A roundup of the latest news and analysis on matters of faith and religion in Africa, Nigeria and the world, with stories from codewit.com and Nigeria News
Muslims who kill Christians in Nigeria over blasphemy will not smell Paradise, popular Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has declared.
He was reacting to the killing of a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education (SSCOE) Deborah Samuel over alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad last Thursday.
Gumi stated categorically that Nigeria is not an Islamic state, adding that Muslims have an agreement with people of other faiths to live together peacefully.
He said any Muslim who kills Christians with whom they have agreed to live peacefully on religious guise has committed a grievous sin.
The Islamic scholar spoke in one of his preachings at Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna.
He said it is unfortunate some Muslim clerics were quoting verses they don’t understand and telling people to kill whoever insults their religion.
Quoting some Quranic verses and jurisprudence, the cleric said killing a non-Muslim under the guise the person uttered a blasphemous statement against Prophet Muhammad is not an excuse “because Allah has told us in the Qur’an the non-Muslims will insult Allah and His Prophet. In fact, it is now the blasphemy that will start after the killing of that lady in Sokoto, the insult will increase, not reduce.”
Gumi said some Muslims in Nigeria that want to defend Prophet Muhammad should be ashamed of themselves because they are corrupt.
He explained the best way to defend the Prophet is to follow his teachings.
According to Gumi: “We the clerics need to wake up and teach the Muslims their religion. We must leave this state of ignorance, we have turned like animals. We the Muslims are not the only ones in this country.
“It is not only that we are not the only ones in this country, we must know that there was nothing the unbelievers did not do to Prophet Muhammad but he was patient because he was conscious that if he killed them, the unbelievers he was trying to bring to the fold of Islam will tag him a killer.
“There are people who are neither Muslims nor Christians in Nigeria, and everyone is trying to win their souls. Also, there are people who are not Muslims, whom we are preaching Islam so that they can enter the fold of Islam and be salvaged in the hereafter.
“If we now begin to kill people, they will say it is even from the leader of our faith, Prophet Muhammad, that we have learnt it. They will say their religion is a religion of bloodletting. At a time we are trying to draw the attention of people to see the beauty of Islam, we are now scaring them away.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Treasure House of God, Quarry, Abeokuta, Ogun State has donated food items and cash worth millions of Naira to about 4,700 less privileged people. The beneficiaries include widows, widowers, youths, students and the physically challenged in line with the corporate social responsibility of the church. During the occasion, which took place last weekend, Mr. Adeniyi Adeloye, Media Consultant to the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Seye Senfuye, said the yearly event was usually low key but, this time around, the church decided to scale it up to accommodate a multitude of people based on the economic challenges in the country.
According to Adeloye, the joy of the church was to touch the people positively as a way of showing gratitude to God for His benevolence and lending a helping hand to the needy. He said the General Overseer’s belief was that the church is part of the society and that whatever affects the church affects the society. “So, the church is extending this year’s feeding arrangements to take care of many more people than ever before.” He stressed that the gesture was not politically motivated but purely humanitarian.
The distribution was preceded by a short service presided over by the church’s Associate Pastor, Linus Taylor, who explained that the gesture was done in the spirit of love sharing. Taylor hinted that 5,000 people would benefit from the free donation in the next edition. One of the beneficiaries, Mr Adejare Odekunle, thanked the church and urged government, other churches and well-meaning Nigerians to emulate the gesture.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
A legal practitioner, Danladi Umar, in Abuja on Sunday, March 12, 2017 faulted the allegation by a Canada-based stripper, Stephanie Otobo, that she had an amorous relationship with the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries and Miracles, Apostle Johnson Suleman, saying her demand for sum of N500 million could be a voyage to reaping where she did not sow.
He also faulted what he described media trial of the cleric and wondered what it was meant to achieve by his critics.
According to him, the claim of a purported amorous relationship including a supposed proposal by the cleric to marry her and further clarification of introduction ceremony purportedly at the Headquarters of the church in Auchi, Edo State, were laced with unbelief.
