How Adeboye’s marriage teachings caused stir

The ongoing annual convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, on Tuesday, received enormous publicity. The publicity, however, came in a controversial manner.

The General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, in a message on marriage, stirred a widespread debate on social media, with thousands taking to the Internet to protest or support his positions on the categories of people Christians should not marry.

Adeboye, who is fondly called Daddy G.O. by members of his church, advised a congregation of bachelors and spinsters at the convention to avoid marrying certain individuals in order to enjoy their marriages.

Videos of the teachings, which were uploaded on different social media sites, received huge ‘share’.

The pastor urged bachelors to shun ladies who could not pray “non-stop” for at least an hour. He also advised them against marrying “lazy” women as well as those who could not cook.

The cooking aspect particularly caught the attention of feminists. They took protested the pastor’s remark, saying they were not supposed to be consigned to kitchens just because they were women.

Adeboye also warned ladies against accepting marriage proposals by “jobless” bachelors. He said those who could not earn incomes should not marry.

A social media activist, Asuquo Ulo, said the teachings were part of unacceptable thinking that characterised the age.

The tweeter disagreed with the cleric’s position, saying “marriage is really beyond jobs, cooking and prayers”.

As far as Chinye Onwordi, a Twitter user, is concerned, Adeboye’s advice had solved a persisting puzzle on the social media.

“Whether Nigerian ladies agree to cook when they marry or not, Adeboye has spoken the truth nobody should shy away from,” he tweeted.

One Ahmed Isah also wrote, “Adeboye, we thank you for ending this long debate. You spoke from a spiritual realm, not as a mere mortal.”

As of Tuesday evening, many sites had unveiled online polls with a view to assessing the acceptability of Adeboye’s marriage ‘prescriptions’.

In one of the videos, Adeboye advised, “Marry a prayer warrior! Don’t marry any girl who cannot pray for one hour non-stop. Don’t marry a girl who is lazy! If she is lazy when she is single, what will happen if she is married?”

In another one, he warned, “Don’t marry a man who has no job. Before God gave Adam Eve, he gave him a job. He said, ‘This is the garden, keep it.’ So when anybody comes to you and say, ‘Sister, thus saith the Lord, you are going to be the star in my firmament,’ ask him — ‘What is your job?’

“If he tells you he is a contractor, ask him to show you evidence of all the contracts he has done because the contract he is talking about is you. He wants to live off you.

“Don’t be a fool. If he hasn’t got a steady income, don’t marry him. A man is to provide for the house and not the other way round. If he has no income, he should not marry. Those who do not work should not eat. And if they can’t eat, they can’t even marry.”

Adeboye trended widely on social media platforms as the issues he raised were scrutinised by his fans and foes. The videos became the toast of members of the online community.

Adeboye’s popularity rating, by online metrics, soared. He also enjoyed a huge Google search, as bloggers dissected thousands of comments for catchy headlines for their posts.

Punch