Check Out The Nigerian Church Where Both Christians And Muslims Are Welcome To Worship

KamsiwritesMar 24, 2021Read original

Amidst all the division, hatred, and tribalism in this country, a single moment of unity is sometimes all we need to restore our hope of a better Nigeria.

Now, this is not the first time I am hearing about the Nigerian church we are going to talk about in this article, and you may have heard about them, but we going to see if we can learn one or two lessons from their way of worship.

Established in 1849, the Holy Arousa Cathedral is a traditional and unique church where the Oba of Benin worships.

Located in Akpakpava Road Benin City, Edo state of Nigeria, it is the church where the Bini people had direct contact with Osanobua (God) even before the arrival of our colonial masters.

Around 1879, the Holy Arousa was destroyed by the British invaders, and they people were made to worship foreign Gods instead of Osanobua, but it was rebuilt by Oba Akenzua when he ascended the throne in 1933.

Important facts about the Holy Arousa:

1. The Oba is the head of the church, while the crown prince and the priest are second and third in command respectively.

2. Church activities are conducted in the local Bini language.

3. The Holy book of Arousa is use in worship, but they do cite from the Bible and Koran as reference.

4. Communication with God is done directly, instead of going through intermediaries like Jesus Christ and Mohammed.

5. The selection of a priest is done directly by Osanobua (God), with approval from the Oba.

6. Worshippers seek and receive miracles directly from God instead of going through the priest.

7. The church does not engage in any form of evangelism, nor do they share invitation pamphlets to convert people. Members comes after direct contact with Osanobua (God).

According to the priest, everyone is free to worship at the Holy Arousa, irrespective of tribe or religion.

" If you are a Christian, you can come here and worship; if you are a Muslim, you can come here to worship and if you are a traditional worshipper, you are also free to worship at the church. The only difference is that most of the religions pray through an intermediary, but in Holy Aruosa, we pray directly to God. "