WAY TO THE NATIONS

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Dr. Marcelo Quintela and Chief Okon I. Medekon

Distribution: Nigerian Way to the Nations

Support: Way to the Nations Brazil and England

Cover: Pablo Massolar

Revision: Dora Ramos and Nurulizzah Anuar

Translation: Gisa Muniz, Joel Costa Jr. and WN´s translaters

Diagrams: Marcos Vinicius and Pablo Massolar with pictures

Photography: Leonardo Lepsch

In Africa, the belief in witchcraft reaches epidemic pro-portions. Although it is comprehensible that nominal Chris-tians embrace this belief, so deeply rooted in our culture, it is disturbing the fact that it is so common among true Christians. Christian services, much of the time, look like no more than rituals of protection…

Samuel Waje Kunhiyop – Nigerian theologian

Therefore, those that, in the name of Jesus, curse a child and affirm that the child was taken over by witchcraft, only because of being a child that misbehaves and some-times wakes up screaming – even if these people are us-ing the name of Jesus – they will be the ones who are truly practicing witchcraft, and not the child!

Rev. Caio Fabio – Brazil

Cover description:Name: H. O. E., 7 years old.Accusation: of being a witch by a family friend, causing a tumor in a village girl. Punishment: Left to starve by his father to extract a confession and led by his older brother into the forest to be killed.Redemption: A stranger sent him to us. We have treated his broken arm and tried to return H.O.E. to his parents. The village’s intolerance did not al-lowed us to give him back to his family. Today he lives in an orphanage, without even saying goodbye to his mother.

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Preface By Marcelo Quintela: The Shadow Of Death And The Morning Star ...................................4

Preface By Chief Okon I. Medekon ...................................................6

Chapter I – An Appeal .......................................................................8

Chapter II – Unicef And The Child-Witches ......................................10

Chapter Iii – Jesus And The Children ...............................................14

Chapter Iv – Jesus And The Churches .............................................17

Chapter v – Jesus And The Families ................................................20

Chapter vI – What Can You Do To Avoid Your Child Of Being Accused Of Witchcraft? .....................................................................23

Chapter vII – What To Do If Your Child Is Accused Of Witchcraft? ....................................................................................28

Chapter vIII - Open Letter To The Good Pastors ..............................30

Thanks To ..........................................................................................31

References ........................................................................................32

Summary

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Preface

The Shadow Of Death And The Morning Star

The “church” has an extension of one kilometer as far as quantity is concerned, but only one centimeter of depth as far as quality is concerned.

Dr. Tokunboh Adeyemo, Nigerian theologian (African Evangelical Association)

I live in Brazil. The country of Pelé, Ronaldo, Robinho, Kaká and many others. I live in a country of all colours, with the largest black population outside of Africa. A much

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disputed and exploited ex-European colony that still faces many social imbalances. Thousands of children in Brazil still walk around the streets with no father, no mother, no fu-ture, no instruction, and under the “shadow of death” which comes from crime, drugs, homicides, AIDS, despair!

Brazil is still the largest Pentecostal nation as well as the largest Catholic country in the world! This would be reason for much pride, if it weren’t also a place where faith in Jesus Christ has been mixed to the fear of many super-stitions adopted by Christianity with no solid base in the Word of God, which can deliver human beings from fear of witches, witchcraft, the devil and death itself!

Do you realize our nations are impressively similar to each other? They are very alike. And we have been help-ing Brazilian children in all the ways we can.

We believe our similarities have led us to write this book, which just like any divine favor, cannot be bought or sold, but should be freely given to all the ones who com-mit themselves to reading it with care! Our hope is simple: to provide spiritual resources for you to help your family, community and nation to exterminate once and for all the belief in child witchcrafting.

We believe a Light will be cast upon your eyes.We believe spiritual confusion will dissipate. We believe lucidity will take the place of madness. We believe the Shadow of Death will give place to the

Morning Star.We believe you will have the same Revelation given to

us by God!And because we believe all this we wrote this book!

Marcelo Quintela (Brazil)

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What would you do if someone called your child a witch ?

