Insurgency:
Should Christians defend themselves?
YEMI
OLAKITAN
The wave of killings in the North
eastern part of the country has been worrisome to the body Christ, particularly
because Christians have been the worst target of incessant attacks by Islamic fanatics
who burn churches and kill Christians in large numbers with gross disregard for
human lives.
The leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, in one of his internet messages said his
group was after Christians and will kill them anywhere they find them. Yemi Olakitan, Senior Correspondent goes on a fact finding mission on
what Christians should do in the face of insurgency. Should Christians defend
themselves or turn the other cheek as recorded in the Bible?
Boko Haram attacks against the
Christian community and the nation in general have become difficult for the
security agencies to tackle. As a result, hundreds of unarmed Christians have
been murdered and continue to be murdered.
President
of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, while receiving
delegates of the Hausa, Fulani, and Kanuri Christians Association of Nigeria
recently, said “Boko Haram is a disgrace to Africa as a whole and their
activities have affected everybody. My prayer is that very soon, the sponsors
of Boko Haram and anyone who supports them would be brought to book so that the
law would take its course and they too would face the judgement of not God
alone, but also of men.”
However, Christians have continued to
die. Only recently, Boko Haram Islamists burnt
churches and massacred more than forty people, including students at a Christian seminary in Adamawa State. Also, a
pastor, his pregnant wife and children were reportedly murdered in Borno State.
Recent statistics from the
National Emergency Management Agency
(NEMA) revealed that three million people were displaced by insurgency in the
North-East between January and March alone.
In a chat
with Reverend Father Julius Olaitan of Our Mother Lady of Perpetual Help
Catholic Church, Lekki, Ajah, Lagos, he said, ‘Christians are not going to
fight.’
“The
Bishops of the Catholic Church have spoken on the matter. We are not going to
fight. The battle belongs to the Lord. That is Christianity for you. It is not
for us to defend ourselves. It is the Government and the security agencies that
must do the right thing by ensuring safety of lives and property as well as
freedom of worship for all,’’ he said.
According
to the Bible, our Lord Jesus Christ forbade Christians to use violence in any
way even in self defense. When armed soldiers
came to arrest him in order to kill him, he instructed his disciples not to
fight or defend him, saying those who live by the sword, shall die by the
swords. Jesus said ‘‘do unto others as
you want them to do to you. Love your neighbor as yourselves.’’ When Peter cut off the ear of one of the
soldiers who came to arrest and kill him, he took the ear and placed it back,
healing the soldier. He told his
disciples that when they hit them on one cheek, they should turn the other
cheek.
Jesus would
not fight even in self-defense; rather he willingly gave up his life for
mankind. He predicted that Christians will be persecuted, thrown into prisons,
killed or hunted down by those who think they are doing the right thing.
He said: “Do
not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather
fear one who can kill both the body and the soul in hell”. He advised his
followers to resist evil with good.
Consequently,
many Christians in the early churches were killed; many were beheaded, thrown
to the lions, burnt at the stakes or stoned to death for merely professing to
be Christians or owning Bibles. However, the Christian faith has continued to
spread despite these persecutions, becoming the greatest religion known to
mankind.
The
questions here are; is Jesus Christ’s approach still practical today? Should Christians continue to turn the other
cheeks? Shouldn’t Christians organize armed defense for the church so that when
terrorists stage an attack on them, they will be able to resist by force of
arms.
In a chat
with Pastor Benn Itua of Royal Harvest Christian Ministry, he said ‘‘it is
difficult for Christians to defend themselves. Even those who are trained to
defend the nation have found it difficult to defend it. Is it Christians that
will now defend themselves against people they cannot see, people that live
among them, who all of sudden will turn against them when they are off guard,
killing everybody and looting the people? It is a difficult thing to ask
Christians to defend themselves. They are not trained soldiers, besides; all
these things have been predicted by Jesus in the Bible. He already said,
Christians will be persecuted,’’ Itua said.
He called
on the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the Christians Association
of Nigeria (CAN) to immediately call a stakeholders forum of Christian leaders
where these issues can be discussed.
Speaking
further, Pastor Itua said “such forum should give us the opportunity to seek
the face of the Lord concerning this matter. There is always a solution from
God if we seek him. If God fights in the matter, we will all hold our peace.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal; so we need to invite God into the
situation,’’ the cleric said.
In another
chat with Pastor Favoured Abu of the Living Faith Church, Badore, he said Christians
should defend themselves. When asked
whether this is Biblical, he said: “Why did God command Israel to go to war? If God can command the people of Israel to go
to war against their enemies, then Christians can and should defend themselves
in any way they can. If war is recognized in the scriptures, then Christians do
not need to fold their hands against insurgents who come to kill, steal and
destroy them. We will not go on the offensive but if people come to attack us,
we have every right to defend ourselves. When Jesus asked us to turn the other
cheek when we are hit on one, he was talking about forgiveness. It does not
mean that we should turn the other cheek so that the fellow can slap us the
second time. It means we will not retaliate. We are to be peaceful people. It’s like asking whether a Christian can own a
gun. A Christian can own a gun. He will
not attack you first. If you come to my
house to do me bodily harm and I have a gun, I will kill you first. So,
Christians have every right to defend themselves against insurgents and they
should.’’
Pastor Tolu Fowotade of Mountain of Fire
and Miracles Ministry, in his own response said ‘‘that he would rather advise
Christians to flee. According to him,
wherever such insurgents are spreading violence, Christians should not be
there.’’
“They should flee such places because
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual towards the pulling
down of strongholds. Christians cannot be taking up arms. Christianity is a religion
of love and not of war,’’ he added.
Deacon Chinedu Chima of Global Church
of the Living God said Christians should pray. According to him, prayers works
wonders.
His words: “Love is the basis of
Christianity. Jesus displayed love in his life and he is our emblem. If Jesus
did not fight his enemies with violence, how then can we fight them with
violence?
Speaking further, he said if God
fights for you, the fight can be terrible. “He does not fight with weapons that
we can see. Christianity is about peace and love. Jesus laid a great
foundation. He never fought his battles with physical weapons and he won. In
the history of Christianity, more Christians have laid down their lives rather
than take up arms against their enemies and you can see the spread of the
religion” he stated.
Taiwo Ajoke of the Redeemed Christian
Church, RCCG, opined that Christians must learn to defend themselves. According to her, what is happening in the
North cannot happen in the developed world because nearly everyone has a gun in
his house.
“Take the United States for example. They
have the State Police, Community Police, Federal Police and nearly everyone has
access to a gun, and so if the government fails to defend you, you can defend
yourself. We must defend ourselves. It’s our responsibility. The Bible says
prayer without works is dead. We must back up our prayers with actions. The
Christian Association of Nigeria and other stakeholders should immediately set
up a Christian vigilante group that will liaise with the government in order to
defend Christian communities, and churches that are being attacked by Islamic
insurgents in the North. We cannot leave our destiny in the hands of government
alone. We must take our safety in our hands, with prayers and with action,’’
she said.
