Today is a public holiday to celebrate Nigeria's Independence Day. Most celebrations are either of a political nature or to pray for the nation. At school yesterday we celebrated with our annual assembly. The assembly is put on by student council and since I am the StuCo advisor, there was much work getting everything put together. After some busy days, it's nice to have a day off.
Our speaker challenged the students to be "their brother's keeper, not a killer", considering Africa is today, it's good advice. We are fortunate in our area that life is fairly peaceful, but one doesn't have to travel far to find tension.
Another celebration that we are preparing for is the centennial celebration for our church, the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria. As such I have been thinking much about Nigeria's past and the people who have been part of it. So many names have been forgotten, but through their efforts, many have had their lives changed. Some have become Christians, others have their lives changed through the people or programs that have been part of the mission.
Today I am part of that mission. I'd like to think I've made a difference in some people's lives, I know my own life has been changed and impacted so much by my time here in Nigeria. I've lived more than half my life here an almost all of my adult life. In spite of the challenges, it has, and is a good experience. May it continue to last many more years and may God continue to use me as I live and teach in Nigeria!
Showing posts with label Nigeria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nigeria. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Religious Freedom in Nigeria
These past days I have been reading a Randy Alcorn novel about religious persecution in China over the years. It was an intense book to read and often made me to pause and thank God for the religious freedom in Nigeria.
That may sound odd to some, especially if you read my blogs since December, but it is true. In spite of the lack of religious toleration in Nigeria, people are, for the most part, free to worship in any manner they wish.
In fact, I would say that religious worship is one area of life that most Nigerians place at the top of their list. Granted, there are several different forms of religious practice; Christianity, Islam, sects, cults, traditional worship, etc but nonetheless, one or the other is important to most Nigerians. As a result, we have a lot of public holidays here. Most are holy days; Christian or Islamic, and the rest are considered important by the government.
When one considers Nigeria's many other challenges, religious freedom is often over looked, but after reading how Chinese Christians have been persecuted for generations, I have to give thanks for this part of Nigeria.
That may sound odd to some, especially if you read my blogs since December, but it is true. In spite of the lack of religious toleration in Nigeria, people are, for the most part, free to worship in any manner they wish.
In fact, I would say that religious worship is one area of life that most Nigerians place at the top of their list. Granted, there are several different forms of religious practice; Christianity, Islam, sects, cults, traditional worship, etc but nonetheless, one or the other is important to most Nigerians. As a result, we have a lot of public holidays here. Most are holy days; Christian or Islamic, and the rest are considered important by the government.
When one considers Nigeria's many other challenges, religious freedom is often over looked, but after reading how Chinese Christians have been persecuted for generations, I have to give thanks for this part of Nigeria.
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