Humanitarian Crisis in Nigeria

by rabbifink on August 26, 2010 · 2 comments

Child Witches in Nigeria

I saw this CNN article on a friend’s Facebook page.

There is a severe humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. I don’t know how much we can do to help but I think the crisis is emblematic of social issues in our culture as well.

Innocent children are being physically abused, even tortured or killed because they are thought to be witches. If a child can be blamed for a tragedy or illness by claiming they are a witch they will be outcast, then beaten and then abandoned to rid the community of the witch.

Lack of education combined with the abject poverty these folks live under contributes to the social environment that allows for witch hunts. Lack of education and poverty in our country contribute to most of our social ills as well. Fear of the unknown contributes to hate and hate crime. While I don’t think we can do that much to change the environment in Nigeria (Do Not Send Your Money To Nigerian Spammers!) we can make changes in our communities to help every child get an education and have an opportunity to climb out of poverty.

The video talks about a great man who is not gripped in the beliefs of these people and does everything he can for the accused witches. He maintains an orphanage for the abandoned and tortured children and unfortunately his facility is bursting at the seams.

There is a Facebook Page where you can help these children: Click here.

I suggest watching the video below and reading the original article on CNN.

One side note: According to the CNN article the exorcism and excommunication occurring in Nigeria is being done in Churches. It is being done with Pastors. It is a religious ceremony and considered to be part of Christianity.

I am sure nearly all American Christians would vehemently disagree with the beliefs and tactics of the Nigerian Christians. I think it is worthwhile noting that religious folks in Third World Countries living in poverty with little or no education tend to act irrationaly, violently and are extreme in their beliefs. This applies equally to Christians, Jews and yes, Muslims too.

Just something worth thinking about…

CNN Video:

CNN Article: Children abused, killed as witches in Nigeria

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Tagged as: child abuse, CNN, education, humanitarian crisis, Nigeria, poverty, religion, video, witch hunt, witches

  • Will

    Take up the White Man’s burden–
    Ye dare not stoop to less–
    Nor call too loud on Freedom
    To cloke your weariness;
    By all ye cry or whisper,
    By all ye leave or do,
    The silent, sullen peoples
    Shall weigh your gods and you.

    -Rudyard Kipling

  • Curtis

    What is wrong with Nigeria? This is what expatriated Nigerians ask as many of their websites attest. Is it the Muslim violence? The continuance of animism and primitive beliefs? The oil companies? Nigerian Christianity?

    Christian missionaries to Nigeria in the late 19th century campaigned against primitive witchcraft beliefs; hopefully, there was some success: elsewhere in Africa, the same atrocities are committed in even greater numbers. Most definitely, animist Nigerian Christianity is not “Christianity.”

    Evangelical Pentecostal Christianity, (which ironically, it seems, is a better friend to Israel than Obama) ) has had elements of its beliefs incorporated and overlaid on top of primitive animism in Nigeria. It must carefully view who it promotes and funds and not give credence to charlatans like Helen Ukpabio. The exposure of the blasphemous “Christians,” who defraud the community and cause children to horribly suffer and die, should energize the world Christian community, especially the Pentacostals, to condemn the beliefs and practices of those like Helen Ukpabio.

    I don’t personally believe in the Pentacostal emphasis on the “war” between God and Satan, and in fact I see a lot of similarity between it and Islam, but Pentacostalism seems to have curbed its dogma somewhat and lives within our laws. Still, its pretty hard to stomach the “prosperity preachers.”

    On the other hand, the secular hand, the argument that poverty and lack of education is the real cause of violence and extremism has been made before.

    See: http://www.marxist.com/witchcraft-nigeria-peoples-minds.htm

    I don’t think so. Torah teaches that disobedience to G-d’s commandments is the cause of suffering. Obedience brings peace and prosperity!

    Education, or should I say “re-education” is the Marxist, g-dless answer. Marxists assume any opposition to their beliefs is a manifestation of mental illness and from them came the list of phobias one can accuse any opponent with, a real Saul Alinsky tactic. He was the man who dedicated his book, “Rules for Radicals” to Lucifer. Funny that. Lucifer is a Latin term. If Alinsky had chosen Satan, that would have been much more appropriate given Alinsky’s main tactic is to accuse.

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