Umar told journalists that the allegations were against the claims by Otobo’s lawyer, Festus Keyamo, that cleric took drinks to her parents and kinsmen to ask for her hand in marriage.
Apostle Suleman Stephanie Otobo aka Kimora Stephanie Otobo aka Kimora He said, “My view piece is precipitated by the many-sidedness of Otobo’s account and those of her lawyers as one begins to wonder what the motive for the media trial is meant to achieve outside bringing down an outspoken preacher. Consistently, they’ve been sounding fricative like irregular verbs in Latin with both erroneous and conflicting allegations against Apostle Suleman.
“My sympathy goes to the Christian faith because even as a Muslim, I am at the risk of discussing this otherwise laughable and ridiculous string of allegations which even the unlettered and ‘uncertificated’ would at once find to be the desperate efforts of the said lady and her gang to nail the Senior Pastor of the church, it has become pertinent to ask the following salient questions to unravel the truth or otherwise of the claims.”
Umar also raised 10 posers to justify his argument:
He said, “What are the details of the alleged marriage proposal made by the Man of God to Ms. Otobo – where and when did this happen? What are the names of those present and where are the pictures of those who allegedly attended the event? If this is not a mere concoction, why are these details not provided by Ms. Otobo?
“Why has the key actors in this unfolding, albeit failing drama been unable to produce the slightest evidence of the purported formal introduction of the Apostle to Ms. Otobo’s family?”
“Who’s to be believed, Sahara Reporters, Festus Keyamo or Ms. Otobo as to when the Apostle reportedly took drinks and gifts to the family? Was this done clandestinely at night and at a time when pictures could not be taken? Was it a CULT introduction? With Ms. Otobo’s father denouncing any such event ever taking place, will any reasonable person still believe any other account of Ms. Otobo and her gang?
“On what the basis would a man of God of a global scope and reach like the Apostle, put away his wife of many years and friend of even many more years who has laboured with him in Ministry only to go for a lady who wears a pink or orange hair? How reasonably could he explain this to his congregation spread across the globe? Is there not too much at stake for him to embark on such a journey to nowhere?
“In the Sahara Reporters’ article of March 5, 2017, they stated that Ms. Otobo’s relationship with the Man of God got so strong that she began to follow him around the world for programs and choosing sermon topics for the Man of God. All of these with the knowledge of members of the Church? And no one asked questions? If these allegations are not blatant lies from the pit of hell, why couldn’t Ms. Otobo mention the names of all the programs and locations she accompanied the Apostle to, the sermon topics she chose for the Apostle and through what means she chose the topics for the Apostle. She would rather make bogus and blanket claims because she is well aware that if she provides any details, abundant evidence will be produced to show the sheer fallacy of her claims.
“Why has no other person come out to corroborate Ms. Otobo’s claims, with her own father dissociating himself from her illusionary claims?
“Which man of God, having promised to marry a lady, will at the same time be requesting to have a three-some with that lady and her friends? Assuming, without conceding that the lady were tangentially correct and that this could happen, what manner of lady would insist on marrying such a man and even go ahead to demand for N500 million on the allegation that the man failed to marry her?
“The letter from Festus Keyamo’s chamber purportedly written to the Apostle is dated March, 3, 2017 which is the same date both the Lagos lawyer and Ms Otobo alleged that she was arrested by the Police. The same day! When did Ms. Otobo brief my learned colleague of the matter to have enabled him to write to the Apostle on the same day? Before, during or after Ms. Otobo was arrested? Is this not looking like a poorly written Nollywood script?
“The letter from Festus Keyamo & Co. purportedly written to the Inspector General of Police is dated Saturday, March 4, 2017 – on a WEEKEND! So when was the letter dispatched? Did the IGP get the letter before the chamber released same to the press and to have been carried same day by Sahara Reporters? I leave you to fill in the gaps!
