- Cherubim and Seraphim (Nigerian Church)
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The Cherubim and Seraphim movement church, also known as the C&S, is a church denomination in Nigeria that was created by Moses Orimolade Tunolase in 1925. Orimolade Tunolase claims to have received a direct communication from Jesus Christ in which Christ instructed Orimolade Tunolase to found the church. Orimolade received considerable media attention when he claimed to have healed a girl, Christina Abiodun Akinsowon, from a long-term trance in which she could neither speak nor hear. After the healing event, Orimolade Tunolase and Abiodun Akinsowon teamed up, as father and adopted daughter, and offered their services to heal and pray for people.
The Cherubim and Seraphim group claims to have dreams and visions that facilitate the connection of God and humanity. In 1925, they claimed that Jesus Christ had directed them to name their circle of followers seraphim, after an angel they claimed to have seen in their dreams. Two years later, they added "Seraphim" to the name of their church, making their congregation the Cherubim and Seraphim.[1]
Several years after the creation of the Cherubim and Seraphim, different denominations following in its traditions broke off and formed new churches. The Church of Aladura, which began in 1930 under the lead of Josiah Oshitelu, was one of the churches that began under "similarly spectacular circumstances" as the Cherubim and Seraphim.[2] By the 1940s, the Aladura movement church had begun to spread throughout the world, from places in Africa to other English speaking countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
Contents
Life of the founder
Moses Orimolade Tunolase, the founder of the Cherubim and Seraphim, was born in 1879, into the quarters of the royal family of Omo'ba Ode Sodi of Okorun, in Ikare, Nigeria.[3] Records show[which?] that Orimolade's life began strangely. His mother, Madam Odijoro, said that when she was pregnant, she went to the farm to cut some firewood on a particular day. When she was ready to leave, she realized she could not lift the firewood she had cut. Suddenly, she heard a voice telling her the easiest way to lift all of the firewood. She looked around but could not find anyone. Then, the voice said, "Do not be frightened, I am the child in your womb. Follow my advice and be on your way." She claimed to have been able to lift the firewood with the help of the unknown voice.[3]
When he was born, his parents had mixed feelings. They were excited about the new addition to their family, but were also embarrassed because of the strange circumstances that surrounded his birth. According to records, "The new child stood up right after his birth and walked around the delivery place."[3] The midwife that helped with his delivery held him down forcefully to stop him from walking. Members of the Cherubim and Seraphim believe that the force of the midwife, in addition to some incantations made by his herbalist father to calm him down on the day he was born, led to Orimolade's "prolonged paralysis". Because his father could no longer bear the embarrassment surrounding his son's birth, he asked Orimolade and his mother to leave his house for good, after which he planned to committing suicide, but was discouraged by family members. Family members claimed that it was not hard to tell that he had a little time left to live.[3]
Not long after Orimolade and his mother left his father's house, Orimolade sent a message to his father, telling him to go to a nearby hill (now known by the Cherubim and Seraphim in Ikare as calvary) to ask for forgiveness for his sins. People[who?] claim that the message threw Orimolade's father into complete depression, which caused him to become ill. He requested that his wife be close to him on his sickbed, and he blessed her the way an elderly Yoruba man about to die would. Days after his death, he was buried "honorably."[3]
Books[which?] claim that on a particular night, Orimolade was in a church at night singing some songs of praises. Astonished by the voices, the minister, who thought they were the voices of the choir, went over to the church to ask them why they were using the church without his permission. However, upon his arrival, he found that it was just a boy, about 5 years old, singing as though he was a group of choristers. Amazed by this, the minister decided that the church should employ Orimolade to teach them spiritual songs.[3]
After Orimolade left the church, he continued to spread the word around Nigeria, preaching in Benin, Delta, Kwara, and finally Lagos, where he died in 1933. Days to his death, historians[who?] mentioned that an "emblem appeared in the sky, so that many stars dropped off the sky."[4] Before his death, he prophesied that the Cherubim and Seraphim was going to spread worldwide,this prophecy has actually come to pass because the church is now known worldwide and has different branches under it.[4]
Worship among the people
The Cherubim and Seraphim base most of their worship methods and objects of worship on the New Testament and the book of Revelations. The objects they use include candles, to represent light, backed with Revelation 3:1-3; rods, as a sign of authority, from Revelation 2:26-27; incense, which they claim to use to drive away demons, from Malachi 1:11 and Revelations 5:8,8:4; and they ring bells as a sign of victory. They wear white garments as a form of uniform, and they claim that these such garments should be the dress of the faithful, because they were what Christ wore during his suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection.[5]
The Cherubim and Seraphim have special prayers for sick people, which are used as a form of faith healing. These prayers are led by the leaders of the church, while the sick person kneels in the middle of a circle, if they are able. During such prayers, the leader reads some selected Psalms from the Bible and summarizes the prayer. Each prayer is recited once or twice, and at times recited up to seven times, depending on the seriousness of the illness. After every prayer has been said, the leaders expect that the problem will disappear immediately, because Jesus will have performed "automatic healings". Otherwise, they believe that the failure is either caused by the patient, who has committed some "heinous sins" that remain unforgiven, or from the healer, who does not have strong enough faith to perform the healing, as in Luke 9:37.[4]
