Popular Nigerian pastor, Abel Damina, has stirred controversy as he claimed that God is not a Christian. He urged his congregation to stop believing that only Christians will go to heaven. Damina, the senior pastor of Abel Damina Ministries International, shared this message during a sermon on Monday.
Damina criticized Christians who think their religion is the only path to heaven. He emphasized that even biblical figures like Abraham, David, and Jesus were not Christians.
“Many of you think God is a Christian. God is not a Christian. Many of you think if you are not a Christian, you won’t go to heaven, lie. People went to heaven before Christianity started,” Damina said.
He explained that the term “Christianity” originated in Antioch, as recorded in the Book of Acts. Before this, followers of Jesus were known as believers or disciples.
He said, “It is unbelievers that gave the name Christianity that you are carrying as a condition to go to heaven—unbelievers who watch the people who were adherents of Brother Paul’s teachings… Before then, they were called believers and almajiris. They were disciples of Paul.”
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Damina pointed out that many holy people, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Abel, Isaiah, David, and Jesus, were not Christians. He argued that the thief on the cross, who was not a Christian, went to heaven, illustrating that one does not need to be a Christian to enter heaven.
“You don’t have to be a Christian to make heaven,” he asserted.
Known for his controversial views, Damina often sparks debates with his sermons. Recently, he faced backlash for his advice on dealing with porn addiction. He suggested that addicts should continue watching porn while simultaneously listening to the word of God.
“Don’t struggle to stop watching the porn… spend more time hearing the ‘word’. If you watch porn for one hour, spend three to four hours hearing the word of God,” he advised.
He claimed this method would eventually reduce the desire for porn.
However, many conservative Christians disagreed, accusing him of encouraging sin. Pastor Gideon Odoma of Fortress Ministry labeled pornography as a perversion and criticized Damina’s approach.
“Christians have trivialized sexcapades. The things God calls iniquities, we must never call it flexing,” Odoma said.