also know that David obeyed this word when he did not kill Saul, even though he had an opportunity to do so. However, in spite of the anointing upon Saul’s life, that did not stop David from speaking against the wrongful deeds of King Saul. Furthermore, in spite of the anointing of King Saul, Samuel still reprimanded Saul for not obeying his instruction. Moreover, even Apostle Paul challenged Peter when he felt that Peter was not acting in accordance with the scriptures. Third, the basis of my observation is the word of God, which is the truth. John Locke put it right when he said “The Bible is one of the greatest blessings bestowed by God on the children of men. It has God for its author; salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture for its matter. It is all pure “

Fourth, the anointed of the Lord is not only restricted to the clergy but to all who have accepted JESUS Christ as their Lord and personal saviour. I John 2: 20 makes it very clear: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth”. For anyone who may think that I have disobeyed God’s command regarding Psalm 105:15, I would like to ask the three questions: Are we to say touch not my anointed if a man of God curses his congregation? Are we to say touch not my anointed if a woman of God causes a separation between a couple?; Are we to say touch not my anointed if a man of God gives a false prophesy that causes a son to abandon his aged parents?

2. Accountability & Responsibility

A second disturbing factor is the lack of accountability in a number of Nigerian churches. It is not uncommon for churches to be run as the private property of the founders or leaders. If the church does not demonstrate accountability and transparency, how can the church be effective in advocating transparency within the wider Nigerian community?

There needs to be improved transparency and accountability in church especially as a significant source of the cash flow for the church comes from the contribution of the congregation of the church. Because of their contribution, the congregation needs to know, periodically, how their contribution has been put to use. Unlike shareholders that expect a return on their investment in the form of dividend or capital appreciation, congregation members need to be sure of the following: that the church funding has been used to run the church effectively; that resources are going towards growing the kingdom of God; that the church is reaching out to the community.

This issue of accountability is very important, as there have been instances in the past where a lack of accountability has brought shame to the body of Christ. A high profile case was the issue relating to the alleged misappropriation of funds for Pastor Hinn’s crusade, which gained worldwide attention and put the Nigerian Christian community in a negative light.

There is also an emerging trend of the church levying the congregation to fund the luxuries of the church leadership. I agree that it necessary for the church to fund the needs of the church leadership, especially pastors working on a full time basis. Furthermore, the bible makes it clear that a worker is worthy of his wages. While funding the church leaders necessities is justified, asking the congregation to fund the luxuries of the leader is not only morally repugnant, but also socially unjust. This levy on the congregation does not make any moral sense, especially as it is levied in a country where, on average, 34% of the population lives on less than $1 per day.

Rather than taxing the congregation to fund the luxuries of the leaders, Christian leaders should follow the example of our Lord JESUS who, despite being the King of kings, chose to ride into Jerusalem on a gentle donkey rather than on an elegant Roman horse. It is time for the clergy to see their calling as a form of servant hood towards the body of Christ and not as a means to fund a flamboyant lifestyle.

Another area that needs improvement is the monitoring of the flow of funds into the church. Since the church is a tax-exempt organisation, it owes the government a responsibility to ensure that anybody who places ill-gotten money through the church system is exposed and reported to the authorities.  There have been instances in the past whereby people have stolen funds running into tens of millions of Naira and placed these criminal proceeds in the church to fund church capital expenditures. The church should arise and reject these illegal funds. Furthermore, the church should institute anti-money laundering procedures to mitigate and prevent a recurrence of the placement of criminal proceeds in the church.

The church also has a responsibility to ensure that its activity does not inconvenience the general public. One area that needs further consideration is the traffic bottleneck that occurs at the Lagos–Sagamu Axis of the Lagos Ibadan Express Way resulting from some church events. Admittedly, a number of churches have put some effort towards reducing the traffic bottleneck, however, this is not enough. The churches have the right to organise events and crusades on their property whether along the expressway or on the mainland. However, along with that freedom also comes a responsibility to ensure that its activities do not cause traffic that disrupts other passengers’ journey on the express. A journey between Lagos and Sagamu that should ideally take 45 minutes occasionally sometimes takes eight to twelve hours during these church programmes. The result of the church activities brings untold hardship on the passengers traveling along the expressway. Furthermore, many passengers are not happy with the churches for causing traffic on the expressway and this could hinder the effective ministration of the gospel in the country.

