Sun 13 Oct 2013 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
A Nigerian human rights advocate is urging people throughout the Pacific to protest the visit of a hatefully homophobic church leader. In November the ‘General Overseer’ of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye will visit Auckland, along with four Australian cities, as well as Fiji, the Solomon Island and Papua New Guinea. The homophobic City Impact Church has joined up with the Redeemed Christian Church for the Auckland gathering, Let The Wind Blow, which will be held at the Victory Convention Centre on 15 November. Leo Igwe Nigerian human rights advocate and humanist Leo Igwe says the aim of the tour is to establish branches of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the Pacific. “Pastor Adeboye is one of the pastors who openly used their sermons and preaching to rally public support for the anti-same sex marriage bill which was recently passed by lawmakers in Nigeria,” he tells GayNZ.com Daily News. “Earlier this year he told a local Christian gathering that ‘Same sex marriage is anathema’ and an ‘evil’ that would lead to the end of human race. Due to the sermons of homophobic clerics like Pastor Adeboye, there is a growing trend of attacks and violence against homosexuals in Nigeria. “We should not allow this vicious trend to spread and take hold in other parts of the globe.” Igwe says this is an opportunity to send a strong message to Adeboye and other ‘gay bashing African clerics’ that their gospel of hatred and intolerance has no place in the Pacific region. “Many African churches are trying to re-evangelize the world by promoting literal biblical interpretations and Christian messages that are incompatible with universal human rights and other civilized values,” he says. “If we are to beat back the tide of homophobia sweeping across Africa, we must protest the moves and plans by homophobic pastors and religious bigots to establish churches that incite violence and hatred against gay persons.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 13th October 2013 - 11:30am