In Nigeria as it may be in other countries where the belief in witchcraft is rife, the question is no more whether anybody believes in witchcraft (because the majority do) but the effect of such beliefs on the teeming population of children. A few hours sitting and listening to the ongoing at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry at Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State should clear whatever doubts one had on the issue of witchcraft.

The Government worried about the incessent reports of stigmatisation and persecution and killings of children accused of witchcraft has set up this inquiry so as to get at the root of the matter.

There is a mass or should one say a mob belief in witch-craft and other related assumed powers. A cursory exami-nation of the impact of these beliefs will unfold influences furnacing the flames that seem to be burning out a genera-tion of unsuspecting and unborn children out of existance. Some of these influences are being exerted by extreme religionists – christian or otherwise through manipulation of people’s believes. Others are traditionalists who exert their influence through rites and practices.

Fear and ignorance also contribute not in a lesser degree.Anybody suffering from any of these cases would cer-

tainly cast his child away, where such a child is stigmatised as a witch. It is also argueably believed that any informed

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parent or guardian who has gone through the amount of advocacy, mobilization and rescue mission being mounted by groups of individuals, various Non Government Organi-sations such as “Way to the Nations”, “Stepping Stones child empowerment Foundation” and “Child’s Rights and Rehabilitation Network” would certainly want to save the child. Mention must be made here of “The Oron Union Cultural Troupe” who have turned their searchlight on the evils of sigmatisation of the child as a witch through songs and dramas at various schools and community centres across the State.

The Government (Akwa Ibom State) in her wisdom passed The Child Rights Law in 2008 in recognision of this vile practice and existance in order to try and nip the prac-tice in the bud. The Government have also gone further by donating to the NGOs towards the care of these affected children all in an attempt to protect the child.

The “Way to the Nations” is a NGO that has been us-ing evangelism to reach out the community and religious bodies in Akwa Ibom and now brings to you this enriching booklet which I recommend you to read and meditate on this matter.

Chief Okon I. Medekong, (Akpaha Oron)

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An Appeal

Dad, mum, teach-ers (educators), rela-tives, for the love of god, read these lines we wrote in order to bless your home, your children and your stu-dents. The subject is serious:

It's already known by almost everyone that in the last 10 years, a surge of murderous evil has taken over the African religious mentality, especially its “Christian” wing: Almost all “revelations” about witchcraft have fall-en upon CHILDREN. Our children! Sons and daughters of Nigeria!

Why?

It is hard to explain. It has never been this way before, not even in societies where belief in the powers of witch-craft is very common.

Chapter I

Photo taken by EVANS-PRITCHARD in 1921: “Never before a child had been accused of witchcraft...”

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In medieval Europe, taking someone who has been ac-cused of witchcraft to judgment was a way to try to control the women, especially those who would not submit to the power of the Catholic Church. After the XVII and XVIII centuries, the so-called “Holy” Inquisition had publicly burned more than 40 thousand women who had been suspected of serving the devil. After many days of physical and mental torture, a ma-jority would finally confess their condition, even those who never wished harm to anybody! Yes, under great pressure we will almost always say what people want to hear!

The ignorance in Africa has never reached this far in the past. And both men and women could equally be witches, not necessarily involving any religious issues. (Even in the cultures where the stigma was connected to evil women, this was never a problem between God and the devil). It was an issue between people. It was believed that jealous neighbours and offended spouses could have the invisible power of performing witchcraft. This was the explanation for every misfortune that people couldn’t explain! Howev-er, CHILDREN HAD NEVER BEFORE BEEN ACCUSED OF PRACTICING WITCHCRAFT IN ANY CULTURE OF AFRICA. Children could have been a victim of it – because of the hatred of one of their parents’ enemies, for example – but never accused of practicing it!

The researches who explained to the Europeans how the ancient African tribes situated between the rivers Niger and Nile lived, described in their diaries that, even when someone suspected a child, the tribal leadership – their elders – would immediately say that that was impossible because a child could never harm an adult, so the children have always been preserved.