On a personal note, my father, who is over 70 years and is still mourning the loss of my mother, was recently trapped in the traffic for over six hours because a church was having a crusade along the expressway. He was greatly distressed, and as a Christian I found it impossible to justify the attitude of the church towards his plight. I also know of another person who missed her father’s burial due to the traffic caused as a result of a church programme near the expressway. Apart from my personal stories, there are thousands of other people who have miserable stories to tell, such as brides missing their weddings, corpses being trapped in traffic and people developing high blood pressure while in traffic.

As Christians, we need to spare a thought for those people trapped in traffic as a result of our crusades and vigils, and do everything possible to mitigate the hardship faced by travelers. If JESUS was holding a crusade on the expressway and was informed by Peter that there were thousands of people trapped in traffic due to his crusade, JESUS would have compassion for those passengers and would make provision to make sure that no one suffered. Since we are all followers of Christ, let us do what JESUS would do.

3. Unity In the Church

Just like the church in Corinth, a number of Nigerian Churches are divided along the lines of the church leaders and denominations. While some say they are Pentecostal, others say they are Apostolic, some say they are Anglicans , while others say they are Methodist and the list goes on and on. This division is not only between different churches, but also between parishes of the same church, whereby members boast of the spiritual superiority of their church relative to other parishes. I recollect hearing somebody describe another branch of her own church as the  ‘funny version’ of her own parish. The division in the church is partly caused by lack of knowledge and also by a number of leaders who want to build personal empires.

Spiritual arrogance is also pervasive in our community, with a number Christians arrogating that their pastors have a monopoly on the knowledge and mystery of the scriptures. It is not unusual to hear them say, “My pastor is ‘worded’” or “come to my church where you will really learn the scriptures”.

‘Evangelism of the converted’ is another evidence of this lack of unity. What do I mean by  ‘evangelism of the converted’? It is when born-again Christian ‘A’ goes about preaching to another Christian ‘B’ to leave her or his church and join the church of Christian ‘A’. Evangelism of the converted is not an effective approach to expand the Kingdom of God. The time and effort spent preaching to the converted should be channeled towards those that need to accept JESUS. After all our Lord JESUS made it very clear that he came to seek and save those that were lost.

Paul put it right when he said that we are the body of Christ, and each one of us is a part of it. If Paul is correct, then all the different church denominations are all part of the body of JESUS Christ, who is the true head of the Church.  Since we are all one in Christ, then why the division in the church?

It is time for us to put aside this ‘Paul’, ‘Apollos’ and ‘Cephas’ division and work towards unity in Christ. What would Nigeria be like if the churches unite to organise a week of evangelism on the streets of Lagos? What would the country be like if the churches unite to organise a prayer walk round the capital of all the states of Nigeria? What would the country be like if  the churches unite to make politicians accountable for their electoral promises? Surely Nigeria will be a better place.

So let us focus less on the things that divide us and concentrate on what unites us.

4. Teaching/Doctrines/Activities

Another area that I would address is the doctrine and activities of our churches.

Speaking generally, most of the doctrines of our churches are in accordance with the word of God. However, some aspects of the churches’ doctrines, teachings and activities need to be more properly aligned with the Word of God. In other instances, the preacher may need to emphasis certain aspects of the gospel more often.

Before discussing these doctrines and activities, I would like to address an attitude that needs to change in our community. I am concerned that we Christians sometimes do not imbibe the attitude of the Berean Christians who not only listened to Paul’s message, but also searched the scriptures to ensure that what he said was in line with the word of God. It is very common for us to say “x, y and z is correct because Pastor said so in church”. I have had conversations with a number of people on certain areas of the scripture and when I ask for the scriptural basis, I am told that the pastor said so in church. This attitude increases the risk of the congregation being misinformed if a pastor’s teaching is wrong. There is also a risk that heretic teachings could go undetected.

Christians should strive to independently search the scriptures to ensure that the pastor’s teachings are in line with scriptures. Furthermore, the congregation should feel free to discuss any concerns regarding a misaligned doctrine or message with the clergy without the fear of being cursed or tagged confrontational. Likewise, the preacher should also be open to constructive criticism regarding any message or doctrine that is not in line with the word of God.

I will now go into specific aspects of the misaligned doctrines, teachings and activities:

a)    Gifts and Fruits of The Spirit: While a lot of teaching has been done on the various gifts of the spirit, less teaching has been done on the fruits of the spirit. The gifts of the spirit are very important for the effective functioning of the body of Christ. We are also instructed by Paul to eagerly desire these gifts.

