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Echoes of The Right to God
First Place Essay: Adult
What The Right to God Means To Me
By Kenneth Okpomo
Lagos, Nigeria
By Kenneth Okpomo
Lagos, Nigeria
The right to God implies an individual's right to freely worship or serve their Supreme Being without interference,
regardless of politics, ethnicity or race. It means being allowed to worship without obstruction by persons of the same or
different religions, or even by the state.
In virtually all world religions, a Supreme Being who lives in heaven, yet is omnipresent, is at the center of worship. To Him goes the glory for all things good, wonderful and marvelous, whether called the God Head, God the Father, or God Almighty. To many, it would be difficult, even disrespectful, to approach Him directly. Intermediaries (mediums) provide a path for contact and worship.
For example, among the Christian faithful, the Supreme Being --the Almighty God-- is worshiped through His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, whom He sent to this sinful world to die on the cross.
To Muslims, the Supreme God 'Allah' is to be worshiped through His messenger, the highly revered Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) to whom the revelation came.
In African Traditional Religions (ATR), which many European and American scholars see as pagan religions, the supreme being, differentiated from other gods with a capital 'G' as in God, is too distant to be contacted directly. Worship usually takes place through a lesser god or gods. In the Yoruba spiritual tradition (of Southwestern Nigeria), the Supreme God is Olodumare or Olorun, maker of all things in the Earth and above. He is worshipped through lesser gods, such as Sango --god of iron, steel, thunder and war-- and Oya, riverine goddess of fertility.
Offerings to some of the lesser gods might include libations poured at their shrines, food offerings or animal sacrifices. In return, the gods protect against natural disaster, disease, pestilence and external attack. They grant worshippers prosperity by making the soil fertile and the harvest bountiful. But failure to properly worship ---or worse, disrespecting the gods or shrines--- could bring wrath on the entire community.
For me, a believer in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, called to proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the whole world, the right to God implies my fundamental right to worship the Almighty God without hindrance of any kind, whether imposed by fellow Christians, Moslems, pagans, heathens, or even by government. Yet, I recognize that my faith and my right to God should not infringe upon the fundamental human rights of other people.
The Nigerian Constitution promises to protect every individual's right to God. Whether I am in my inner recess, the church or any part of the country, I am able to worship the Almighty God without being persecuted ---according to our Constitution.
However, in my country, religious confrontations have caused heavy loss of life and property. Northern Nigeria is predominantly Moslem; Southern Nigeria is predominantly Christian. With my country's multi-ethnic, multi-religious mix, religious hatred is common. Antagonism fills our political structure.
Riots are sparked by radical Islamic fundamentalists (or Jihadists) ---the most recent caused by the Boko Haram sect. Churches are destroyed. Christians are killed, simply for being Christian. A well-entrenched notion in the north sees Christians as infidels, enemies of Islam. Therefore, they should be eliminated as the need arises ---usually at the slightest provocation or none at all. Regretfully, instead of being an impartial peace enforcer, the Nigerian security forces are seen as siding with the Islamists.
Nigeria is a secular state. Our constitution holds that everyone is entitled to worship their own God. As Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
My constitution guarantees "freedom of thought, conscience and religion." I wish only for my right to God to be protected, whether I am on a crusade ground, at a church, or in my inner recesses, alone with God.
In virtually all world religions, a Supreme Being who lives in heaven, yet is omnipresent, is at the center of worship. To Him goes the glory for all things good, wonderful and marvelous, whether called the God Head, God the Father, or God Almighty. To many, it would be difficult, even disrespectful, to approach Him directly. Intermediaries (mediums) provide a path for contact and worship.
For example, among the Christian faithful, the Supreme Being --the Almighty God-- is worshiped through His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, whom He sent to this sinful world to die on the cross.
To Muslims, the Supreme God 'Allah' is to be worshiped through His messenger, the highly revered Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) to whom the revelation came.
In African Traditional Religions (ATR), which many European and American scholars see as pagan religions, the supreme being, differentiated from other gods with a capital 'G' as in God, is too distant to be contacted directly. Worship usually takes place through a lesser god or gods. In the Yoruba spiritual tradition (of Southwestern Nigeria), the Supreme God is Olodumare or Olorun, maker of all things in the Earth and above. He is worshipped through lesser gods, such as Sango --god of iron, steel, thunder and war-- and Oya, riverine goddess of fertility.
Offerings to some of the lesser gods might include libations poured at their shrines, food offerings or animal sacrifices. In return, the gods protect against natural disaster, disease, pestilence and external attack. They grant worshippers prosperity by making the soil fertile and the harvest bountiful. But failure to properly worship ---or worse, disrespecting the gods or shrines--- could bring wrath on the entire community.
For me, a believer in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, called to proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the whole world, the right to God implies my fundamental right to worship the Almighty God without hindrance of any kind, whether imposed by fellow Christians, Moslems, pagans, heathens, or even by government. Yet, I recognize that my faith and my right to God should not infringe upon the fundamental human rights of other people.
The Nigerian Constitution promises to protect every individual's right to God. Whether I am in my inner recess, the church or any part of the country, I am able to worship the Almighty God without being persecuted ---according to our Constitution.
However, in my country, religious confrontations have caused heavy loss of life and property. Northern Nigeria is predominantly Moslem; Southern Nigeria is predominantly Christian. With my country's multi-ethnic, multi-religious mix, religious hatred is common. Antagonism fills our political structure.
Riots are sparked by radical Islamic fundamentalists (or Jihadists) ---the most recent caused by the Boko Haram sect. Churches are destroyed. Christians are killed, simply for being Christian. A well-entrenched notion in the north sees Christians as infidels, enemies of Islam. Therefore, they should be eliminated as the need arises ---usually at the slightest provocation or none at all. Regretfully, instead of being an impartial peace enforcer, the Nigerian security forces are seen as siding with the Islamists.
Nigeria is a secular state. Our constitution holds that everyone is entitled to worship their own God. As Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
My constitution guarantees "freedom of thought, conscience and religion." I wish only for my right to God to be protected, whether I am on a crusade ground, at a church, or in my inner recesses, alone with God.
Kenneth Okpomo was born into a moderate orthodox Christian family in Lagos, Nigeria during the
mid-seventies. He later embraced the Pentecostal assembly in the late nineties. As a cultural
anthropologist, he has studied traditional political authority and religious systems of various indigenous
peoples of Nigeria, including the advent of the Christian church that came to alter the religious structure
and alter the propagation of pagan belief. As a practicing Christian, he has strong desire to spread the
good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations. He holds moderately liberal religious views and
considers inter-denominational dialogue and ecumenism as the pathway to consolidating Christendem.
Kenneth is currently not married; he hopes to find a Christian woman of any ethnicity/race to settle down with and raise a family. He’s also a multiple award-winning essayist, poet and dramatist, including awards in Ashridge/Guardian Public UK essay competition, the Nigerian Film Corporation essay prize and placing as a finalist in the BBC African Performance Playwriting Competition.
Kenneth is currently not married; he hopes to find a Christian woman of any ethnicity/race to settle down with and raise a family. He’s also a multiple award-winning essayist, poet and dramatist, including awards in Ashridge/Guardian Public UK essay competition, the Nigerian Film Corporation essay prize and placing as a finalist in the BBC African Performance Playwriting Competition.