“The Sahara Reporters Article indicates that the Man of God convinced Ms. Otobo to return to Nigeria and she returned to Nigeria LAST WEEK! The letter from Festus Keyamo states that the Man of God HAS BEEN threatening Ms. Otobo. So when did the threats start? All within last week when she purportedly relocated to Nigeria on a re conciliatory journey? Are these not clearly a misguided cacophony of blue murder cries? Is it not clear that the demand by Ms. Otobo and her paymasters of a whopping sum of N500 million is nothing but a voyage to reaping where they have not sown?.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Among many Nigerian and other African Christians, TB Joshua is a prophet, a healer and a man of God. On Thursday, however, the Nigerian televangelist is due to appear in a Lagos courtroom, alongside two engineers, charged with criminal negligence that resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people.
The case relates to a tragic incident on September 12, 2014. A Lagos guesthouse belonging to Joshua’s church, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), collapsed, killing at least 115 people, including 84 South Africans who had traveled across the continent for one of Joshua’s renowned healing services.
The South African government reacted angrily to the event, calling on Nigeria to conduct a thorough investigation. Eventually, in July 2015—10 months after the incident—a Nigerian coroner ruled that SCOAN was culpable of criminal negligence, since the structure had more floors than the foundation could hold, and that those who built the guesthouse should be investigated. The Lagos state ministry of justice indicated its intention in November 2015 to charge the SCOAN’s trustees, of which Joshua is one.
For their part, Joshua and the SCOAN rejected the coroner’s findings as “unreasonable, one-sided and biased.” The Nigerian mega-preacher and his church maintained the collapse was connected to the presence of a mysterious aircraft, which they alleged had been circling the building prior to its collapse.
Even if Joshua is found guilty of criminal negligence, his reputation will not be damaged among his legions of devoted followers, according to Maria Frahm-Arp, an expert in Pentecostal Christianity at the University of Johannesburg. “Right from the beginning, he’s been spinning this story of this mysterious airplane and the idea that this was an attack by Satan,” says Frahm-Arp. “The court can find whatever the court finds, but it’s going to be seen [among Joshua’s followers] as an attack by Satan to try and undermine and discredit him.”
Born in June 1963 to a poor family in a rural part of Ondo state, southwestern Nigeria, Temitope Balogun Joshua claims to have been in his mother’s womb for 15 months before he was born. He says he received his divine calling early in life, when he had a vision in which he was commissioned by God to teach, preach and carry out miracles. The SCOAN was allegedly founded with just eight members; the Lagos’ HQ now reportedly attracts 50,000 worshippers each week, with many traveling from as far afield as South Africa to see the charismatic preacher in the flesh. TB Joshua’s popularity extends online: his Facebook page has more than 1.9 million likes and his Twitter feed 135,000 followers.The church even has a television channel, Emmanuel TV, that broadcasts Joshua’s sermons and publicizes his miracles to millions.
And it is miracles that are central to Joshua’s ministry. Videos on SCOAN’s website include testimonies from church members concerning all kinds of healings, from the exorcism of demons to financial prosperity and fortune to the restoration of a man’s private parts. Joshua also claims to have prophesied in advance the occurrence of multiple world events, from the death of Michael Jackson, to the shooting down of MH17 in Russian airspace, to the November 2015 attacks in Paris. Yet some of Joshua’s prophecies have not yet come to pass: the pastor prophesied in May 2014 that 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram from their dormitories in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, would be returned safely to their families. To date, 219 of the girls remain missing. Joshua’s “health and wealth gospel” has a particular resonance in places like Nigeria, says Frahm-Arp, where people are inclined to turn to miraculous healers in the absence of the state adequately meeting their needs. More than 60 percent of Nigeria’s population—almost 100 million people—live on less than $1 per day and parts of the country, such as the northeast, lack decent infrastructure due to the ravages of the Boko Haram insurgency. “They are drawn to something outside of the public and governmental domain to try and find answers,” says Frahm-Arp.
The Nigerian preacher has found plentiful earthly rewards for his ministry. In June 2011, Forbes estimated Joshua to be have a net worth of between $10-15 million. He has also developed friends in high places, including the late former Ghanaian president John Atta Mills and Julius Malema, the leader of South Africa’s left-wing opposition the Economic Freedom Fighters. His church has given much to charity: Forbes estimated that Joshua gave more than $20 million to causes including the rehabilitation of former Niger Delta militants between 2008 and 2011, and Joshua founded a Lagos football academy named My People FC, one of whose graduates, Ogenyi Onazi, now plays for Italian club Lazio.
