Chris Okotie, senior pastor of
the Household of God Church, says wearing a face mask or face shield in church
goes against the basic tenets of the Christian faith.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of
Lagos, had announced that religious centres will reopen from August 7.
The governor, however, noted that
the centres would be allowed to open only once a week and operate at 50-percent
capacity.
Sanwo-Olu added that all standard prevention and control measures such as “physical distancing, mandatory temperature checks, use of face masks in public, regular disinfection of premises and personal hygiene”, must be strictly adhered to.
But in a 28-minute special
broadcast sent via WhatsApp to his church members, Okotie said he would not
reopen his church.
Although he acknowledged other
precautions put in place by the government to curb the spread of the
coronavirus, he said the wearing of face masks was unacceptable.
Citing various Bible references,
the clergyman said wearing a mask or a face shield to church is separation from
God because it is like reintroducing the veil which was torn the moment Jesus
died on the cross.
“When a man is standing before
God in church wearing a shield or mask, he is denying the finished work of the
cross,” he said.
“Before we offer our sacrifices
and lift up holy hands before God, we must make sure that everything is decent
and in order.
“We must only follow the
protocols outlined in the Bible, not any directive that violates the basic
tenets of our faith.”
In May, Okotie had countered the
position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for recommending social
distancing as a condition for reopening churches.
“Social distancing in the Church
of Jesus Christ is tantamount to blasphemous infidelity and an impeachment of
the integrity of the word of God,” he had said.
Meanwhile, in July, he accused
Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, of leading a global conspiracy to destabilise
the world economy and execute a “satanic agenda” against the church.
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