However, one cannot emphasis the gifts without also emphasizing the fruits of the spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22 which include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. If we can exhibit the fruits of the Spirit in addition to the gifts of the Spirit, the church would be more effective in changing attitudes in Nigeria. This is because when a non-Christian sees that we exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, he/she will be convinced and would be willing to listen to us. Our Lord JESUS makes it very clear that it is to God’s glory that we bear many fruits and show ourselves to be his disciples.

b)    The Hand of God and the Face of God: One area of teaching that has been overemphasized is the prosperity message. Before going further, I would like to state my stance regarding the prosperity message. First, I believe that it is God’s plan for us to prosper and this is stated throughout scripture from Genesis up to Revelations. Second, I believe that the church has a duty to preach this message of prosperity to world. Third, I believe that God instructs us to tithe and that there are blessings associated with tithing. Fourth, I believe that God is ready to take care not only of our spiritual needs, but he is also ready to take care of our physical needs.

However, the teaching regarding prosperity has been asymmetric. There now appears to be a view that there is a strong correlation between godliness and wealth. I have attended church services where the preachers teach that poverty is a sin. Moreover, in some services, people who make higher contributions towards the church are publicly acknowledged and singled out for blessing by the minister. This act obviously is in contradiction with how JESUS viewed the contribution of the rich people and the poor widow. Our Lord JESUS looked beyond the value contributed by the wealthy, who gave out of their abundance, but rather looked at the heart of the poor widow who gave with a pure heart.

On the area of sowing and reaping, the congregation is taught to sow into the kingdom in order to reap materially. By overemphasizing the sowing and reaping principle, the congregation could be encouraged to give to God in the expectation of material blessings, rather than to give with a pure heart. If, however, God chooses to delay the blessing for a season, there is a risk that the giver becomes disillusioned. In addition, it will encourage people to go to any extent to acquire ill-gotten wealth in order to give to the church, with the expectation that God will reward them for the seeds sown into God’s kingdom.

Furthermore, there is an overemphasis on financial prosperity, while other aspects of prosperity such as health, unity peace etc. are not addressed. It is important to teach the congregation that prosperity does not only exist in financial terms.

We all agree that JESUS spoke about riches, money, talents and coins, however, we need to look at the context in which he used these words. Contrary to the teachings by some pastors that a sizeable part of JESUS’ teaching related to financial matters, an analysis of JESUS’ teaching reveals otherwise. When JESUS mentioned riches, he spoke about people who refused to mature spiritually due to their concern for riches and pleasure. When JESUS mentioned money he said, “you can’t worship two gods at once – God and money”. When JESUS mentioned talents he taught us the rewards and consequences for using or not using what he has entrusted to us. When JESUS mentioned coins he gave us an analogy between a lost coin that has been found and a sinner that has been saved.

c)    Treatment of the Rich and Poor: As a result of the above, the Church tends to celebrate the success of the wealthy and the influential. The rich and powerful are given undue attention. They have access to the clergy and are allowed to seat on the prominent seats in church. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case for those less well-off in society. The poor are sometimes made to feel that their poverty is the result of their failure to fulfill God’s plan for their lives. When it comes to ordaining ministers, deacons and elders, sometimes wealth, influence and career become determining factors.

Should the rich and powerful get all the attention? Should eloquence, fame, and wealth be a basis for church leadership? In order to answer these questions, let us go to the word of God.  When JESUS selected his disciples, he did not use financial weight or influence as a basis for selection. Neither did the eloquence of educational status play an important role. Paul in his letter to Timothy specified several attributes that should be taken into consideration when selecting church leaders. His list did not mention influence, wealth or career, rather he said leaders should be self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, gentle and free from the love of money.

Due to the celebration of the rich in most of our churches, the congregations are often motivated to get rich quickly, at any cost. This has lead to Christians falling into the trap of the love and lust for money. It is not unusual to see Christians preoccupied with the quest of ‘making it big’. One can hardly have a decent conversation with most Christians without them talking about money, contracts, deals or connection most of the time. Some pastors are also known to strike deals and sometimes take the short cuts in order to acquire wealth. Paul puts it right when he say that people who want to get rich could fall into the temptation and traps, which could lead to destruction and ruin. Furthermore, President Obama’s comment that “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential” is something that we should ponder on.