According to Manji Cheto, Nigeria analyst at political consultancy Teneo Intelligence, “pastor-preneurs” like Joshua have struck a chord among Nigeria’s lower classes, who long for the lifestyles that their preachers have. “A lot of people that he attracts are working-class Nigerians, some very poor, and middle-class Nigerians either aspiring to retain or increase their wealth,” says Cheto. “That sort of miracle-working pastor, who has gained notoriety and is a bit of a celebrity, those are the sort of people he would appeal to.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Second son of 1st Republic Senate President, Late Abyssinia Orizu, Prince Orji Orizu has challenged any Nigerian, native doctor, any child or agent of a native doctor and anybody connected to any native doctor in or outside Nigeria to come out and speak that he has visited, patronized or been seen in the house of any native doctor anywhere in or outside Nigeria.
Prince Nwafor-Orizu gave the challenge while addressing newsmen in his house in Nnewi, following allegations by Rev. Fr. Chidozie Chilaka, aka ‘Jesus Network,’ of the Catholic Diocese of the East (Orthodox Catholic) during his weeklong crusade at Nigeria Science and Technical College Nnewi, that Prince Orji Nwafor Orizu was responsible for the misfortunes of his uncle’s wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Orizu and those of her children.
The Mbaise-born and Isiala Mbano, Imo State, based evangelist had allegedly called out one Mrs. Orizu, Prince Nwafor-Orizu’s uncle’s wife, during his crusade in Nnewi and told her that she had been under a spell from Prince Nwafor-Orizu.
The priest allegedly told the woman that all her daughters’ broken marriages were caused by the legal luminary, promising that he would nullify curses inflicted on them by the former first Republic Senate President’s son. He has now been sued for N5bn.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
In perhaps the most stinging criticism of the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), by a past leader of the body, the former Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Olubunmi Okogie, said the current president of the association, Ayo Oritsejafor is making a mockery of the association by his closeness to President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
Describing him as “fallen from grace to grass”, Mr. Okogie said Mr Oritsejafor’s has also lost grip of the leadership of CAN.
Mr. Okogie, who spoke during an interview with the New Telegraph newspapers, said Mr Oritsejafor “unrighteous” quest to remain in power and his “romance” with politicians have finished him and derailed the once respected Christian body from the lofty dreams of its founding fathers.
“My brother, I must tell you this; CAN leadership today is zero. CAN has no leader,” he said.
“Thank God you are talking to one of the founders of CAN, and I was there as their leader for eight years. Then, the whole country knew that CAN had a leader, not by my own might, but by God. Because what we were doing then, we had only one voice. But the problem we have now is that people are struggling for power in unrighteous way. And because he is struggling for power, he can do little or nothing.
Ayo Oritsejafor CAN president
“And we didn’t buy the position. But this time around, because they are rushing to be in power, nobody obeys them. And look at how they are making mockery of themselves and making mockery of “religion”. Is that religion? Today, they are with the federal government. We saw the writing on the wall when we left. The very first person that took over started romancing with Obasanjo. Then one or two CAN presidents tried their best before it got to this present CAN president, Oritsejafor. This is not right. Look at how Oritsejafor has fallen, from grace to grass.”
Mr. Okogie took a swipe at the CAN president over his link with the $9.3 million smuggled abroad purportedly to procure arms and seized by South African authorities.
Two Nigerians and an Israeli were arrested at the Lanseria Airport in South Africa on September 5, 2014 as they tried to enter the country with the cash conveyed in a private jet owned by the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ayo Oritsejafor.
Mr Okojie said if Mr Oritsejafor is indeed a man of God as he claimed he should rely on God and should have no business getting involved in the $9.3 million arms scandal.
