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Is Africa's curse self-imposed? |
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ANNOUNCE THIS ARTICLE TO YOUR FRIENDS! |
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The recent piece by Dr. David Ihenacho (http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/ihenacho/world_cheers.html) prompted me to write this one. I myself have asked the question pertaining to the source of Africa's woes. Over many years I have sought answers or the answer to this question. Today, I have formed an opinion, which I want to share with you. My earliest recollection of Africa's woes being attributed to a curse was when it was said that we are descendants of Ham, the son of Noah, whom his father cursed. Both Arabs and Europeans have used this curse of Ham as a justification for the enslavement of black people. This myth is still prevalent just as the one about Jesus being a blue-eyed white person with long straight hair. The picture of the white Jesus is hung in most churches today. The western press will do nothing to dispel this myth because it is to their advantage to perpetuate it. Just as is the case when you buy a new appliance and begin to assemble it BEFORE reading the assembly instructions, when all else fails, you read the book - CAREFULLY. Let's go to the Bible and see who was cursed and where they live. Genesis chapter 9 documents what happened. Noah, his three sons (Shem, Ham and Japheth) and their wives are the only humans who survived the Great Flood. The whole earth was repopulated from this family. One day, Ham discovered his father drunk and naked in his tent. He went and told his brothers Shem and Japheth. These two the took a piece of clothing, stretched it between themselves and walked backwards into the tent and covered their father's nudity without seeing same. When Noah became sober, he blessed Shem and Japheth, cursed Canaan and was neutral on Ham. His father never cursed Ham. Who was Canaan? Canaan was Ham's son and Noah's grandson. It was his grandson Canaan who was cursed, not Ham. Only Noah knows why he cursed his grandson. It is important to know who was cursed so that we can find out where his descendants live today. Ham had four sons, Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan (Genesis chapter 10, verse 6). Only the branch that is Canaan was supposed to be servants in their brothers' houses. Cush is the founder of Ethiopia while Mizraim is the founder of Egypt and the Phillistines. The children of Canaan included the Sidon, Heth, Jebusite, Amorite, Girgasite, Hivite, Arkite, Sinite, Arvadite, Zemarite and Hamathite. The Canaanites lived in Sidon, Gaza, Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim all the way to Lasha. This area is contiguous. Today we can still recognize Gaza and Sidon. In other words, the land that is today's Palestine and Lebanon is the land of Canaan, the cursed one. It is NOT Africa. We will come back to pick up this thread. But for now, let us see who else has been cursed in the Bible. Go to chapter 5 of the second book of Kings. Here we find that (Naaman) a captain of the Syrian army had leprosy. In those days, leprosy was incurable just as AIDS is today. He went to Elisha the Prophet and was cured of the leprosy. In gratitude he offered Elisha money and gold which the Prophet refused. However, his greedy servant Gehazi went behind his master's back and demanded and received money from Naaman. Elisha then cursed Gehazi and remanded Naaman's leprosy to Gehazi, but with a caveat. This leprosy was to "cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever" (2nd Kings 5:27). It is recorded that Gehazi went away from there "as white as snow". Notice that his descendants forever would be leprous (as white as snow). Since leprosy was incurable, it is reasonable to assume that no one would willingly marry a leper. If Gehazi were to have descendants, he would have to get married. It is not recorded where Gehazi went. Wherever it was, it is reasonable to assume that he did marry and had descendants. If not for anything else, just to completely fulfill the prophecy. Now, the Medical Doctors amongst us can help us out here. We know that Leprosy is a contagious disease spread by contact. My question to the medical folks is this: if a leper marries a leper and has a child, will the child be leprous even if it is taken away from the parents immediately after birth? Father Damien (who ministered to lepers in the Hawaiian island of Molokai in the late 1800s) did not become leprous until after many years of contact with lepers. If the child can be free of leprosy, then Gehazi's leprosy, which was transmitted to his offspring, is a genetic type, somewhat different from the other. There are two other instances in the Bible where someone's skin color was turned white. The first time was when God tried to reassure Moses that He is behind him when he goes to ask the Pharaoh for the freedom of the Israelites (Exodus chapter 4 verse 6). The second time was when Miriam, Moses' sister, questioned his authority (Numbers chapter 12). In each instance, the