When preaching about prosperity, teachers need to emphasise the risk of the love of money in order to discourage people from carrying out ungodly activities in order to get rich.

d)     Workers in the vineyard: For the church to run effectively, it is important for people to volunteer for the Kingdom of God. As part of that process, the workers need to be adequately equipped to carry out their responsibilities. One important way of equipping volunteers is through training. This training process is carried out regularly in our churches. Sometimes the requirement to become a worker is so stringent that it defeats the whole purpose. For instance, people are required to report to church very early in the morning and if they are late for whatever reason, they are sometimes publicly ridiculed or dismissed from the workforce. This requirement is difficult for married couples who have to get up early, wake up the kids, bathe them, clothe them and prepare their food. All while trying to rush to church to beat the deadline.

The difficulty of the training regime to become a worker has two effects. First, it discourages people that have a desire to serve the Church. This  denies the body of Christ a vast resource of willing, talented volunteers. Second, the strict regime often leads to a situation where people no longer view their service as part of the advancement of God’s Kingdom, but rather as a way of complying with man-made laws.

The Church should encourage willing volunteers to use their skills and talents for God’s kingdom by relaxing the drastic volunteer requirement.

e)    Ring/No Ring: There is a lot of discrimination in the churches against people who are not married. Just as widows were discriminated against during the time of Paul, the unmarried are now discriminated against in a number of churches. The unmarried are labeled as ‘singles’ in a condescending manner. The unmarried are also made to feel that they are not fulfilling God’s purpose for their lives. The church leadership plays a part in fuelling this form of segregation. It is not unusual to listen to messages, which state implicitly or explicitly that ‘singles’ have problems or ‘singles’ are possessed by an evil spirit or that ‘singles’ are not praying enough.

The unmarried members of the congregation are often isolated within the church and pressured to join the ‘singles’ fellowship; as a result there is often no integration in the church between the unmarried and the married.

This marital apartheid has two effects. The first is to make some of the married people suspicious of the unmarried members of the church. For instance a number of married women in church become very suspicious of unmarried girls, thinking that they want to snatch their husbands. The second effect is that it puts unnecessary pressure on the unmarried to get married at any cost. This often leads to the unmarried entering into unproductive relationships in order to join the ‘elite married’ group in the church. Could this be a contributory factor to the rising divorce rate in the country?

As King Solomon put it, there is a time for everything under the sun. Just as there is a time to get married, there is a time to be single. Rather than degrade the unmarried in the congregation, the Church should work towards making effective use of the unmarried. After all it was the Apostle Paul who said that  “An unmarried woman is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband”.

Just as there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, there is no difference between the married and the unmarried, as the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, whether married or not.

Moreover, there is a disturbing trend in which some of the church leaders determine the timing for people to get married. This usually occurs when the pastor instructs unmarried ladies who are committed in the church to wait for years before granting them permission to get married. Sometimes the pastor determines whom these ladies can marry. In other instances, church members are pressured to marry within their congregation and if any member is engaged to someone outside the church, strategies are put in place to frustrate the relationship.

The activities of these pastors’ amounts to an unnecessary intrusion into people’s privacy and the sooner this practice stops, the better.
5. Social Justice

In the area of social justice, the Nigerian Church still has more work to do. Before going further, I would like to provide the scriptural basis on why the Church needs to get more involved in social justice. From the Old to the New Testament, reference is made to the need to maintain justice. For instance, the Psalmist pronounced a blessing on those that maintain justice. Furthermore, scriptures tell us that the righteous should care about justice for the poor. We also learn that our Lord JESUS was a strong advocate for justice. He admonished the teachers of the law for neglecting justice. The book of Isaiah tells us that the Lord loves justice. Since we are children of the Lord, we have no choice but to also fight for and maintain justice. Fighting against injustice is a key ingredient in demonstrating love of Christ and an effective form of witnessing the gospel.

Throughout history, the church has been at the forefront of speaking against injustice. In the 17th century the Quakers played an important role in the campaign against the transatlantic slave trade. In the 1960’s the church played a leadership role in the civil rights movement, which eventually lead to the dismantling of the segregation structures in the United States.  Most of the well-known charities such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, and Christian Aid, are heavily influenced by Christian principles. Furthermore, Florence Nightingale was influenced by the teachings of our Lord JESUS to leave behind her wealthy upbringing to take care of the poor and the wounded.

In Nigeria, the churches have done some laudable things such as building of schools, homeless homes, in addition to prison visitation etc. However, more still needs to be done.

There are two areas I would discuss in relation to the Church’s apparent apathy towards social justice, namely:  the church’s response to political misgovernance, and its response to the abuse of children accused of witchcraft .