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Unicef And The Child-Witches

How to justify that today, particularly they – the children – are accused to the point of being aban-doned or exorcised by the thousands?

The UN (The United Nations), through UNICEF (The United Nations Children’s Fund), was here and has pub-lished an article in April 2010 as an attempt to explain what they called a “recent and urban phenomenon.” The article is available online at http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/wca-ro_children-accused-of-witchcraft-in-Africa.pdf and, in short, it affirms that the overcrowding, the lack of opportu-nities and education, the many wars, the misery and the illnesses, besides the revival of ancient beliefs are at the basis of child stigmatization. In other words, fewer children means less problems! Child witchcraft is an excuse for the expulsion of little ones who become unwanted to their families or communities. "What happens is that members of a family, community, or church accuse a child of being a witch, very often after some kind of calamity, like the death of a family member, the loss of a job, or infertility. Young children who are naughty or hyperactive, children who like to sleep outside at night when the weather is hot, or even babies who cry a lot have also been accused of witchcraft",

Chapter II

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according to Paula Fedeski, chief of communications at UNICEF Nigeria Office, in an open e-mail sent to The Ep-och Times' website. This UNICEF report has highlighted that the lives of these “child-witches” are in many ways sucked out of them and they rarely reach adulthood. Aban-doned, they become street-dwellers. They beg, they are beaten, they are enslaved, they are forced to participate in crimes, to transport drugs and to start a life of prostitution, especially girls, even as young as 6 (or 7) years old.

So, we conclude that parents can no longer just aban-don their stigmatized children, because this will turn out to be a murderous act!

UNICEF offered a diagram to explain how a belief – mediated by socioeconomic issues – can become, in the end, murderous.

1. Vulnerability of the child (orphan, deficient, aban-doned, etc.)

2. Misfortune, illness, death

3. Detecting the guilty (churches, traditional healers)

4. Child is accused

5. Violence in the family circle, sometimes leading to forced confession

6. Violence committed by the community

7. Attempt to find solutions (churches, traditional healers, courts)

8. Life-long stigmatization

9. Abandonment by the family

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The noble efforts of some humanitarian organizations, present in the areas where Nigerian children are most abused have been recognized in the same article. The NGO Stepping Stones Nigeria (SSN) – for example – has worked providing maintenance for the victims stig¬matized by the accusations of witchcraft.

In a few years, they've managed to:

Found a center for abandoned children, especially »those accused of witchcraft. The children suffer severe violations on the streets – where they generally live – as well as among their families and churches;

Vulnerability of the child (orphan, defi-cient, abandoned,

etc.)

Misfortune, illness, death

Detecting the guilty (churches, tradi-tional healers)

Child is accused

Violence in the family circle, some-

times leading to forced confession

Violence commit-ted by the com-

munity

Attempt to find so-lutions (churches, traditional healers,

courts)

Life-long stigmati-zation

Abandonment by the family

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Hire teachers to provide education for children who »have barely gone to school;

Found a medical service. The children are tested for HIV- »AIDS and receive efficient treatment for diseases such as tuberculosis, malnutrition, malaria, typhus fever, etc.

Reunite many children with their families. »

In November 2006, SSN and associated groups, in part-nership with the government of Akwa Ibom State, started a campaign called Prevent Abandonment of Children Today (PACT). Two of the several aims specified on the text of this campaign are:

To work on a plan for the adoption of an Action for Chil- »dren's Rights by Akwa Ibom state government;

To research deeply in order to investigate the relation »between child abandonment and children trafficking in the state of Akwa Ibom.

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Jesus And The Children… their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets… have been

turning their backs and not their faces to me: and though I was their teacher, getting up early and teaching them… they put up the high places of the Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom, making their sons and their daughters go

through the fire to Molech; which I did not give them orders to do, and it never came into my mind that they would do this disgusting thing!

