POINT OF ORDER

By Amindeh Blaise Atabong 
 

Those merchant preachers 

I was taking ‘one for the script’ with my contemporary who is more of a senior news superintendent and suddenly, some itinerant preachers stormed our hideout to spread “the good news.” We had the reverence to sacrifice part of our drinking time, but my friend was later disappointed that he gave up his hard-earned ‘gombo’ that could have been subsidised for another booze. Angered by what he termed a well calculated conspiracy, he quickly recalled another similar gloomy case.

My friend was travelling from Buea to Bamenda on special assignment. Before their bus could depart the Mile 17 motor park, a ‘Man of God’ barged in and opted to share the word of God to the passengers. Shortly after preaching, he declared that there were demons in the bus and called on all passengers to join him in prayers so as to cast out the demons that were out to cause reckless accidents. All passengers joined and piously prayed like monks, after which they happily gave alms upon request by the preacher. The preacher alighted from the bus at Mutengene, but few minutes later, another preacher took the stage. He preached, prayed, casted demons and collected alms as well from those who bothered to give. His own stop was at Tiko, but before the bus could reach Melon, about the fourth preacher was on board, claiming to cast out bad spirits. At this juncture, my friend was taken aback, wondering the frequency at which bad spirits were multiplying in their bus, despite the numerous fervent prayers. 

Such a demonic spirit-casting business can really cause great fear in the minds of susceptible passengers who are taking a journey on a road stretch that has recorded and keeps on recording many mortal accidents. Whatever, the preachers are doing their job and as God commands, we should not judge them.

However, one has observed with disgust the manner with which some self-made preachers robe their followers with impunity. They claim to have God-ordained visions for their ‘clients,’ declare the presence of devils, carryout their deliverance, break through and exorcism miracles and then get the money. And the day’s job is accomplished! 

I wonder whether these set of crooks do not fear God or even dread the demons they claim to cast. It is still in mind that a fake pastor in Douala was once tortured and tormented by demons in his church, to the extent that he solicited the services of a witch doctor.

I am not against believers and followers offering their widow’s mite to ‘workers’ in God’s vine yard. After all, Jesus asked us to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what is God’s. I can still remember that during my teen days of catechism, our local catechist was fond of coercing us into supplying him with food stuffs every end of month, basing his argument on a biblical passage in 1^ST Corinthians 9:13-14: “...those who preach the gospel should have their living from the gospel.” 

All the same, those unscrupulous individuals who think they can vest in preachers’ robes to sermonize and cast out demons with the aim of making money should beware. Either God will definitely punish them on the last day for calling his name in vain or Nemesis will certainly catch up with them for provoking ‘quiet’ demons on earth.

The forces or law and order must step in, just like in any other sector, to ensure that innocent and gullible citizens are not defrauded of their hard-earned pennies.

As a patriotic national in a country with an ill-focussed government that continues to impoverish an already highly impoverished citizenry, I understand the implications of being unemployed or wanting to make fast money easily.

But this set of new generation preachers should not joke with God. This may be the only opportunity for me to call these counterfeit preachers to order by giving them a red card. God is watching!