“SURELY OUR FATHERS HAVE INHERITED LIES, VANITY, AND THINGS WHEREIN THERE IS NO PROFIT.”-JEREMIAH 16:19c. And so, all the ungodly and idolatrous tradition and the superstitious beliefs of any nation, inherited by our fore-fathers, are lies and vanity and the commandments of men,that turn the people away from the commandment of God.

In MATTHEW 15:6,Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees, who were so zealous of the Jewish tradition, and I quote, “THUS HAVE YE MADE THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD OF NONE EFFECT BY YOUR TRADITION.”The elders of the land in all nations, do not evenknow that the origin of these traditions and superstitious beliefs, is from Satan.In all the Gentile nations, those traditions feature mostly in marriage ceremonies and in burial rites, and it is Satan’s trick to bring the people into bondage and into perpetual darkness.

Thetaboos in any land are also part of these ungodly traditions. Taboos are things forbidden amongst some tribes or ethnic groups, even when they arenot forbidden by God.THE ONLY THING THAT GOD FORBIDS IS SIN, as written in ROMANS 6:23, AND THAT IS THE ONLY THING CHRISTIANS SHOULD FORBID. Taboos and superstitious beliefs make the word of God of none effect and putthe people in bondage of fear. It is only the knowledge of the word of truth that will set believers in Christ free from the bondage of fear of these taboos. The doctrine behind every taboo, istouch-not, taste-not, handle-not, as written in COLOSSIANS 2:21.

One of these taboos commands that the people, amongst some tribes, should abstain from eating certain things, for example, snails. Whereas the word of truth in the scripture says in 1 TIMOTHY 4:3-4 and I quote, “FORBIDDING TO MARRY AND COMMANDING TO ABSTAIN FROM MEATS, WHICH GOD HATH CREATED TO BE RECEIVED WITH THANKSGIVING OF THEM WHICH BELIEVE AND KNOW THE TRUTH. FOR EVERY CREATURE OF GOD IS GOOD AND NOTHING TO BE REFUSED, IF IT BE RECEIVED WITH THANKSGIVING. FOR IT IS SANCTIFIED BY THE WORD OF GOD AND PRAYER.

Superstitious beliefsare the imaginations of the mind of the people, which must be cast down by the power, that isin the word of Truth. They are vain thoughts that must be brought into subjection to the truth, which isin Christ Jesus. It is unfortunate thatmajority of believers in Christ still believe in these traditions and,out of fear, obey these traditions, the taboos and superstitious beliefsof the land,more than the word of God, the Creator. Traditionalists are so violent in the defence of their faith. For example, a church and the pastor’s residence in this Edo land,specifically, in Ikoha Village, in OviaSouth West, for over a year now, have been pad-locked and sealed, on the order of the elders of that village, after the pastor, was mobbed and violently assaulted and driven out of the village, with his wife and little children, because the pastor refused to obey the tradition of the land, which contradicts his own faith in the true God of heaven and earth. THERE IS NO FREEDOM OF WORSHIP IN MOST VILLAGES OF EDO STATE FOR THE TRUE CHURCH, WHO WILL NOT BOW DOWN TO THEIR TRADITION!

The traditionalists take undue advantage of the doctrine of non-violence of the Christian faith, to oppress and persecute Christians, especially in the villages!Otherwise, there would have been reported cases of serious religious crisis in most villages of Edo State.If the adherents of all religions, preach the message of peace and non-violence, and allow their own “gods” which they worship, to fight for them, rather than resorting to physical violence in defence of their gods, there will be no religious wars or conflicts in any nation of the world.

There is another doctrine of vanity that teaches that new yamsshould not be eaten until certain sacrifices are made to the ancestors. The word of God condemns such sacrifices.In 1 CORINTHIANS 10:20 and I quote, “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” Christians are not to partake in such sacrifices, because they are not unto God, who gives the farmers rain each year, in their seasons and appoints unto them the appointed seasons of harvest. PARTAKING IN SUCH SACRIFICES, IS IDOLATRY!

Most tribes also hold tenaciously to the superstitious belief that kola-nut gives life, and so in all their traditional marriages and in most traditional ceremonies, the elders of that village or community or town, demand for kola-nut, which contradicts the word of God. IT IS ONLY GOD THAT GIVES LIFE as written in ACTS 17:24-25 and I quote, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of Heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is He worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needeth anything, SEEING HE GIVETH TO ALL, LIFE AND BREATH AND ALL THINGS.”
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free, thus saith the Lord God.