“Come, let us return to the Lord, for we all like sheep

                        have gone astray”.

These words of Hosea 6:1 was the clarion call sent to all and sundry by some senior citizens of Nigeria by name Fellowship of Christian Patriots (FCP) to this year’s public lecture titled “Homosexuality and Religion”.

After all niceties have been extended by the organizing committee, the guest speaker, Professor Oyewale Tomori, Vice Chancellor Redeemer University, Redemption City, Ogun State set the ball rolling in a 12 - page research work which took the audience to a historical excursion into the world of homosexuality which he said had been in existence soon after Adam and Eve were chased out of the Garden of Eden.  According to him the act is as old as religion itself.  However, he said the condemnation of penetrative sex between males and predates Christian belief, as it was frequent in Ancient Greece, where the theme of “action against nature” traceable to Plato, originated in western societies.  

He said the liberalism of the world has given prominence and recognition to Homosexuality and there are various grades of reaction to it.   Professor Tomori said many historical figures including Socrates, Edward II, Lord Byron, Julius Caesar, Michelangelo, Leonardo-da-vinci and Christopher Marlowe had romantic or sexual relationships with people of their own sex.  According to him, the first recorded homosexual couple in history is commonly regarded as Knumhotep and Niankhnum, an Egyptian male couple who lived around 2400 BC.

The guest lecturer was quick to add that there is a conspiracy of silence in Nigeria on the issue of homosexuality.  As a result of this he said correct information are scanty on issues of sexuality in the country and this has made it difficult to estimate the level of homosexual activity in Nigeria, from the Ivory Tower to the thatched roof,  from the posh homes of the elite to secondary schools and universities to urban and rural dwellers.

Oyewale Tomori said homosexual practices were and remains widespread in the Americas, Latin America, Spain, East Asia, Europe and among many Middle Eastern Muslim egalitarian culture, from Northern India to Western Sahara even though same sex intercourse officially carries the death penalty in several Muslims nations Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Northern Nigeria, Sudan and Yemen.

In fact, Professor Tomori said governments in the Middle East now deny the existence of criminalize homosexuality, he quoted the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his 2007 famous speech as saying that there were  no gay people in Iran.  He said gay people do live in Iran they keep their sexuality secret for fear of government sanction or rejection by their families.

According to the guest lecturer, one thing is sure homosexual and lesbian people in many cultures are subjected to discrimination, violence and murder.  Homosexual acts are punishable by death in some present day countries including Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

According to the guest lecturer, a turning point was reached in 1973 when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders thus negating its previous definition of Homosexuality as a clinical mental disorder and Quebec became the first State - level jurisdiction in the world to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

He said the outbreak of AIDS epidemic in the early 1980’s and the bewildering death toll wrought by AIDS epidemic in the camp of the Gay People slowed down the progress of the Gay Rights Movements and campaigns were organized to promote efforts in AIDS education, prevention, research, patient support and community outreach, as well as demand government support for these programmes.

On Homosexuality and Health, Professor Tomori said men who have sex with men are more likely to have AIDS.  He said that their HIV prevalence is 60 times higher than the general population HIV infection according to him,           is increasing at a rate of 12 percent annually among 13-24 year-old American men who have sex with men have been recorded across Europe.  Infection of Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus, anal cancer, STDs are 17 times higher in Homosexuals.

On Homosexuality and Religion, Oyewale Tomori says Religions have had differing views about love and sexual relations between people of the same sex.  While there is stiff opposition to homosexual behaviour, several churches teach love and compassion towards gay people regardless of their sexual practices.  For instance, he said the catechism of the Catholic Church states “gay people must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity”.

On the other hand, he said the Anglican Communion encountered discord that has caused a great rift between the African (except Southern Africa) and Asian Anglican Churches on one hand and North American churches on the other.  While American and Canadian Churches openly ordained gay clergy and blessed same-sex unions in September 2006.   The Church of Nigeria headed by Archbishop Akinola issued a statement to the Nation commending the law-makers for their prompt reaction to outlaw same-sex relationships in Nigeria and calls for the bill to be passed since the idea expressed in the bill is the moral position of Nigerians regarding same-sex relationships.  It will be recalled that the United States state department formally challenged the proposed legislation calling it a breach of Nigeria’s obligations under the international covenant of civil and political rights.

