The ongoing annual convention of the
Redeemed Christian Church of God, on Tuesday, received enormous
publicity. The publicity, however, came in a controversial manner.
The General Overseer of the church,
Pastor Enoch Adeboye, in a message on marriage, stirred a widespread
debate on social media, with thousands taking to the Internet to protest
or support his positions on the categories of people Christians should
not marry.
Adeboye, who is fondly called Daddy G.O.
by members of his church, advised a congregation of bachelors and
spinsters at the convention to avoid marrying certain individuals in
order to enjoy their marriages.
Videos of the teachings, which were uploaded on different social media sites, received huge ‘share’.
The pastor urged bachelors to shun
ladies who could not pray “non-stop” for at least an hour. He also
advised them against marrying “lazy” women as well as those who could
not cook.
The cooking aspect particularly caught
the attention of feminists. They took protested the pastor’s remark,
saying they were not supposed to be consigned to kitchens just because
they were women.
Adeboye also warned ladies against
accepting marriage proposals by “jobless” bachelors. He said those who
could not earn incomes should not marry.
A social media activist, Asuquo Ulo, said the teachings were part of unacceptable thinking that characterised the age.
The tweeter disagreed with the cleric’s position, saying “marriage is really beyond jobs, cooking and prayers”.
As far as Chinye Onwordi, a Twitter user, is concerned, Adeboye’s advice had solved a persisting puzzle on the social media.
“Whether Nigerian ladies agree to cook
when they marry or not, Adeboye has spoken the truth nobody should shy
away from,” he tweeted.
One Ahmed Isah also wrote, “Adeboye, we
thank you for ending this long debate. You spoke from a spiritual realm,
not as a mere mortal.”
As of Tuesday evening, many sites had
unveiled online polls with a view to assessing the acceptability of
Adeboye’s marriage ‘prescriptions’.
In one of the videos, Adeboye advised,
“Marry a prayer warrior! Don’t marry any girl who cannot pray for one
hour non-stop. Don’t marry a girl who is lazy! If she is lazy when she
is single, what will happen if she is married?”
In another one, he warned, “Don’t marry a
man who has no job. Before God gave Adam Eve, he gave him a job. He
said, ‘This is the garden, keep it.’ So when anybody comes to you and
say, ‘Sister, thus saith the Lord, you are going to be the star in my
firmament,’ ask him — ‘What is your job?’
“If he tells you he is a contractor, ask
him to show you evidence of all the contracts he has done because the
contract he is talking about is you. He wants to live off you.
“Don’t be a fool. If he hasn’t got a
steady income, don’t marry him. A man is to provide for the house and
not the other way round. If he has no income, he should not marry. Those
who do not work should not eat. And if they can’t eat, they can’t even
marry.”
Adeboye trended widely on social media
platforms as the issues he raised were scrutinised by his fans and foes.
The videos became the toast of members of the online community.
Adeboye’s popularity rating, by
online metrics, soared. He also enjoyed a huge Google search, as
bloggers dissected thousands of comments for catchy headlines for their
posts.
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