Jeremiah 32:32-35

There are many other serious NGOs working across Africa, but we – Way to the Nations´memberships – know that the best way to exterminate once and for all this "trade of little human souls" is by the full, constant, bold, open, passionate, powerful and liberating preaching of the Gos-pel Our Lord Jesus - that's the antidote for the poison of the anti-Gospel, which has been using the name of God to affirm things God would never say. If we just look at the biblical narratives of Jesus, we will easily realize that Christ has little in common with Christianity today when it comes to children!

Christians reject Christ when they believe that a child could be a witch. The following about Children comes from the mouth and attitudes of Jesus:

1. Children represent god on the earth – Mark 9.35-37 35 And seating himself, he made the twelve come to

him; and he said to them, If any man has the desire to

Chapter III

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be first, he will be last of all and servant of all. 36 And he took a little child, and put him in the middle of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 Whoever will give honour to one such little child in my name, gives honour to me: and whoever gives honour to me, gives honour not to me, but to him who sent me.

2. Jesus forbids the mistreatment of the little ones – Matthew 18.5-6

5 And whoever gives honour to one such little child in my name, gives honour to me: 6 But whoever is a cause of trouble to one of these little ones who have faith in me, it would be better for him to have a great stone fixed to his neck, and to come to his end in the deep sea.

3. The adults need to know that god has already blessed the little children – Mark 10.13-16

13 And they took to him little children, so that he might put his hands on them: and the disciples said sharp words to them. 14 And when Jesus saw it, he was an-gry, and said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not keep them away; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Truly I say to you, Whoever does not put himself under the kingdom of God like a little child, will not come into it at all. 16 And he took them in his arms, and gave them a blessing, putting his hands on them.

4. In the temple, the children worshipped jesus and were not afraid of him – Matthew 21.15, 16, 17

15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the works of power which he did, and the children crying out in the Temple, Glory to the son of David, they were

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angry and said to him, 16 Have you any idea what these [children] are saying? And Jesus said to them, Yes: have you not seen in the Writings [Scriptures], From the lips of children and babies at the breast you have made your praise complete? 17 And he went away from them, and went out of the town to Bethany, and was there for the night.

5. Jesus adverts us not to despise or to look down on the children, because they have angels in heaven – Matthew 18.10

10 Let it not seem to you that one of these little ones is of no value; for I say to you that in heaven their angels see at all times the face of my Father in heaven.

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Jesus and the churches

Chapter IV

Outdoor advertising one of the many crusades against witchcraft in Nigeria

This way the worst of ironies is established: just the place where they are actually supposed to be protect-ed, the Church, turned out to be the court that accuses them!

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With what basis do we say this? »

Besides many police reports and newspaper articles, we, from the "Nigerian Way to the Nations", looked for an explanation inside several churches located in Akwa Ibom State. Most of the consulted religious leaders say they don't believe the children to be witches, but wouldn't fight to save them from the "revelations" inflicted upon them by their fellow pastors. A good number of pastors believe rather that "the spirit of witchcraft being the least of the demons, enters the family through its weakest member", the smallest, the child, the son or the daughter!

Inside the famous denomination in Eket City, at the end of the service, that took place there on January the 2nd 2010, we heard at a meeting in the pastor’s office that “if pigs can be possessed why not children?” An Anglican bishop regretted that it’s unfortunately too difficult to change people’s cultural ignorance, suggesting that there is no use trying to teach them the Truth. Denominations like SOLID ROCK CHURCH, however, said they have been struggling against the practice for a long time. And powerful structures like LIBERTY GOSPEL CHURCH say not only that children have a spirit of witchcraft but also that they are the main cause of harm and evil inside a Christian family: the blame for unemployment and illness is put on the little ones.

This emphasis appears in their sermons, books and movies. On January 18, 2010, in a meeting with our Bra-zilian delegation visiting Nigeria, the leadership of that de-nomination said that children can be possessed by a "divi-nation spirit". When the Brazilian Christians tried to argue in the meeting that Christ could never suggest the exis-tence of CHILD-WITCHES they were sent away from what

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the local pastor called "her territory". We have rescued boys and girls even from small independent, less known churches who had been admitted there to go through a long process of liberation, forced to stay away from their family, friends and school. Except for a small group of reli-gious leaders who, in fact, sincerely believe they are free-ing child witches, a large portion of the Neo-Pentecostal denominations in Nigeria earn money with this exorcism, paid by their parents who are desperate to free their be-loved children from this alleged malignant influence.

