By KEMO CHAM in Freetown | Friday, March 22 2013 at 09:31
Sierra Leone's over 50 years of religious harmony is under threat thanks to the bizarre revelations of a young woman.
Sister Linda Ngaoja's ‘heavenly journey’ a few
weeks ago has turned her into the equivalent of a movie star, but at the
risk of destabilising a country renowned for its religious tolerance.
The 28-year-old (some say 26) college student claims to have "died" and gone to hell before being taken to heaven.
While in hell, former Libyan strongman Muammar
Gaddafi told her he wanted the mosque he built in Sierra Leone destroyed
and replaced with a church.
She also has a message from the late president of
neighbouring Guinea, Lansana Conte, who wants all the mosques in his
country brought down and replaced with churches.
Sister Linda "died" after a brief illness. She
said because of her worldly crimes in her previous life, she suffered a
harrowing experience in hell, where she met her parents and a host of
other renowned people including a renowned Sierra Leonean lawmaker, and
the late US star Whitney Houston, “who are all suffering in Hell.”
All of these people had messages for their relatives and friends who are alive.
Sister Linda said if a “rapture” had occurred at
that moment only five people in Sierra Leone could have survived it
(meaning going to heaven), and these included three of her pastors and
two other people.
While her audio tape comes across as a rich
blessing for cassette sellers, religious leaders are left with the
unenviable task of cleaning the mess Linda`s revelations left in their
wake.
Breeding confusion
“We take and consider this our responsibility to
judge every such revelation by the standard of the written words of
God,” said Bishop Archibald Cole, president of the Pentecostal
Fellowship of Sierra Leone (PFSL).
He told a press conference on Tuesday that since
the young girl was purportedly speaking from a Pentecostal platform,
Catholics might think her revelations were the views shared by all
Pentecostals “and so we consider her statements.....will create
confusion and breed division among the Christian community in Sierra
Leone.”
According to Linda's revelations, all Catholics and Muslims are going to hell.
She also had a message for President Ernest Bai
Koroma (a Christian), to replace all mosques in Sierra Leone, which is a
Muslim-dominated country, with churches.
“We consider such statements to be inflammatory among the Christian and Muslim communities,” said Bishop Cole.
“The revelation has the capacity to undermine the
peace and security of this nation. We want to maintain the peace and
security that God has given us, as Christ is an author of peace and not
confusion.”
But already Linda's "revelations" are causing confusion as there are reports of bitter arguments over them.
Two people stabbed each other over an argument as to whether the revelations were true or not, reported the Awareness Times of Freetown, a daily.
But it is not just Muslims and Catholics who have reasons to be offended.
Linda is critical of the "born again" pastors in
Sierra Leone who she said are more into money than spreading the message
of God.
Her story broke on a popular religious radio called Believers Broadcasting Network (BBN), with the aid of her pastor.
Custodians of Truth
A member of the Faith Healing Bible Church, one of three churches that were endorsed in the revelations, told Africa Review that there is concern about her security because of her testimonies.
The Church has cancelled a special open prayer at
the national stadium on this ground. The intention was to pray for
Sierra Leone in light of the revelations.
They will be holding instead a 7-day fasting and
indoor prayer session. This, according to sources, is backed by
President Ernest Bai Koroma, who is said to have met with the young
woman to receive his message.
A majority of pastors in the country see Linda as “of the devil” and they say she needs deliverance.
A few others express fear that her testimonies
could spark forth a new sect, with reports of calls for a ban on the
circulation of her tapes.
“The real reason is that Sister Linda had
threatened to go over the radio and expose some of these pastors who
refuse to change in line with the message she brought,” said Bernard
Wilson, a member of the Faith Healing Bible Church, obviously a staunch
supporter.
“It could be why the pastors are against her,” Mr Wilson said.
But others read into the whole thing infighting among Sierra Leone's small but powerful Nigerian-inspired ‘born again’ churches.
“We as Ministers of the gospel are called to be
watchmen and to be custodians of truth, and to be sure that the
integrity and accuracy of the gospel is maintained… we are charged to
address this issue that has the potential to bring distraction and
obstruct the peace of the nation,” said Apostle Akintayo Sam Jolly,
Secretary of PFSL.
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIEW
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIEW
