The Director, Nigerian Army Chaplaincy (Protestant), Col. Dawuk Danfulani, on Monday advised Christians not to hide under the cloak of God’s mercy to commit crimes.
Danfulani gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that many people were taking undue advantage of God’s mercy to commit all sorts of crimes, unlike the period of traditional religion when there was less crimes.
According to him, the consequences of crimes were immediate and severe under the practice of traditional religion.
The director said that because modern religion depended on the mercy and grace of God, people took it for granted and resorted to disobedience.
“The modern religion has differed judgment to life after, which is more terrible, because no one can determine when that end will be.
”In spite of the unsavoury development, the society can not revert to traditional religion.
“The solution is more awareness and sensitisation by religious groups on the penalty for disobeying the rules and laws of the merciful God,” the army chaplain said.
He urged people to be conscious of the punishment that goes with disobedience to God’s instructions for our society to be a sane place.
“The traditional religion, which has a direct response or answer to all calls or crimes, was without mercy, forgiveness nor consideration.
“It was so excellent, because it did not give room to conditions or excuses for crimes, nor regard for personality, but rather severe and fearless response.
“The traditional religion did not give room for expansion nor development in the society, and was tied down to men, and women were not respected.
“But men who were custodians made the religion respected and feared, and this controlled crimes in the society,” Danfulani said.
He said that the severe nature of the traditional religion made it impossible for crimes to thrive in whatever shape or size.
“In those days, the society was not materialistic, there was contentment, respect for the deities, the culture and custodians of these cultures,” the chaplain said. (NAN).