Misgovernance

The church has a role to play in engaging with the political classes on issues relating to the welfare of the country. When the activities of the political classes conflict with those of the citizenry and the Word of God, the church should be the vanguard of fighting for the oppressed. The church should also put pressure on the government to improve its governance. A particular area of misgovernance that the church needs to be more actively engaged is in the fight against corruption. This is because the high level of corruption in Nigeria is not good for the country’s image and it also leads to the redistribution of wealth of the nation from the ‘have’s not to the ‘haves’.

The church can play a crucial role in influencing policies for the betterment of the people, especially since some church leaders have access to the political leadership of Nigeria. A number of politicians attend church programmes and are often allowed to address the congregation. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for politicians to visit some church leaders for ‘spiritual protection’ and prayers. Unfortunately, in spite of this access, the church has been relatively silent on the misuse of power by the political classes.

In the days of the Old Testament, God sent the prophets to relay his messages to kings, especially those who misruled and contravened God’s laws. For instance, Samuel told King Saul that because he had rejected the Word of the Lord, the Lord had rejected Saul as King of Israel. Since God is a just God, he is not happy when the rulers of the land oppress his people and carry out activities contrary to his will. The Church leadership, especially those that have access to politicians, should be more confident in relaying God’s message and judgment. The clergy should emulate John the Baptist, who reproved King Herod for having an affair with his brother’s wife, even though the warning was at the risk of John’s life.

Rather than being consoled by the silence of the Church, the political classes should be disturbed by the Church’s insistence for justice. Now that the Church leadership has unprecedented access to the politicians, now is time for the Church leadership to be bold enough to deliver God’s messages to the rulers of the land.

Now is time for the Church leaders to be as bold as Samuel who was not afraid to tell King Saul “Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king”.

Now is time for the Church leaders to be as bold as Nathan who was not afraid to tell King David “Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes?”.

Now is time for the Church leaders to be as bold as Elijah who was not afraid to tell King Ahab “You’ve dumped God’s ways and commands and run off after the local gods, the Baals”.

Now is time for the Church leaders to be as bold as Daniel who was not afraid to tell King Nebuchadnezzar “You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven”.

Now is time for the Church leaders to be as bold as Jeremiah who was not afraid to tell King Zedekiah “Thus saith the LORD behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon”.

Now is time for the Church leaders to be as bold as JESUS who was not afraid to tell King Herod “You fox, I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal”.

Child Witches

The second issue I would discuss is the abuse of children accused of witchcraft in certain parts of the country. On this issue, most of the churches fall into one of two categories: either as an active participant in the abuse of these children or a passive accessory to the abuse.

Active Participation: A number of churches have been labeling children witches and blaming people’s misfortune on the activities of these innocent children. As a result, these children are beaten up, publicly disgraced, ostracized from their family, and sometimes killed. In other cases, they are bathed with acid, hit with machetes and publicly stoned. Some churches even defile God’s sanctuary by chaining and torturing these kids inside the house of the Lord. According to campaigners against the practice, about 15,000 children have been accused in two of Nigeria’s 36 states over the past decade and 1,000 have been murdered.

Between 1888 and 1915, a Christian Missionary by the name of Mary Slessor worked tirelessly to end the barbaric practice of killing twins in Nigeria, however, almost one hundred years later, Christians (who worship the same God as Mary Slessor)  are now involved in the killing and torturing of so called child witches. How depressing.

These abuses have brought shame to the Church. For instance, the website of Stepping Stones (an organization responsible for rehabilitating children accused of witchcraft) states: “Stepping Stones Nigeria does not wish to denounce any faith organisation. However the role of the church, especially some of the new Pentecostals, in spreading the belief in child witches cannot be underestimated. There are numerous so-called pastors in the region who are wrongly branding children as ‘witches’ mainly for economic self gain and personal recognition.” Some of us may flinch at this statement and accuse Stepping Stones of insulting the Church. However, if we must be honest, what they have stated is the truth.

Here are some other headlines and comments relating to the issue, which I have gathered from the global press:

Churches Denounce African Children as ”witches”

“Nigeria Pastors Deem Children Witches Leading to Death and Carnage”

“Christians” Kill Child “Witches” Don’t They?

