Pastors Who Invaded Osun-Shrine Got Permission At The Reception – Church Founder
- We Are Not Christians, Don’t Use Bible – Founder
- Says Monarch Has No Right To Seal Church
The President of God of White Calling for All Souls Ministries, Prophet Odedoyin Ezekiel, has stated that the pastors who entered the Osun-Osogbo shrine were permitted to do so by those at the reception of the grove.
Ezekiel also said members of his church do not belong to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and do not use the Bible.
He stated this during an interview with The Punch newspaper.
It would be recalled that some pastors stormed the grove and allegedly desecrated the shrines.
In the video that circulated on social media, the Christian clergy had engaged in an altercation with traditionalists who met them in one of the shrines inside the grove.
Also in the video, a man dressed in white robes, flanked by others believed to be pastors, stood beside a shrine within the grove, touching parts of it, gesturing as he spoke, and appearing to declare the supremacy of Jesus Christ while describing the Osun deity as powerless.
Some traditionalists later arrived at the scene and the two groups engaged in an altercation, but the clergy was made to leave the premises after an intervention of a male traditionalist who warned his colleagues against violence.
In what appeared like retaliation, a video also surfaced on social media, where some people, who claimed to be traditionalists, stormed the church of the pastor who led those who invaded the Osun-Osogbo shrine
In the video, some of those who went to the church covered their faces, and they sacrificed a dog, which they slaughtered and splattered its blood on the floor of the church.
Speaking in the interview, Ezekiel who noted that he was not around when the incident happened said, “At the entrance to the place, they were made to obtain a ticket. When those they met at the entrance asked them what their mission was, our pastors told them God directed them to the grove. After the security cleared them, they paid for the ticket and entered the groove. As they were going in, they saw some people there.
“They proceeded. At one point, they observed a shrine. A chicken was killed, and its blood splashed on an object in the shrine. Men of the spirit are different from men in the flesh. The pastor who led them took notice of the shrine and stopped.
“The pastor must have felt that the deity that could suck the blood of a chicken may also kill those people who accompanied him. He went to the shrine and prayed against any form of attack from it against those who followed him.
“Immediately after concluding the prayer, he left the shrine with his people. What happened at the shrine was not the cause of the fight.”
Speaking on the sealing of the church by the Palace of Olojudo Alayemore of Ido-Osun, Oba Olayinka Jokotola, the Prophet Ezekiel rejected the directive, noting that it was only the state government who has the power to do so.
“For me, they did not seal the church because the monarch does not possess the power to shut the church. The Osun State Government held a meeting with all those involved in the disagreement and CAN representatives were also present.”
On the invitation by CAN, the pastor said, “We are not under the Christian Association of Nigeria, and we are not Christians. We belong to White Calling Religion.
“There are several differences between Christians and us. First, we serve the God who created heaven and earth. The God that created Christians, Muslims and other people. We believe in Jesus Christ as one of the messengers of God. That God is stainless. He doesn’t allow sin. In this ministry, we abhor sins. In our own religion, we are calling people to holiness. Jesus and other messengers belong to that holy God. I have been to Jerusalem, and there I displayed the power of God.
“We have our own holy book, but we have not launched it. It is different from the Bible. We call it the Book of Words. The Bible that Christians carry is just a fraction of words. Our own book is called Book of Words.
“When CAN wrote to us, the association said we should come immediately. We felt the letter was not properly written. They can’t just call us and direct us to report immediately. The leadership of CAN can’t just order us to come over. Also, our name is not on the CAN list. There is freedom of association. Their approach to the issues is very wrong,” he stated.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