The Cherubim and Seraphim believe in the use of water and oil. They claim that water has a type of healing power, because of the strength of baptism and the spirit of God that dwells within it. They also believe in the use of concentrated oil, because it is backed by the bible in James 5:14-15. [4] Fasting is another tradition they have. They believe it is "an injunction of Christ for support of prayer." The Cherubim and Seraphim also claim that fasting increases their spiritual strength and speeds up their success in spiritual matters.[4] The church also has a set of taboos. They have food taboos, which place a restraint on what they can and cannot eat. Taboos include wearing black dresses, using charms, and making use of things of a magical nature.[4]
The Cherubim and Seraphim also have holidays, such as Holy Michael's day, which takes place on September 29 of every year. They claim this day as the day that the Archangel Michael overcame the Devil in a battle. On this day, they have a church service in which they read two lessons from the bible, from Daniel 12 and Revelations 12. Holy Gabriel's Anniversary is another holiday, observed on the third Thursday in August. The Anniversary of Cherubim Band is celebrated on the last Thursday in May, and the Cherubim and Seraphim wear special dresses for this sermon. They also celebrate the Aniversary of Seraphim Band, which takes place on September 9 every year to commemorate the day the society was named in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1925. They also celebrate an anniversary in memory of the founder, every October 18–19, in which they hold a vigil at the founder's graveyard at Ojokoro, Ijaiye, Lagos , Nigeria from 10 pm to 3 am. On the first Friday in November, they fast throughout the day to observe the Repentant Meeting Day. They also celebrate a Day of Prayer for the peace of Jerusalem, which takes place on the first Friday in July. It is a day set aside for prayers for peace. Lastly, they celebrate Love Fest, during which the church provides a meal of water and bread for the congregation, and read a few bible passages while they eat the food.[4]
The Cherubim and Seraphim have church services throughout the week. They have special services on Sunday. On Mondays, they meet for prayers by 7 pm. On Tuesdays, various bands hold their meetings at 6 pm. On Wednesdays, Bible classes meet. On Thursdays, there is a service where fruits are distributed for pregnant people. At 6 pm on Fridays, they have a service of prayers and intercessions. Finally, on Saturdays, a vigil is observed from midnight until early morning.[4]
Spread of the Word
Orimolade claimed his calling was to go about preaching the gospel of the Lord. However, he felt overwhelmed by the ridicule he received from the people of Ikare because of his disability. So, he decided to pray, and he asked for God to manifest himself. Records[which?] say that in reply to his prayer, an angel appeared to him in his dreams, presenting him with a rod, which they claimed signified a "rod of victory", an insignia which represented a "power of prayer and power of speaking", and a crown which stood for "all honor and Multi-respect of every individual to bow before him to receive blessing."[3] After Orimolade woke up, he knew his prayer had been answered. He ordered his mother to wash him, and from then on the gospel of Jesus Christ was his sole purpose.[3]
He began his campaign when he petitioned the police to release a group of Christians who had had a clash with some traditional worshipers.[3] It was recorded that, "He preached with so much vehemence that the earth opened its mouth ... and they were all afraid and many of them ran away, but his brother, Egunjobi did many rituals according to ancient customs to put the earth back to its former closure ... There were proclamations about the earthquake so that people from abroad came to witness the incident and [Orimolade's] name was as fearful as that of an invisible spirit." That event marked the end of hostility towards him from the people of his town.[3]
In 1916, Orimolde left his hometown of Ikare for Irun, which was about six miles away. On getting there, he found the people celebrating the festival of Osijora, the idol they worshiped. He pulled down the images of this idol, and "opened the seal of witchcraft, and acrobatic evil worshipers."[4] From Irun, he headed straight to Ogbagi, a nearby village, and did the same thing, after which he preached the gospel of God and showed the people what God expected from them in order to enter heaven.[4] He continued his journey of gospel, and repeated his actions in town after town throughout Nigeria. He went to places such as Akungba, where he prayed and healed people, to Oka, where he rebuked the people for worshiping masquerades, to Kiran, with a few people from Oka carrying him on their head. He continued on to Ibilo, Merri, Ipele, and Ifon, and from Ifon they carried him to Owo. Orimolade also stopped by Benin, where they worshiped a golden statue by feeding it with human blood. He rebuked them for their actions, told them to destroy the image, told them about God, and taught them ways to worship him.[4]
References
- ^ Hood, Robert. Must God remain Greek?:Afro cultures and God-talk. copyrighted material. Minneapolis, U.S.A.: Fortress press, 1990. 21-22. Print.
- ^ Glazier, Stephen.D. (2001). Encyclopedia of African and African-American religions. Rutledge, New York: Berkshire.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Orimolade Tunolase, Moses. Dictionary of African Christian Biography. Retrieved (2010, September 13) from http://www.dacb.org/stories/nigeria/orimolade_moses.html
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Anjorin, S.O. (2007). Moses Orimolade-the saint among the angels. Minna, Niger state: King James Publishers.
- ^ Tovey, Philip. (2004). Inculturation of Christian worship: exploring the eucharist. Hampshire,England: Ashgate publishing Limited.
Categories:- Christian denominations in Africa
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