“They are ready with their moneybags. Where did they get the money from? Where did they get the $9.3m that has been seized by South Africa from? They said it was to buy arms. We have to be very careful in this nation. What is the man (Oritsejafor) looking for? If you call yourself a man of God, then you should rely on God. Why should he be jumping up and down? But because he was not elected, not chosen by God, that is what is happening. Today, he wants to build a university, tomorrow he wants to be something else, next tomorrow he wants to be like other people. He said Mr Oritsejafor is a sinking man and might take President Goodluck Jonathan down with him.
“And he is not going down alone; he is also staining the name of the Head of State. Of course, why not? If you eat with those with dirty hands, then you must be dirty.”
Criticising the House of Representatives for electing not to investigate the botched arms deal, Mr. Okogie said the deal was a clear case of money laundering and that President Jonathan and Mr. Oritsejafor should be prosecuted for their involvement in the deal.
“In fact, if I have a lawyer, I would sue them. And I am telling you that I will win. If you can tell me that if I carry huge sums of money without declaring it, that you will arrest me for money laundering, then what is this one. They were carrying all that money and it was not declared. It is a clear case of money laundering. Yet, they are the ones making laws against money laundering.”
The Catholic priest also spared some stinging words for private jet flying mega preachers in the country describing their taste for finery things as unbiblical. He said rather than surround themselves with material things; they should instead spend the money to take care of the needy in the society.
“As far as I am concerned, why are they men of God? I asked one so-called religious leader, and you know what he told me? He said, “My God is a rich God. So if yours is a poor God, that’s your business.” Imagine! So you can even see that this one can’t be called a man of God. And these are the people that tell you they can work miracles, that they have a direct telephone line to God.
“They say they can do this, they can do that, and God is watching all of us. If it were to be in the Old Testament, they would all have been struck down by God. But God is a patient God. We have to be praying for this kind of people, for them to have a change of heart. What are they looking for with jet? Another one said, “Jesus said go into the whole world and evangelise, so how can I go into the whole world, with what? I need a plane to be able to go to the whole world.”
“Even the devil can quote scripture. But did Jesus Christ say you should go and steal to go and buy plane? But now they are claiming that they were given the jets as gifts. But why can’t they spend that money on the poor? There are many Nigerians who are begging that they have nothing to eat, and yet you say you’re preaching. Preaching for what? Are there no pastors where they are going? May God not punish us according to our sins.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
From the first time Christian children settle into Sunday school classrooms, an image of Jesus Christ is etched into their minds. In North America he is most often depicted as being taller than his disciples, lean, with long, flowing, light brown hair, fair skin and light-colored eyes. Familiar though this image may be, it is inherently flawed. A person with these features and physical bearing would have looked very different from everyone else in the region where Jesus lived and ministered. Surely the authors of the Bible would have mentioned so stark a contrast.
On the contrary, according to the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane before the Crucifixion, Judas Iscariot had to indicate to the soldiers whom Jesus was because they could not tell him apart from his disciples. Further clouding the question of what Jesus looked like is the simple fact that nowhere in the New Testament is Jesus described, nor have any drawings of him ever been uncovered.
There is the additional problem of having neither a skeleton nor other bodily remains to probe for DNA. In the absence of evidence, our images of Jesus have been left to the imagination of artists. The influences of the artists’ cultures and traditions can be profound, observes Carlos F. Cardoza-Orlandi, associate professor of world Christianity at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta. “While Western imagery is dominant, in other parts of the world he is often shown as black, Arab or Hispanic.” And so the fundamental question remains: What did Jesus look like?
An answer has emerged from an exciting new field of science: forensic anthropology. Using methods similar to those police have developed to solve crimes, British scientists, assisted by Israeli archeologists, have re-created what they believe is the most accurate image of the most famous face in human history.
The Body As Evidence
An outgrowth of physical anthropology, forensic anthropology uses cultural and archeological data as well as the physical and biological sciences to study different groups of people, explains A. Midori Albert, a professor who teaches forensic anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Experts in this highly specialized field require a working knowledge of genetics, and human growth and development. In their research they also draw from the fields of primatology, paleoanthropology (the study of primate and human evolution) and human osteology (the study of the skeleton). Even seemingly distant fields like nutrition, dentistry and climate adaptation play a role in this type of investigation.