Who then will protect

the little ones to whom

belongs the kingdom

of God?

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Jesus and the families

Mum and dad, only you can shield your child against this wound! It is only "from inside" the homes that this craziness will stop threatening the families. How can this be done? Hear what the Spirit says to the families:

The family is an instrument of God to protect his little children

Most children are stigmatized by their families, neigh-bourhood, village or community. The possibility to be ac-cused again is very big and their reintegration is incredibly difficult. There have been several studies and researches that have identified the characteristics of children who are at particular risk of accusations of witchcraft. They are:

1. Children who lost both parents and were sent to live with another relative;

2. Children who lost a parent and the one who was left got married again. Disagreements with the stepparent may be the source of an accusation;

3. Children with a physical disability, illness or abnormality like a big head, a swollen tummy, red eyes, epilepsy, tuberculosis, or children with a psychological disorder like autism, Down Syndrome, or even those who stut-ter, cry at night and have frequent nightmares;

Chapter V

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4. Children who show any unusual behaviour, for exam-ple children who are stubborn, aggressive, withdrawn, sleepy or lazy;

5. Children who have been considered outcast since an-cient societies, being said to be " born evil ", like in the case of twins and albinos.

Unfortunately we have seen some parents passively watching rituals of "Christian" liberation performed upon their frightened children. It's very difficult for a child to recover from the trauma of these sessions: they are thrown to roll up in the air, shaken, thrown to the ground, turned around and around until they feel dizzy and fall. Scary shouts penetrate their lit-tle ears. Hot candles are poured on their tummies, they are pinched to take the "witchcraft-substance" out, hands squeeze their heads strongly, shaking them from one side to the other. There is a lot of crying, screaming, sweating, dizziness and puffing breathing. There is no need whatsoever for all this! It's an evil theatre: the children are the victims of people who at-tach God's name to the greed for money, for Evil doing! It's time for this to end. We can no longer pretend that this is not happening! It's enough, or God will cause so much pain in our silent society that we will be under an unbearable disturbance from The Lord, because He radically loves the little ones!

If parents, stepfathers, stepmothers, pastors, village doctors, uncles or grandparents of a stigmatized child are accomplices in this prejudice they must know that the fam-ily, the community or the State that tries to shut off a child accused of witchcraft violates the 2nd paragraph of Article II of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states clearly that "States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is protected against all

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forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child’s parents, legal guardians, or family members." Now, inter-national organizations and national legislation are watching child abandonment closely! Time for justice has begun!

Parents, relatives and teachers: it's time to do the right thing. It's your turn! Get united!

In a book, yet to be published, written by missionaries of the Way to the Nations, they try to explain to Brazilian people that, in general, Nigerian parents that allow their children to be exorcised during church services or in church boarding schools for children are not crueld people. But what these parents rather wish, like in Brazil, is to change their miser-able lives, to recover the lost job, to fill their kitchen cabinets with good food, to have another child cured of a disease,etc. They are frightened! These parents are too confused. They don't find any explanation for their hard life and they think they are there facing the revelation of prophets, facing a very concrete possibility that all that all their troubles come from the evil influence of their “witch-children”.

They are full of expectations a sudden new day! They have suffered a lot... Most of them love their little "witches", but they must desperately save them from their own spells. They are not evil parents! They are victims! And now, even though they are also victimized, they must take action! It's time for them to stop watching this looking down with fear. Their dad, mum, and the rest of the family must take an extra step to oppose accusations of child witchcrafting. Teachers must help parents reject the stigmatization of their children! Only adults who are full of love, faith, courage and certainty of God's love can change this situation.

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Chapter VI

What can you do to avoid your child of being accused

of witchcraft?

If you believe with all your heart that Jesus already took »all the curses and witchcraft against us, you will not ac-cept charges against your children. Psalm 91 says that if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will reach you, no disaster will come near your tent. Because He will give his angels orders about you, to protect you in all your ways, with their hands they will hold you, so that you will not stumble against a stone.