“’Bishop’ who claimed he’d killed 110 child ‘witches’ is arrested …”

“It is an outrage what they are allowing to take place in the name of Christianity,”

“Christianity in the Niger Delta is seriously questionable, putting a traditional religion together with Christian religion – and it makes nonsense out of it”

“Evangelical pastors are helping to create a terrible new campaign of violence against young Nigerians”

Passive Participation: The second way in which the Church has participated in this detestable act is through our passive association. The majority of the churches fall into this category. What do I mean by passive participation? We participate passively when we remain silent when this gross injustice is carried out against children.  We participate passively when fail to call the perpetrators of this act to order. We participate passively when we fail to show compassion to the abused children.

The church needs to answer these questions:

Where was the church when Nwanaokwo Edet’s Pastor accused him of witchcraft thereby resulting in his father killing him with acid?

Where was the church when Samuel, Esther and Sarah’s parents abandoned them after a prophetess claimed that they were witches?

Where was the church when two sisters named Victoria and Helen accused of witchcraft  were left alone in an old shack to survive by eating leaves and grass?

Where was the church when nails were driven into the head of nine-year-old Etido, who was accused of witchcraft?

Where was the church when some villagers nearly severed the arms of twelve-year-old Udo, also accused of witchcraft?

WHERE ON EARTH WAS THE CHURCH WHEN ALL OF THESE ATROCITIES WERE COMMITTED?

Now let’s go back to the scripture and see what our Lord JESUS has to say about children. First of all we are all instructed to have a childlike character. In fact JESUS makes it very clear that unless we change and become like little children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Secondly, when the disciples tried to prevent children from accessing JESUS, he rebuked the disciples and told them not to hinder the kids. Unfortunately, the activities of the Nigerian Church in this regard has alienated these children from approaching JESUS, and we will be held accountable for this if we do not speak out. Finally JESUS said in Matthew 18 verse 6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea”.

We may argue that we are not guilty of these atrocities since we did not drive the nail into the head of Etido, or severe the arms of Udo or bath Nwanaokwo with acid; however, since we keep silent, we are just as guilty. Martin Luther King once said “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people”. This statement applies to the Church and it is time for us to wake up and fight against injustice in whatever form, because if we keep silent then we are co-operating with it.

So let us pay attention to social justice and avoid being like the Pharisees so that JESUS will not tell us: “You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every Naira and Kobo you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like justice and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it”.

Am I a Radical?

Having read the issues raised in this letter, some may label me as a radical. Though, I would not describe myself as a radical, neither would I like to be tagged as a radical, however upon second thought, I might gain a measure of satisfaction from the label, if it would lead to a reformation in the Nigerian Church. Was Martin Luther King not a radical for justice: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Was David not a radical for the house of the Lord:“ I will dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” Is Obama not a radical for change: “This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change.” Throughout the course of history, there are times when we need radicals for change.

Message to my Non-Christian Brother and Sisters

Thanks for having the patience to reach this part of my letter. Before I round up, I feel that I should devote this section of the letter to you. You may wonder why I have copied you in this letter, especially as you are not born-again Christians. It is a valid question to ask, but I think I would be doing a great injustice in not copying you in.

I know that some of you may be disillusioned with the activities of what I will call a minute segment of the church. However, that cannot be used as a basis to reject Christ or to disregard Christianity. For instance, just as we cannot use the activities of a few corrupt bankers as basis to describe every Nigerian banker or Nigerian as corrupt; similarly we can’t use what is going on in our churches to describe Christianity.

I would like to explain what Christianity is about from two perspectives, namely our paradigm and religion.

Paradigm: We are called Christian because we are followers of JESUS Christ our Lord and Saviour. I repeat again, we are FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST.  JESUS Christ is our paradigm and as Christians, we aspire to emulate his behavior. However, because JESUS is perfect and committed no sin, it is impossible for us to emulate him. Fortunately, because JESUS knew of our fallibility, he came to earth and took on our sins. Though Christ never sinned, God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.

You may observe that certain things may not be right with the Church. You may even question the validity of Christianity. However, remember that JESUS is our standard and model. We may not always meet up to this high standard, but this still does not deny the power of our Lord. As we the Church strive to be more Christ-like, remember what JESUS stands for. JESUS stands for justice, JESUS stands for righteousness, JESUS stands for compassion, JESUS stands for hope and JESUS stands for Love.

Religion: Christianity in its true form is more than a religion. It is more than the magnificent church buildings; it is more than the lifestyle of the pastor. Christianity is about a personal relationship with our Lord JESUS. When evaluating Christianity, look at JESUS Christ. When JESUS was here on earth, he also had an issue with religion, which is often burdened with man-made rules and doctrines that drive people away from God instead of drawing them near.