While forensic anthropology is usually used to solve crimes, Richard Neave, a medical artist retired from The University of Manchester in England, realized it also could shed light on the appearance of Jesus. The co-author of Making Faces: Using Forensic And Archaeological Evidence, Neave had ventured in controversial areas before. Over the past two decades, he had reconstructed dozens of famous faces, including Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great, and King Midas of Phrygia. If anyone could create an accurate portrait of Jesus, it would be Neave.
Reconstructing Jesus
Matthew’s description of the events in Gethsemane offers an obvious clue to the face of Jesus. It is clear that his features were typical of Galilean Semites of his era. And so the first step for Neave and his research team was to acquire skulls from near Jerusalem, the region where Jesus lived and preached. Semite skulls of this type had previously been found by Israeli archeology experts, who shared them with Neave.
With three well-preserved specimens from the time of Jesus in hand, Neave used computerized tomography to create X-ray “slices” of the skulls, thus revealing minute details about each one’s structure. Special computer programs then evaluated reams of information about known measurements of the thickness of soft tissue at key areas on human faces. This made it possible to re-create the muscles and skin overlying a representative Semite skull.
The entire process was accomplished using software that verified the results with anthropological data. From this data, the researchers built a digital 3D reconstruction of the face. Next, they created a cast of the skull. Layers of clay matching the thickness of facial tissues specified by the computer program were then applied, along with simulated skin. The nose, lips and eyelids were then modeled to follow the shape determined by the underlying muscles.
A Matter Of Style
Two key factors could not be determined from the skull—Jesus’s hair and coloration. To fill in these parts of the picture, Neave’s team turned to drawings found at various archeological sites, dated to the first century. Drawn before the Bible was compiled, they held crucial clues that enabled the researchers to determine that Jesus had dark rather than light-colored eyes. They also pointed out that in keeping with Jewish tradition, he was bearded as well.
It was the Bible, however, that resolved the question of the length of Jesus’s hair. While most religious artists have put long hair on Christ, most biblical scholars believe that it was probably short with tight curls. This assumption, however, contradicted what many believe to be the most authentic depiction: the face seen in the image on the famous—some say infamous—Shroud of Turin. The shroud is believed by many to be the cloth in which Jesus’s body was wrapped after his death. Although there is a difference of opinion as to whether the shroud is genuine, it clearly depicts a figure with long hair. Those who criticize the shroud’s legitimacy point to 1 Corinthians, one of the many New Testament books the apostle Paul is credited with writing. In one chapter he mentions having seen Jesus—then later describes long hair on a man as disgraceful. Would Paul have written “If a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him” if Jesus Christ had had long hair? For Neave and his team this settled the issue. Jesus, as drawings from the first century depict, would have had short hair, appropriate to men of the time.
The historic record also resolved the issue of Jesus’s height. From an analysis of skeletal remains, archeologists had firmly established that the average build of a Semite male at the time of Jesus was 5 ft. 1 in., with an average weight of about 110 pounds. Since Jesus worked outdoors as a carpenter until he was about 30 years old, it is reasonable to assume he was more muscular and physically fit than westernized portraits suggest. His face was probably weather-beaten, which would have made him appear older, as well.
Computer models (left) and modeling clay enable Neave (right) to create a forensically acceptable facial reconstruction. (Photographs by Keith Kasnot/National Geographic Image Collection [left] and The Unit of Art in Medicine/The University of Manchester, UK [right])
An Accurate Portrait
For those accustomed to traditional Sunday school portraits of Jesus, the sculpture of the dark and swarthy Middle Eastern man that emerges from Neave’s laboratory is a reminder of the roots of their faith. “The fact that he probably looked a great deal more like a darker-skinned Semite than westerners are used to seeing him pictured is a reminder of his universality,” says Charles D. Hackett, director of Episcopal studies at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. “And [it is] a reminder of our tendency to sinfully appropriate him in the service of our cultural values.”
Neave emphasizes that his re-creation is simply that of an adult man who lived in the same place and at the same time as Jesus. As might well be expected, not everyone agrees.