Even if you work hard, things still do not improve at »home, please do not turn the situation worse by believ-ing the evil explanation that falsely prophesies, say-ing that "you may be bewitched by your own children!" Ignore this completely in Jesus' name. Because this accusation is accepted only by fearful, frightened and confused parents! So believe in God, believe in the pro-tection of His Love! Believe that your child belongs to Him! You are the minister of your home! You should always pray to bless your own children, because "they are a heritage from the Lord!"

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If you use your parental instincts you will understand »that children and teens do things that seem to explain the witchcraft, but they are just normal behaviors re-lated to their age. Rebellion, disobedience, low grades and big messes are problems that parents must con-front with love and discipline, severity and affection. Many men and women of God may have been troubled children like their own child may be. This too shall pass, unless you allow the trauma of a stigmatization hurt your children forever! In this case, all the good you wish for them will become evil, because a child never forgets having been accused of witchcraft or sorcery, and his or her soul will be wounded forever.

Trust your doctors and teachers. They also belong to »God! They are men and women chosen by God to serve the people with their professions! Yes, they really are! They know that rolling eyes or fainting, frequent fevers, domestic disasters, screams at night, compulsive crying or total silence can be common symptoms in the behav-ior of children or teenagers. They may be missing some important vitamin, or could have a certain sleep disorder called by Medicine "night terrors" which fades away as they grow, or they may even be in need of vaccinations or physical and psychological care. Face the problems of your children. Do not try to make excuses or look for easy ways to explain them! Solve them! Protect your children! Pray for them! Bless them! You're the minis-ter of your home! And calm down, the absolute majority of these symptoms will pass! But, how will children stop crying and gnashing their teeth at home if they only hear their parents yelling and cursing everything and every-one around all the time? Think about this.

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Rely on good pastors – who are humble teachers from »among the people! They exist, thank God. A real pas-tor teaches the Word, not the latest fashion. When he speaks, he doesn't act like in the theatre, making a scene! He talks more about love than about money. The wolf-pastor, however, lives to ask and exploit. He will al-ways use fear and tyranny to make you depend on him. The wolf-pastor teaches that God's people must sub-mit to him, to his teachings, and he never helps people how to walk with their own legs. Because awareness and freedom are always big threats to the wolf and his territory. Such leaders dislike people who think! A true pastor who is "real" takes the little ones by the hand to guide them, but does not force them to follow his own choices. He makes people grow.

Yes, the LOVING pastor does not seek to convince by force, he never uses threats and does not intimidate his brothers and sisters. Besides that, in a culture where pas-toral status has become a sign of success, it is important to know that a pastor does not need to have a certain voice, a pastor does not need to wear certain clothes, a pastor does not need to look like a pastor, because his qualification does not come from his visible appearance. The true pastor has a sheep's heart, dresses modestly and has compassion in his eyes. In this case he does not need to scream for respect, to test people's obedience, to check the extent of his authority. He does not worry about being a reverend, a priest, a bishop, an apostle, because these terms do not define him. In his heart there are only honor and gratitude for being a beloved son of the Father, a disciple of Jesus Christ, a dwelling place for His Spirit!

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Who has that certainty does not need titles. The one who has God-given gifts, does not need to show achievements or claim a title. Jesus never did that, even being who He was and is! It's enough to just be it, truly! The true pastor seeks to be faithful, not successful. To be a pastor, he must not boast, greed to possess things, accumulate as-sets and he must prevent his heart from loving the riches that will pass... His wealth is his service. He is the great-est among us because he's the one who serves most, and he serves without seeking to be served. And gives without trying to receive back.

His glory is not in this world. His assets are people, not things! He builds relationships, not buildings, he is among the people, not behind the desk. He is a person and not a robot. He is sanctified by the blood of Jesus, but he is not an angel. As a son of the Gospel of Grace which has elected him, he considers others before himself, he ap-preciates the "insignificant", he honors the anonymous, he loves the weak, he has no prejudice! For him, poor and rich have the same value! Now the pastor is only one man, one woman... but their example is the Shepherd of shepherds, Jesus, whose characteristics were portrayed above. The "apostle" is not to be imitated by his assistants. But Jesus is to be imitated by his disciples.

