Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has taken a swipe at Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, saying many in his Glory Dome auditorium are living from hand to mouth.

This was as he wondered why those behind Glory Dome think that constructing such a large auditorium will project godliness amid so much poverty.

Omokri also lamented the absence of an organised and well-run skill acquisition centre in the Glory Dome auditorium, which would teach members and the public the skills necessary to find employment or start businesses.

He wrote on Facebook, "Is The Christianity We Practice In Nigeria Effective or Defective?

"Let me shock Nigerians. Outside of the Dangote Refinery, the only places in Nigeria with enough space for ten thousand people to gather to work indoors, under a roof, simultaneously are either churches or mosques. There is no building outside these two types of facilities in Nigeria equipped with the space and machinery for that many people to work together simultaneously.
No factories, warehouses, supermarkets, or processing plant in Nigeria has such an indoor capacity.

"We have spent too much of our time and resources investing in religion, that we have the world's largest church auditorium, the Glory Dome auditorium of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, which can hold five times the capacity of the previous record holder, St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.

"I thank God that I have been to both places.

"Please fact-check me: St. Peter's Basilica is surrounded by Rome, a city with an unemployment rate of 6.3%, while the Glory Dome auditorium is in Abuja, a city where many people are living from hand to mouth.
And therein lies the problem of the Black man. We are so focused on the outward appearances of religion. If not, how can you think such an edifice amid much poverty projects godliness?

"There is no organised and well run skill acquisition centre in the Glory Dome auditorium to teach members and the public the abilities that will help them find employment or start businesses.

"There is also no soup kitchen to daily feed the less privileged and those experiencing hunger.

"Yet, that is the same place where Becky Enenche, the wife of the founder, uttered the famously and annoyingly unchristian statement that: 'Every time you miss your tithe, you go back to square one. The ones you did before become nullified.'

"What an inglorious statement to make in a supposed Glory Dome!

"Meanwhile, many Nigerians look down on a religion like Sikhism. In contrast, it is IMPOSSIBLE to have a Sikh temple without a well run soup kitchen to feed the poor daily, and a department to teach them the skills that will lift them out of poverty.

"Many of my readers will likely be Christians or Muslims, and I am sad to say that the type of Christianity and Islam we practice in Nigeria is often, but not always, neither compassionate nor conducive to societal progress.

"If you list the hundred richest pastors in the world, I am sure Nigeria will feature prominently. In fact, Forbes Magazine once did a piece titled The Five Richest Pastors In Nigeria.

"But one thing I found myself thinking about after reading that piece is this: If the Gospel these preachers are spreading is so powerful, why isn't it affecting Nigeria the way morality has led to prosperity in Japan?

"Today, many Christians went to Redeemed, Dunamis, and other churches and prayer mountains to pray for their Japa visa to Japan, Turkey, China, Malaysia and Qatar.

"But is that not an indictment of our particular brand of Christianity in Nigeria? Why would Nigerian Christians want to leave Nigeria to live in those non-Christian countries if indeed our brand of Christianity is meeting the needs of the people who practice it?
Unsurprisingly, after leaving Nigeria for Europe, America, and Canada, one of the first things Nigerian migrants lose is their taste for religion. Why? Because their needs are met by the systems in those countries.

"Read the Bible. It says, 'God does not show favouritism'-Acts 10:34. It goes further to say, 'In every nation, he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.'-Acts 10:35.

"Righteousness exalts a nation. Japan has the highest life expectancy of any nation on Earth and is amongst the world's top ten wealthiest countries. Do you know why? It is a righteous country with perhaps the lowest crime rate on Earth and citizens who are so moral and law-abiding that you can be sure of finding your money on a public bench if you mistakenly leave it there.

"The late singer, Prince, performed in a thirty-thousand-seater stadium in Japan and placed a tambourine on each seat so the Japanese people could play along to his hit song 'Tambourine'. After the concert, not one tambourine went missing out of thirty thousand. I dare you to name a Christian country where this can happen.

"And what did Paul say about people like that? "When Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law."-Romans 2:14."

ASA