Forensic depictions are not an exact science, cautions Alison Galloway, professor of anthropology at the University of California in Santa Cruz. The details in a face follow the soft tissue above the muscle, and it is here where forensic artists differ widely in technique. Galloway points out that some artists pay more attention to the subtle differences in such details as the distance between the bottom of the nose and the mouth. And the most recognizable features of the face—the folds of the eyes, structure of the nose and shape of the mouth—are left to the artist. “In some cases the resemblance between the reconstruction and the actual individual can be uncanny,” says Galloway. “But in others there may be more resemblance with the other work of the same artist.” Despite this reservation, she reaches one conclusion that is inescapable to almost everyone who has ever seen Neave’s Jesus. “This is probably a lot closer to the truth than the work of many great masters.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Following last month’s three-week Synod, the Pope has still not provided a clear message on the future of Catholic homosexuals, thousands of whom remain locked up inside the Vatican. Conservative bishops continue to assert that God made Adam and Eve and not Adam and Sanjeev – a common Hindi boy’s name missing from the New Testament. A UN resolution to liberate the prisoners through a military invasion has been singlehandedly blocked by Russia, with critics alleging that Vladimir Putin has still not accepted Eurovision 2014 being won by a drag queen.
Pope Francis explained ‘My hands are tied. Each time I say something nice about the gays, a bishop warns me to pipe the fuck down. And the Lord has gone all quiet again, the spineless bastard. Sometimes I have complete doubt whether He even exists. I’ll probably get bollocked for saying that now.’
Liberals hope that there will eventually be a shamefaced revision of Catholic dogma, in a similar way to the 1978 Mormon revelation when God changed his mind about black people – only 15,000 years after the domestication of the dog. Traditionalists argue, however, that homosexuals should be subject to a gay tax, the proceeds of which could be donated to the Mafia through the highly transparent Vatican Bank. The financing would be analogous to the sale of indulgences – a medieval form of charity benevolently used to construct the palatial opulence of St Peter’s Cathedral. A Vatican spokesman confirmed that the tax would not nullify the sin of homosexual behaviour, but it would help a variety of well intentioned mobsters to continue the Lord’s work.
After dealing with homosexuals, the Pope must subsequently decide how to reintegrate divorced Catholics who are currently being detained in rehabilitation camps across Latin America. The outcasts, no longer able to receive Holy Communion, are beseeching the pontiff to overhaul the church’s doctrine – ideally before the Second Coming and the entropic heat death of the Universe.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Salt Lake City, Utah, October 15 – 19, 2015: During this week’s interfaith conference, the local Sikh community joined together to accomplish something great: in addition to feeding up to 10,000 of the conference’s attendees for free, they donated thousands of pounds of leftover food to local homeless shelters.
“Sewa, service to the community is essential to Sikh life and food is a big part of that,” said Dr. Manohar Singh Grewal, former president of the World Sikh Organization, chairperson of World Sikh Council until 2011 and host of the langar. “For a Sikh it is both a privilege and a duty to provide langar in the gurdwara (place of worship) for the entire congregation after weekly worship. The langar is part of our worship, a fundamental aspect of Sikh life, and we are honored to share it with the Salt Lake City community.”
The Sikh community donated food every day during the Parliament totaling a donation of 3,800 pounds over the five days, equal to 3,166 meals. The food has been donated to the nearby Catholic Community Services St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen, a housing and homeless shelter, for their daily supper. Danielle Stamos, director of public relations and marketing of Catholic Community Services of Utah said, “We serve over 1,200 meals each day at out St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall to our low-income and homeless friends. This food was greatly needed to help us keep stomachs full and people warm as the temperatures drop. The Parliament is about bringing together people of all different religions and backgrounds. It’s wonderful to see and the end of it all, their focus is helping those in need.”
When logistical problems came up for the Sikhs to donate their food, Thomas O’Donnell, expert on food waste recovery, stepped up to find a solution. He contacted the Utah Food Bank, and they got involved to make it all happen.