I will give you an example from JESUS’ time on earth. There was a woman who was caught in the act of adultery and at the time she was supposed to be sentenced to death, according to the religious law. The religious people brought the woman to JESUS and wanted to know his opinion on the matter. However, rather than condemn the woman and judge her with the religious law, he challenged the religious people by telling them that if they had committed no sin , then they should throw a stone at the woman. Since the religious people were not clean, they left the woman alone. JESUS then told the woman that he does not condemn her and he forgave her sins. From this story, you can learn what Christianity is all about, it is about restoration of our relationship with JESUS and our justification through JESUS resurrection and it not about man-made rules.

If there is one thing that you should remember, sorry I mean two things to remember, they are: First what you see going on in some of our churches is not a reflection of what Christianity is all about, and second and more important: JESUS loves you.

Conclusion

Never in my life have I written such a lengthy letter. If you have been able to reach this part of the letter, please accept my apology if it has taken much of your precious and valuable time. It should have been shorter, but I have been carrying this burden for almost eleven years and I have reached a stage that has left me with no choice but to express my concerns through this medium.

I would like to reiterate that I have no intention whatsoever to cause division or confusion within the Church. I have come to the point of writing this letter because my conscience leaves me with no other choice. This letter is borne out of my love for JESUS Christ and for the Church for which he gave his precious life .

As I have earlier explained to my non-Christian brothers and sisters, we as Christians are the followers of Christ. As a result, we have a responsibility to ensure that the Church is effective in witnessing to the non-Christians. Effective witnessing can only be achieved if the people we are preaching to can see the fruits of JESUS in our lives.

So when we do things, let’s pause for a second and ask ourselves the question, ‘What would JESUS do in a similar circumstances?’ For instance, would JESUS remain silent when a nail is pieced through Etido’s head? Would JESUS discriminate against the unmarried in his church? Would JESUS accept criminal proceeds as tithe and offerings? Would JESUS give undue attention to the rich in his midst, while ignoring the poor? Would JESUS ignore the plight of passengers caught in traffic due to a crusade organized by JESUS? Would JESUS enjoy the luxuries of life, while his congregation wallow in abject poverty? Would JESUS wine and dine with corrupt political leaders without pronouncing the judgment of God upon them? Would JESUS publicly ridicule a mother for coming late to church? Would JESUS curse any of his disciples or congregation who disagrees with his viewpoint? Answering these questions should guide us on our Christian journey.

I would like to close by imagining what Paul would have said if he decided to write to the Nigerian church rather than the church at Corinth. I guess it may go along these lines: If I have fifty thousand church branches scattered all over the world, but no love, then I am like an ant colony; If I have twenty million people attending my crusades, but no love, then I am like a mega pop star; If I make the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the lame to walk, but have no love, then I am like an amalgamation of an Ophthalmologist, Otolaryngologist and an Orthopedic surgeon; If I can quote the scriptures from beginning to the end and from the end to the beginning, but I have no love, then I am like an IBM Roadrunner Supercomputer.

SO LET US ALL DEMONSTRATE THE LOVE OF CHRIST.

If I have written anything in this letter that overstates the truth of what is going on in the Nigerian church, I plead for your forgiveness. If, however, I have written anything that understates the truth of what is going on in the Nigerian church, I plead for the Lord’s forgiveness.

Keep the faith.

Your fellow citizen of the Household of God

Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA
suleaos@gmail.com

PS: If you would like to discuss any of the issues contained in this letter please feel free to contact me on my email listed above ,otherwise , you can go to my blog (link below) and leave your comments.
http://zangodare.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/nigerianchurch/

