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Damina, who is the Senior Pastor of Power City International headquartered in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state Read, made the controversial remarks during one of his recent sermons whose video was circulated on social media on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
Addressing a crowd of worshippers, the cleric attempted to disabuse the minds of certain Christian believers who thought Christianity was the only gateway to paradise.
He urged them to discard such belief while further stressing that Jesus was not even a Christian.
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Damina referred to Biblical characters like Abraham, David, and Jesus Christ, noting that these prophets didn't use the term 'Christianity' but were instead referred to as believers, stressing that these holy people were merely disciples or believers, not “Christians” in the traditional sense.
“Many of you think God is a Christian. God is not a Christian. Many of you think if you are not a Christian, you won’t go to heaven, lie. People went to heaven before Christianity started. Christianity started in Antioch in the Book of Acts. That should humble you a bit, and you should start adjusting your theology.
“And it is unbelievers that gave the name Christianity that you are carrying as a condition to go to heaven— unbelievers who watch the people who were adherents of Brother Paul’s teachings. After teaching for some time, they saw the transformation that had happened to these people. Before then, they were called believers and almajiris. They were disciples of Paul.
“Then the people said instead of calling disciples, the transformation we see in them is that they look like Christ, so let’s call them Christians. But before then, many people went to heaven, including the thief on the cross. So, you don’t have to be a Christian to make heaven,” he said in the video.
Nigerians react to Pastor's claim
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Meanwhile, some Nigerians have expressed their reservations against the claim made by Pastor Damina.
Below are some of the reactions captured on X.
- @uchedible: If you through philosophy have figured out there is a God who created the universe, then you've actually ruled out most religions.
- @dymegyjoe: Of course. God cannot be a follower of Christ. He is the Father of Christ whom people called Christians follow.
- @EnoImoi: In a general sense God is too big to be reduced to a Christian. However, those that belong to Christ are earthly identify as Christians that’s all. There is nothing known as Christian in heaven.
- @marcus_agboola: How can Good be a Christian? Is God a human that needs to be saved. Meaningless and blasphemous statement.
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