How can a cleric who tells a polygamous man to divorce his wife or wives who did not commit adultery, be called a Bible-believing Christian?
Sina Adedipe
In the last two years I have heard up to six Pentecostal pastors preach that men with two or more wives should go and divorce the one or ones they married after the first one. And that if such husbands failed to do so that their spouse or spouses should leave them because they and their partners would not enter the Kingdom of God since it is a sin to be in polygamous matrimonial union.
READ ALSO: Reasons for writing my polygamy series (2)
I was always shocked hearing such clerics preach their fake sermon because the only ground Jesus Christ said a husband or wife should leave the partner was if he or she committed adultery (Matthew 5:31 – 32). It did not include if the man had a second spouse or more spouses.
The irony of the divorce declaration by the priests is that after their sermon they or another person in the church would announce that anyone in the congregation who had not given his or her life to Jesus
Christ should come to the altar to do so. And immediately after the ceremony, the officiating prelate would tell those just inducted into the born – again family that they should go and join a Bible – believing Church and worship in only such a House of God.
But pray, how can a cleric who tells a polygamous man to divorce his wife or wives who did not commit adultery, be called a Bible-believing Christian and an obedient servant and respecter of the Heavenly Father and His son? Ditto the one who says polygamy is sinful when the Ancient of Days did not prohibit it and Jesus Christ and the Apostles did not preach against it in the Holy Bible.
As I had stated in an article in this series the problem of the anti – polygamy pastors is that they had not read the Bible comprehensively from Genesis through Revelation which I had done up fifteen times in the last 32 years.
It goes without saying that most pastors in Nigeria read selected portions of the Christian Holy Book, especially the New Testament, to which they are referred by their teachers or lecturers when in Bible Colleges. While most non-clerics read only the passages they are referred to by teachers during Bible lessons or by preachers delivering sermons.
If not, why would a priest or grown – up Christian not know that the Ancient of Days had no law in the Bible prohibiting polygamy and that Jesus Christ and the Apostles did not preach against it?
This is unfortunate in a country where many a Christian call themselves born – again believers. It was my realization that it was the ignorance on the part of many a people on the position of Almighty God and Jesus on multiple – marriage in the Bible that made me write an article in the Daily Sun in the last week of September 2003. It was titled: The Church, not God is against polygamy. It was written after I had discussed the issue with the Heavenly Father.
To be continued next Wednesday, November 21 with the story of how the statement of Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, in the Sunday Vanguard in November 2008 got me writing on the issue of polygamy ten years ago.
READ ALSO: Stories of RCCG Redemption Camp by Pastor Adeboye
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Phenomenal Matriarch of the Adedipes, Falaes, Ade – Ojos & others (25) – 18 doctor – offspring (2)
LET me start by correcting the figure of 19 descendants given in the headline last week. A cousin mistakenly gave me the name of the daughter of his elder sister born to the husband of his mother before she married his father. So, the medical – doctor offspring of our matriarch are 18.
The sixth daughter of our father who has a child who is a medical practitioner is Mrs. Adeoti Oluwatoyin Adefemi, a retired Secretary, Union Bank of Nigeria, Lagos. She is the wife of Emure – Ekiti – born Mr. Kolawole Adefemi, a retired Plant Operation Director, Neimeth International Pharmaceutical Company, Lagos (former Pfizer). Their eldest child (Mrs.) Olayinka Ogundeji is a medical doctor in Ibadan.
Mrs. Adefemi’s immediate younger sister on our mother’s side, Mrs. Fadeke Olaleye, a Chief Confidential Secretary in the Presidency in Abuja, also has a son who is a medical doctor in Lagos.
The same with another sister of mine, Mrs. Adepeju Aburo, a former Vice – Principal, Army Command Day Secondary School, Ikeja who retired as Inspector
of Education, Institute of Army Education, Ikeja. Her daughter, Wuraola Aburo is also a medical doctor in Lagos.
The ninth daughter of our dad who has children practicing medicine is United States – based Mrs. Adeyola Adeuyan. Her daughter, Miss Olayinka Adeuyan and her son Oladipo Adeuyan are medical doctors in America.
Another descendant of our uncommon matriarch who is a medical practitioner is Dr. Gbenga Adedipe, the grandson of High Chief Akomolafe Adedipe, the 12th Elemo of Akure (1920 – 58), whom my old man succeeded in 1959 through 1972. He too practices in the United States.
Doctor Gbemisola Adedipe, the daughter of Barrister (Chief) Ifedayo Adedipe (Senior Advocate of Nigeria) is a physiotherapist in the United Kingdom. A number of other descendants of our matriarch are at present in medical institutions training to be doctors in the U.K., United States and Canada.
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Next week: The pharmacist and engineer – descendants.