Finally, full of fear and trembling before God, we affirm »by the Holy Spirit that that person who "proves" that a little child practices witchcraft - and makes the situation worse by performing violent exorcisms, further increas-ing their own sins, charging money for this dirty work – is NOT a pastor, even though he may have been one!

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And does not know God's will, even though he may have known it once! And does not love God, even though he may have once loved him! He may have charisma, but has no character! He performs miracles, but God does not know him! He may cast out demons, but he does not have his name written in the Book of Life, and hav-ing not received His little ones like someone who re-ceives Jesus, he will hear from Him: "Depart from me. I never knew you!"

Article 18 - It is forbidden the use of the Name of Je-sus by anyone who does it to exercise power upon his neighbor... All men and women who believe are equal, and no-one will ever require submission of others, but he or she will recognize their right to be free and to love.

Extracted from the Manifesto "The Sweet Revolution" idealised by Rev. Caio Fabio, published in the books "No Bargains with God" and "One Way", and in thousands of blogs, sites and church murals, communities and associa-tions both in Brazil and around the world.

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What to do if your child is accused of

witchcraft?Neither Jesus nor his apostles –

not in any Bible text – kept chained those they wanted to free from evil spirits. What is happening to his "disciples" today?

Don't believe it, by no means. Don't believe it! No mat- »ter by whom this so called "revelation" occurred! No matter where it was said! Whoever or wherever it has been said, it is a lie! God does not deliver his little ones to be possessed by devils!

Pray to God! Pray for you, so that God will strengthen »your faith in His Word, and you do not hesitate or doubt Jesus' care for the little ones. Open this book on pages 14, 15, and 16, and read out loud what Jesus said in those Bible verses. Or, if possible, read it directly from the Bible: MARK 9.35-37, MATTHEW 18.5-6, MARK 10.13-16, MATTHEW 21.15-16, Psalm 8:2, MATTHEW 18.10 (Don't engage biblical debate regarding this).

Chapter VII

Photo taken during a visit to a church in Eket, Akwa Ibom, on January/2010

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1. Don't tell anyone that your child has been accused of witchcraft. Don't discuss this with people who are not capable of thinking like a parent, about your child.

2. Leave the church in which your child was stigmatized. Don't go back there. We can understand how difficult it seems, but if your son is accused of witchcraft, the church is no longer proper for you. Also abandon tradi-tional religions and occultism, if that is the case.

3. Look for the team of the Nigerian Way to the Nations (WN - Nigeria). They will welcome you and your home, and help you in any way needed. Example of activities of the Nigerian WN:

4. Press charges of the accusation to the State;

5. Seek appropriate medical or educational attendance;

6. Inform family members, neighbours, community, school and any group involved, warning everyone that their ac-cusation that your child is a witch is not valid, not true and against God;

7. Help you find a church to congregate among the many where, thank God, did not give in to that shameful practice;

8. Provide temporary shelter to the child if there is a real threat to their physical integrity;

9. Keep WN agents in the area where the complaint oc-curred, watching for eventual new cases.

The headquarters of WN are in Oron, Akwa Ibom State. Call the number 07085 263 871, for more information.

NOTE: No matter where you live, we will go to your home for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus and in de-fense of the LITTLE ONES IN NIGERIA.

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Open letter to the good pastors

Beloved brethren, Praise the Lord!If you have been seeking to live your life guided by bib-

lical principles summarized in this book on pages 14, 15, and 16, then these words are for you.

Our fight is not against any specific denomination or church structure, but against the invisible rulers of this dark world, the powers of darkness.