http://zangodare.wordpress.com

Appendix A- List of Some of the Clergies copied

Pastor A.T. Williams
Pastor Adejare Popoola
Pastor Afolabi Oladele
Pastor Afolabi Samuel Coker
Pastor Agu Irukwu
Rev. Albert Aina
Rev. Dr Albert Odulele
Pastor Alloy Okechukwu
Pastor Amos Babajide Oyetuga
Pastor Andrew Adeleke
Pastor Anita Oyakhilome
Archbishop Anthony Okogie
Pastor Ayo Oritsejafo
Rev. B Durosimi-Etti
Pastor Babatunde Adebiyi
Pastor (Mrs.) Becky Unoarumhi
Pastor Ben Adewuyi
Prof. C. Olowola
Deaconess Ceceila Ibru
Pastor Charles Ojei
Pastor Charles Salako
Pastor Chiristopher Adetoro
Pastor Chris Ojigbani
Pastor Chris Okotie
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
Christian Association of Nigeria
Christian Council of Nigeria
Pastor Colin Bruce Starr
Pastor D. Olowu
Dr. D.K Olukoya
Most Rev. Daniel Okoh
Pastor Daniel Uwaeme
Pastor David Ojelabi
Pastor David Olatona
Bishop David Oyedepo
Apostle Dele Johnson
Pastor Dele Oduntan
Pastor Dupe Afolabi
Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Pastor Elijah Oludele Abina
Evangelist Elishama Ideh
Pastor Emma Omon
Evang. (Dr). Emmah Isong
Pastor Emmanuel Iwuoha
Pastor Emmanuel John
Pastor Erastus Akingbola
Rev. (Dr.) Etukudoh
Pastor Femi Emmanuel
Pastor Femi Taiwo
Pastor Festus Adewole
Pastor Folarin Akinsola

The Revd. Canon Foluso Taiwo
Pastor Francis A. Tella
Bishop Francis Wale Oke
Minister Franklin Omoaghe
Full Gospel Business Mens’ Fellowship International, Nigeria
Rev. Mrs. Funke Adejumo
Deaconess Funke Adenuga
Apostle G.D. Numbere
Pastor Gbenga Fagbami
Brother Gbile Akanni
Rev. George Adegboye
Pastor Ghandi
Pastor Gladys Bawo Omamofe
Pastor Helen Ukpabio
Pastor Ibiye Iyalla
Pastor Isaac Temitope Olufoye
Pastor James Fadele
Pastor Joel Onyema Uzoma
Archbishop John O. Onaiyekan
Journalist For Christ
Pastor Kayode Adefina
Pastor Kayode Ijisesan
Pastor Kayode Owolabi
Pastor Kemi Ilori
Pastor Ken Egede
Pastor Kola Ayeni
Pastor Kola Ayeni
Pastor Kola Bamigbade
Pastor Kola Ewuosho
Bishop Kola Onaolapo
Pastor Kolawole Carew
Pastor Kunle Oladebo
Pastor Laolu Bamiteko
Pastor Lawrence Osagie
Bishop Margaret Idahosa
Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo
Pastor Mercy Arinze
Pastor Mike Dada
Bishop Mike Okonkwo
Pastor Mike Tomomewo
Pastor Modupe Afolabi
Pastor Niran Fafowora
Pastor Nkechi Anayo-Iloputaife
Pastor Nkem Emerald Osuigwe
Pastor Nma
Pastor Olatubosun Sowunmi
Pastor Olubode Olutunda
Pastor Oludare Akinbo
Pastor Oludare Ayeni

Pastor Olufemi Oyelowo
Pastor Olugbenga Adenuga
Pastor Olutayo Ojajuni
Pastor Omawumi Efueye
Pastor Oyonnude Kure
Pastor Paul Adefarasin
Pastor Paul Akazu
Rev. Paul Emeka
Pastor Paul F. Usman
Rev. (Dr.) Paul Jinadu
Pastor Paul Oloyede
Maj-General (Pastor) Paul Toun
Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria
The Most Reverend Peter .J. Akinola
Pastor Peter Oludare Oloso
Pastor Philip Aladesua
Rev. (Dr.) S. A. O. Oyelade
Pastor Sam Adeyemi
Prophet (Dr.) Samson Ayorinde
Prophet (Dr.) Samuel Abiara
Pastor Segun Kingsley
Pastor Segun Olatunde
Pastor Shola Adeaga
Dr. Sola Fola-Alade
Pastor Stella Babalola
Archbishop Sunday Makinde
His Eminence, Dr Sunday Mbang
Pastor Susan Somide
Pastor Tai Olamigoke
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya
Dr. Tayo Adeyemi
Pastor Tayo Ojajuni
Mrs. Titi Oluwatudimu
Pastor Tony Rapu
Pastor Tope Dosunmu
Pastor Tunde Bakare
Pastor Tunde Olorunwunmi
Pastor Tunji Akinola
Rev. Ucho Abel
Dr. Uma Ukpai
Pastor Victor Erhabor
Pastor W. Kumuyi
Pastor Wale Adefarasin
Pastor Wale Babatunde
Rev. (Dr.) Wilson Badejo
Pastor Yemi Balogun
Rev. (Dr.) Yinka Ojo
Pastor Yinka Somotun
Pastor Yomi Adeyemi
Bishop Yomi Isijola