₦airaland Forum

It is written:

“Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Mathew 22:17-21


CAMA, the necessary wake-up call for the Church to embrace its mission of providing the light for the transformation of the negation of the existential realities of the various Peoples by a Prebendal Nigeria masquerading as a Sovereign State.

The denarius, the “tax money”, specifically designed with the Caesar’s image and inscription, reinforcing the person of the Caesar as the sovereign as well as his responsibility in utilizing the taxes so collected, for the good (or bad) of the society.

The response of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, not only a reference to the image and inscription on the money but also to the responsibility of a governing authority, in this case, the Caesar, hence “rendering unto Caesar” the things that are his.

The Nigerian Post-Colonial State, the Caesar of today, serially failing to utilize the taxes collected in its name for the good of the society, such that economic misery, human and material underdevelopment constitute the reality of the Post-Colonial State, while those in power and exercise authority at both state and central government levels reserve, for themselves, over seventy percent of any revenue accruing to the country, creating a Prebendal State, with the complicity of the Church.

Celebrating her members achieving high positions of authority and power in this Prebendal, Post-Colonial State, attributing this to some form of God’s favor and blessings, but neither promoting how the People must have a say in the utilization of taxes nor challenging the legitimacy of the exercise of power in creating the Prebendal State.

The Church, always “praying for those in authority” despite the clear Scriptural purpose of authority, to wit: “For he is God’s minister to you for [b]good. [/b]But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” Romans 13:4

And this, despite historical opposition to the Poll tax as would be expected of subject peoples, manifesting in various forms, including refusal by the Jews in Tiberius’ era, to acknowledge such coins inscribed with graven images; and in our modern times, in Yorubaland, the 1918 Adubi War against British Poll tax as well as the 1947 Abeokuta Women’s revolt, providing ample evidence.

“Render unto God, the things that are God’s”, implying our recognition of things of God, known by God’s characterization of Himself, of which the Scripture provides several examples.

Among which is written:

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this”. Isaiah 9:6-7

Referring to Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Triune God, the Word, for, it is written: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. “ Genesis 1: 1-3

“Then God said”, The Word, who, in the beginning was with God and was God, through Whom all things were made.

Coming to life with Jesus Christ, during His earthly journey as written:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Then He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Luke 4:18-21

In modern times, power and authority no longer reside in the person of a Tiberius; sovereignty is in the collective resolve of the People to choose, mostly through periodic elections, a leadership thought capable of exercising power and authority for the good of the people.

For the Gospel to be preached to the poor(the good news of freedom from existential want, for example); heal the brokenhearted (social and welfare services, for example); proclaim liberty for the captives (recognition and living with our God-given Identity, having dominion over all things created, for example); recovery of sight to the blind ( health, including the light of production and reproduction of knowledge, for example); set at liberty those who are oppressed(self-determination/Autonomy for oppressed peoples, for example).

All of which proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, when Social Welfare, or “Social Good” is laid as the foundation of the modern society.

“Today, this scripture is fulfilled to your hearing”.

By which we know that the Western Region/Yoruba fulfilled the “acceptable year of the Lord” by its “Freedom for all, life more abundant”; in its Yoruba Language meaning, known as “Afenifere”, underscoring the fact that it was not limited to only the Yoruba or the Western Region, but indeed, for all the Peoples of Nigeria, where the Action Group championed freedom for the minorities in Nigeria while welcoming non-Yoruba into the Western Region to benefit from its educational and social welfare policies.

This Social Welfarist society became an offense to the Nigerian Post-Colonial State, the Caesar of today, which sought various avenues to crush it, continuing till date; utilizing the power and authority of a Post-Colonial State, established as a negation of the Peoples’ existentialism by colonial subjugation and repeatedly proven to be evil, contrary to Luke 4:18-21

It is written:
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10

In the self-proclaimed "democracy" of the Nigerian Post-Colonial State, the People supposedly determine the fortunes or misfortunes of those exercising authority, have a say in how taxes are spent, power administered, “renders unto Caesar” through their civic responsibility by voting in the elections, becoming a beacon for public accountability.

By which the People are to exercise their moral and political authority to determine the administration of Public Finances; but denied, by the nature of the Prebendal State, while utilizing its authority to administer public finance.

Thereby denying the symbiotic relationship between the Church and the State, in so far as the Church comprises people who are also electors/voters of those in power, whether they are members of the Church or not, and who exercise the authority of the State, on their behalf, ostensibly for their own good.

When the Church is unable to influence Public accountability as had happened and is happening in the Nigerian Post-Colonial State where the People, in and out of the Church, have become objects, tossed to and fro by every wind of power and authority, military or civilian, the Church must reexamine itself, whether it is “Rendering unto God, the things of God”, that is, the restoration of their God-given Identities, where the administration of finance by the State is returned to the authority of the people by which the people will have life more abundant.

Wale Odeku
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches”

In summary of it all, we can't be paying tax twice, after paying to the government, the little one paid as offering and tithe to the church the government want to collect it again, it is wrong.
#saynotodoubletax

pode:
In summary of it all, we can't be paying tax twice, after paying to the government, the little one paid as offering and tithe to the church the government want to collect it again, it is wrong.
#saynotodoubletax

Offerings and Tithes are Voluntary; Taxes are not.

The government should not be involved in the management of the church's board of trustees but for the financial aspect, we need more accountable from the religious leaders.

You can't be flaunting riches when most of your customers, sorry members, are struggling to survive.