The guest lecturer was so categorical on what the Bible say about homosexuality.  He quoted profusely from the scriptures and especially Sodom and Gomorra and evil people in Genesis chapter 19 from verse 5.

He quoted Deuteronomy 23:17 “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel”.   Furthermore, the Vice Chancellor of Redeemer University, pointed at Leviticus 18:22, where it is clearly stated “Thou shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind, it is an abomination.  Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto; it is confusion:  Defile not yourself in any of these things.  Professor Tomori said that Homosexuality is an expression of a spirit at war with his maker because on the sixth day God made man and woman was taken out of man and God saw that everything he had made was very beautiful. 

He concluded by saying that regardless of their sexual practices, Christians must reach out in love and compassion towards gay people because according to him that is what God has called all out to do.

After the keynote address by Professor Tomori a team of discussants led by Professor Na-Iya Sada of Ahmadu Bello University representing the Sultan of Sokoto took over the stage.   He said according to Islam homosexuality is evil and to allow it is to destroy the society and the world.  Professor Na-Iya Sada described homosexuality as a shameless act and madness which is one of the ploy and instrument to destroy man.  He said in Islam if homosexuals are caught, it is death so prevalence and acceptance does not arise.  He therefore advised that people should not overplay freedom because freedom of some can lead to destruction of others.

In his own submission, Rev. Father George Ehusani, a former Treasurer of CAN said homosexuality as inherently disordered and that as far as Christian Religion is concerned it is a CRIME because instead of promoting the family it destroys it.  He said Christians and Pastoral leaders have the primary responsibility of leading Homos from hell to heaven and bring them to sanity.

The Rt. Rev. Duke Akamisoko in his contribution suggested that political leaders and political office holders must be screened and investigated during electioneering to be sure that they have no leaning with homosexuality and lesbianism.  He quoted copiously from the Bible to support his stand that homosexuality should not be condoned but punished severely.

The Rt. Rev. Samuel Olukunle Ajani said we should not shy away from the fact that homosexuality are living with the society hence all instruments should be employed to fight the scourge like HIV/AIDS and cultism.

It was the considered opinion of the generality of people gathered that pragmatic efforts should be made to teach and sensitize children from kindergartner to tertiary institutions and most importantly the Legislatures must take a definite stand to pass the Homosexuality Bill before it.  A prominent Anglican member and the former deputy speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Austin Opara moderated the programme to the administration of the audience.

While rounding up the programme, the Primate of all Nigeria, Anglican Communion, The Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola said the Homosexual problem is not peculiar to Anglicans or Christians alone, according to him, it is a global human problem, he said all hands should be on deck to teach and sensitize people on what evil same-sex union has brought to mankind.  Archbishop Akinola challenged everybody who appears in public to approach this deluge of a problem of disobedience and make this nation a better place to live.  He said there is the urgent need to do more research with a view to funding solution to the problem.  He said today in the western world religion values teachings and symbols have been removed from public domain in the name of civil liberty and rights and they use the media.

He commended the presence of members of the Islamic religion who joined the gathering of Christian intellectuals to brainstorm on the way forward to the homosexual imbroglio.  Primate Akinola admonished that events of this nature should come up more often on various issues that have been identified as precarious.

He challenged his colleagues (fellow bishops) and Imams to confront their congregation with the undiluted word of God in their pulpits bearing in mind that sin has been part of human experience and existence since Adam and Eve disobeyed God.  According to him sin is sin and it can manifest himself in any form like homosexuality, stealing, adultery, fornication etc.  He gave kudos to the Fellowship of Christian Patriots (FCP) for being the vanguard in this crusade, he urged them never to look back even when people call them names.

Primate Akinola raised a poser, and warned the National Assembly and the government not to succumb to serious pressures being mounted in the name of civil and human rights.  He said that as long as Nigeria does not have the right to order England or the West on what to do likewise America has no right to tell us how to live in Nigeria.  He said they have no conviction to teleguide us in an ungodly way.  According to him Nigeria has multifarious problems in her hands corruption, bad roads, epileptic power failure, and Nigeria can not afford a new additional problem.

The Rev. Canon Foluso Taiwo

Director, Department of Communications