We will partner with anyone who is in this war, whether they are religious or not. We belong to Jesus, but do not want to open churches. It’s not what we’ve been doing in the countries where we operate in all the Continents. We want to work in partnership with the sons of Peace in all Nations. If you need help to engage the struggle against child witchcrafting, please contact us. We can help you. We are also Christians. You’re not alone! And you and your church can really help us. We need to know that you are there and that you too are fighting against this evil plague, which has affected many countries in Africa!

We know the consequences of disrupting this exorcist trade that chooses children because they know that par-ents will do everything they can to pay for their alleged “liberation” (Many parents take loans they can’t pay, mak-ing the later situation much worse than first). Therefore, we know very well that the “mercenaries of faith” are furi-

Chapter VIII

31

ous with what we have been doing. And we are not able to provide safety to any of our partners and friends. It takes courage to move forward without any fear! As Pas-tor Martin Luther King Jr. said: “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

Come with us. “Those who want to change the world are walking with us!”

We have just started!If you or your church need more copies of this book,

please call 07085 263 871 or email us at leo@caiofabio.net and we will make sure the required amount of books will reach you for free distribution. You can also visit our website www.waytothenations.com

Nigerian Way to the Nation

Thanks to

Giant Waves – São Paulo - Brazil

Leonardo Lepsch www.leonardolepsch.com/homemadewitches

Nigerian Embassy in Brazil

Ortho and Sleep Clinical of Santos/SP – Brazil

Stepping Stones Nigeria (SSN – UK)

The Oron Union Cultural Troupe

32

References

D’ARAÚJO Filho, Caio Fábio. Sem Barganhas com Deus. 2.ed. Rio de Janeiro: Prologos / Semear Publicações, 2010.174p.ADEYEMO, Tokunboh (Editor Geral). Comentário Bíblico Africano. Mundo CristãoCIMPRIC, Aleksandra. Children Accused of Witchcraft: an anthropological study of contemporary practices in Africa. In: UNICEF. Dakar, April 2010. . Disponível em: http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/wcaro_children-accused-of-witchcraft-in-Afri-ca.pdf. Acesso em 30/09/2010.TER HAAR, Gerrie (ed.) Imagining evil: witchcraft beliefs and accusations in contemporary Africa. Trenton; Asmara: Africa World Press, 2007. 348p.EVANS-PRITCHARD, E.; GILLIES, Eva. Bruxaria, oráculos e magia entre os Azande. Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar, 2005.HORTON, Robin. Patterns of thought in Africa and the West: essays on magic, religion and sciende. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. 471p.BAILEY, Michael D. Historical dictionary of witchcraft: Historical Dictionaries ofReligions, Philosophies and Movements. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2003.GOLDEN, Richard M. Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: the Western Tradition. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2006.AWOLALYU J.O. Youruba beliefs and sacrificial rites. London 1979, p. 81.NADEL SF. Witchcraft in four African Societies. In: The American Anthropolo-gist, vol.54 (1952), pp. 18-29, reprinted in: Max Marwick (ed.): Witchcraft and Sorcery. Selected Readings, Harmondsworth, 1975, pp. 264-279.FANCELLO, S. Les aventures du pentecôtisme ghanéen : nation, conversion et délivrance en Afrique de l’Ouest. Paris: Karthala, 2006QUINTELA, Marcelo; COSTA JUNIOR, Joel. Jesus and the Children: How should little ones be treated? Tradução de Joel Costa Junior, Leonardo Rocha e Thiago Fuschini. Ilustrações de Silmara Egg. Caminho Nações, 2010. The Good News of Jesus: The Gospels. São Paulo: Sociedade Íbero- Ameri-cana/Abba Press do Brasil & Love All People Org. 2010.D’HAEYER, Aurore, 2004; MOLINA, Aguilar, 2005. The Causes and Prevalence of Accusation of Witchcraft among Children in Akwa Ibom State. June 2008. The Impact of accusations of Witchcraft against Children in Angola. An Analysis from The Human Rights Perspective, UNICEF.

“Keep watch over the flock of God which is in your care, using your authority, not as forced to do so, but gladly; and not for unclean profit but with a ready mind; Not as lords over God’s heritage, but making yourselves examples to the flock.”

1 Peter 5:2-3