Bishop Oyedepo, Nigerian televangelist
There are news portals reporting the Nigerian televangelist, Bishop Oyedepo, telling the youth of his church not to use earphones, since those gadgets are designed by Satan to block them (the youth) from hearing God's guidance.
The reports add the preacher man reprimanding those youths who plug in earphones while in the church, charging they should go somewhere else, for such actions don't belong to the church
As in the modern-day sensationalism in news reporting, I must admit that what has been captured by the media may be a small portion of a lot that was contained in the man of God's sermon, that'll for sure attract wider readership and traffic.
But taking it as we're told, lets look at it this way. Who uses earphones in the church anyway?
If you're not hearing impaired to depend on a gadget (earphone) to aid in hearing what goes on in the church, why would one use earphone when service is underway, in procession?
Earphones cannot be Satan's creation. It depends on how one will use it.
There is much usefulness for earphones in spite of its possibility to cause noise pollution and deafens one's hearing ability.
But on the many positivenesses attributable to earphones, we can list amongst listening to recorded sermons of that pastor talking, audiobooks (including the Bible), the news, songs (including gospel songs)...name them, not least the calls we make with it as well.
As my native Goka people say it, Yɛkyiri asuo bi atifi nom nanaafoɔ?
Does he use other technological gadgets (devil/Satan inventions) in phones, computers? ..and even the microphone he's held to his mouth, amplifying his voice?
This is more like the taboos we've grown to know to be myths which our grannies tormented us with as kids growing up here in Africa.
If we were told the truth behind those so-called taboos, we would have learned faster than making it has an aura of fear that kills the curiosity spirit.
Examples are many. One, we were told: If you sing whiles bathing your mother will die (we were not told that the toxins in the soap will get into your mouth and make you sick. Or you'll stay long in the bathroom/house as you sing whiles bathing).
A lot of them that you the reader can add to this commentary.
But can we continue teaching our kids and Africans tomorrow with the myths we inherited without giving them scientific explanations to it in this day and age of technological advancement?
Must preachers of the gospel rehash the old tactics of creating fear and subdue their followers before they convey the gospel to them?
Thank God the computer-age children knew from their mother's womb before they were born, what you today's preacher is struggling to learn. If you'll have a meaningful impact on them, it'll not take you injecting unprofitable syringes of mythical fear to vaccinate them against any materialistic viruses. But the truth hinges on the fluid knowledge of modern times.
Let he who mounts the platform to preach do so in the name of enriching the wisdom base of the recipients of the message.