“We’re so thankful for the foresight of the Parliament’s leaders as they work to eradicate food waste,” said Ginette Bott, Utah Food Bank Chief Development Officer. “This wonderful donation means that the clients who receive these meals won’t be one of the 423,000 Utahns who are at risk of going to bed hungry tonight. In a state like Utah, no one should have to wonder where their next meal will come from, and eliminating food waste is a great first step in Fighting Hunger Statewide.”
With World Food Day October 16, emeritus trustee Solomon Katz committed the Parliament to donating all excess food to Feeding America, the country’s largest domestic food aid organization. As a way to actualize the commitment of the many thousands who attend the largest inter-religious gathering in the world to providing food for the poor and hungry of the local Salt Lake City region where the historic Parliament is taking place. This commitment to saving surplus food that might otherwise be wasted also symbolizes the the commitment of all present to help eliminate food waste, one of the goals of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals recently announced at the United Nations and by the US EPA and USDA to cut food waste by 50% by 2030.
“Much of the Parliament is about saving waste, improving our environment, and providing for those who suffer from poverty, hunger and thirst. Donating our excess food couldn’t make more sense and I feel fortunate that other leaders are on board to help make it happen,” said Trustee Sol Katz, a University of Pennsylvania professor and Chair of the International Task Force on World Food Problems for the American Anthropological Association, focused on science and inter-religious solutions to world food problems.
Parliament of The World’s Religions is hosted a 5-day interfaith conference in Salt Lake City October 15-19th. 10,000 people from 80 countries and 50 different faiths attended this year’s Parliament. The Parliament of the World’s Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
A faction of Assemblies of God Church has been dragged to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by the Assistant General Superintendent, accusing the factional General Superintendent and six others of alleged fraudulent conversion of funds running into billions of naira.
The Assistant General Superintendent, Rev. Ramsey Ogagaoghene in a petition addressed to the EFCC noted that the factional General Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Chidi Okoroafor and six others allegedly embezzled over N100 billion belonging to the church, adding that Rev. Okoroafor was the Assistant General Superintendent until March, 2014 when he could not account for funds of the church and formed a parallel group that threw the church into crisis.
On account of the petition dated September, 2015 submitted to the Commission by Mr. Eli Ugwu, counsel to the petitioner and four others, the group urged the Commission to investigate the alleged fraudulent conversion of money and embezzlement of funds belonging to the church by Rev. Okoroafor and his cohorts as they approved money for projects without due process of the church, and allegedly executed such projects by themselves.
Petition The petition read in part: “On behalf of the Assistant General Superintendent, Rev. Ramsey Ogagaoghene, Bright Arukwe, Clement Esochaghi, Oliver Udensi and Sunday Palma for and on behalf of pastors and other concerned members of the church, we claim that Rev. Vincent Alaje, Rev. Femi Adegoke, Mr. Dickson Ukpai, Mr. Michael Ugbor, Elder Mike Okoro and Tony Ewelike engaged in illegal and unauthorized business without the approval of the General Suprintendent.
“Alaje unilaterally spent about N115 million belonging to the church, personally negotiated and concluded payments for three plots of lands and has started developing the plots without the consent and authority of the General Superintendent and other officers of the church.
“Alaje was fond of commandeering the money of the church, approving same by himself, and authorized payments without the consent of the General Superintendent. This was evidenced by his requisition of 5/4/2013 for the sum of N1.5 million which he tagged, ‘Trip to Ibadan with family.’ The unilateral stashing of fund was after the church magnanimously approved N2 million for him”
The petition further indicted Alaje of illegally collecting N28.5 million as staff investment premium without any authorization, which according to the report, was against the general council accounts procedures. The petition further noted that the same amount was deposited into an account with Diamond Bank.
Rev Ogagaoghene in the petition also prayed EFCC to question Mr. Tony Ewelike on the N1.4 billion Assemblies of God Ministers Benefit Scheme, AGMBS, which he was unable to account for. The petition further pointed out that Rev. Femi Adegoke,, the former media director of the church should also be investigated for allegedly defrauding the church of over N50 milliion.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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