skin turned "leprous, white as snow". This is enough evidence for me to conclude that the pigment-less skin of the Europeans is an unnatural skin tone. It is also enough for me to conclude that having a pigment in the skin is the natural way. There is a school of thought that argues that they (Europeans) are descendants of Gehazi. They certainly exhibit the greed of Gehazi (but they don't have a lock on greed). One could see how Gehazi, for his survival, would migrate north where the sun does not beat down as intensely as it does in the Middle East or Egypt. If the child of two lepers were leprous at birth, one can see where in time, Gehazi's offsprings would die out for lack of partners for procreation. If one believes this postulate, then even though the Western media has not broadcast it as they have "Ham's curse", one sees that Africans are not the only ones with a purported curse on them. At least for Africans, we can show unequivocally that the myth of the curse is false. As of this time, I am unable to dismiss without any doubt the other myth about the Europeans. Before we pick up the initial thread, it is useful here to dispel another popular myth. Revelations chapter 1 verses 14 & 15 describe Jesus thus: "His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were like a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters". Draw your own conclusions for the Bible warns that we must not add to or subtract from the prophecy in the book of Revelations. To pick up the initial thread, we must ask where else is a curse prescribed in the Bible. The whole book of Deuteronomy contains the dos and don'ts that God gave to the children of Israel and all Mankind for that matter. Chapter 28 lists the blessings and curses of obedience and disobedience respectively. All we have to do is to look and see which of these laws we have broken and what curses were prescribed for them. Then will we know from whence comes our distress. I would particularly point out verses 10 to 13 of chapter 18. Witchcraft, divining, necromancy, charming, consulting spirits, enchanting etc are listed as abominations to the Lord. Is Africa guilty of all of these? What happens to nations that practice these things? It is here that we get an answer that ties loose ends together for us. People have asked the question about why God asked the Israelites to kill off the Amorites, Girgizites, Hivites and the rest of the Canaanites and take their land. Remember the Canaanites and the curse Noah put on them? Look at Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse14: "These nations which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners;'. Does this sound familiar to Africans? Isn't our curse self-imposed because we disobeyed God and continue to do so? Even after we have been reacquainted with the true God. The times when Mass was said in Latin and you were discouraged from reading the Bible for yourself is over. Go and read it carefully, over and over again, in order to understand what you have read. The truth shall set you free. While in captivity, Daniel recognized that the plight of Israel was due to disobedience of the same laws I have highlighted here. He said a prayer on behalf of his people, which action we have emulated. It is now time for ALL Africans to put ashes on their heads, put on sackcloth as in the days of old, and prostrate before the Almighty asking for forgiveness and receiving it in Jesus' name. If you are having trouble praying in Jesus' name let me help you out. Remember that God does not contradict Himself. No Prophet he has sent has ever contradicted a prior Prophet. In Isaiah 42 verse 9 God tells us that He lets us know these things before they happen so we will know that it is His doing when they finally happen. If you subscribe to the theory that God can protect the message He sent through a particular Prophet, know that He can protect the messages He sent through ALL Prophets. To believe otherwise would amount to nothing else but self-deception. For God is Omnipotent. Isaiah foretold (Isaiah 53:1) that people will not believe the story of Jesus: "Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" This prophecy was first fulfilled at the time of Jesus' first tenure on earth (John chapter 12) and is still being fulfilled today. If you still are having a hard time believing in Him, just consider yourself as a gambler. What you have to loose is your soul. What you have to gain is eternal life. The Bible (Revelations 19:12) and the Quran predict that Jesus is coming back to rule the world for 1000 years before the advent of eternity. I know of no other prophecy that predicts the coming or return of anyone to rule the world. We have shown that Biblical prophecies are true. When Jesus comes back, all other Prophets will be serving God under Him (Jesus). If you believe in another Prophet to bring you salvation, do you think that his boss (Jesus) will be very pleased because you chose to honor His subordinate rather Him? Would you be pleased if you were in His shoes? 
N. H. Ibanga (Nigerian Publius) |
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