Hundreds of people sing "Silent Night" to the glow of candles at a Christmas Eve service at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in San Francisco. The song, lit strictly by the candles, is a traditional highlight of the early evening service. (San Francisco Chronicle picture from Christmas 2008)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0WwZc-Vz7Y

In this video, the narrator uses the seven-stage model of psychological transition put forward by Sugarman in her book "Life-Span Development" to explore the emotional side of personal transition from Christian to Atheist.  It is very useful for SafeHouse, a resting place and support group for people in transition of religious faith.  The SafeHouse can watch this video and discuss.

這套 YouTube 短片以心理發展的七個階段模型理解由基督徒過渡到無神論者的情緒轉變。看來十分適合「心靈休息室」觀看及討論。（「心靈休息室」是一個為宗教信仰轉變者而設的互助小組。）

The world should be alerted about this unbelievably horrible reality. In Nigeria, thousands of children are believed, by evangelical Christians, to be demon-possessed "witches" and some of them are tortured to death (1). Rev Helen Ukpabio of the Liberty Gospel Church is an infamous witch hunter. She made films to educate people that child "witches" exist (2). Her church's supporters have invaded a child rights conference (3), during which a humanist anti-superstition educator Leo Igwere's belongings were stolen. Now, Ukpabio has filed a lawsuit in the Nigerian federal court against Igwere for "religious discrimination" (hearing on Dec 17) (4)! A superstition-spreader who most likely indirectly caused multiple child murders brings to court a humane worker who tried to stop those children from being murdered! What on earth can be more absurd!

This terrible thing forced me to reflect on religious faith, Christian faith in particular. Some Christians in Nigeria believed that certain children are demon-possessed witches, and tried to cast out demons to the point of murdering those children. Faith kills. Christians all over the world should reflect on the nature (and danger) of their own religious faith.

You might wonder how that bizarre thing in Nigeria can be related to the faith of Christians in the rest of the world. They are. At the heart of Christianity is a set of supernatural doctrines. A personal God created and is looking after this world. God hears and answers prayers. Bible being the Word of God. Original sin. Jesus is God. Virgin birth. Salvation by crucifixion. Resurrection. Second coming. Eternal life. Satan is real. Spiritual warfare between God and Satan. Satan can possess a human. And more.

If Christians believed these, it follows that a child can be possessed by Satan (demon). If a child is believed to be possessed, why not cast out the demon from the child? If the exorcism failed, why not "deliver" the poor child to "eternal life"? The line of thought is logical. More importantly, the concepts of "spiritual warfare" and demon possession are alive in Western Christians, most notably among charismatics and evangelicals. And Christian exorcism is still being practiced in the West, only not to the degree of murder.

Christianity, following Judaism, has been praising the faith of Abraham in intending to (though being stopped at the last moment) sacrifice his own son upon God's order. By praising Abraham, Christianity indirectly endorses human sacrifice. Abraham might have nothing to do with the situation in Nigeria, but seeing human life as less worthy than faith in God is the same common core value behind. Religious faiths, including Christianity, can be dangerous. The only safeguard is to put universal human rights standard above all religious faiths and all religious authorities, including the Holy Bible. Put it simply, to make the world safer, we must put human life above God.

The Bible says that Satan is real, demon possession is real. The Bible and the Church praise Abraham’s attempted child sacrifice. If you believe that a particular child is being possessed, will you endorse performing exorcism on him/her? Why or why not? If you believe that God demands you to sacrifice your own son, will you obey God out of faith? Why or why not? Is faith a virtue or a vice? Should a believer obey or be critical of religious authorities (Bible, Church, Pope, ministers, the Nigerian children-killing Christian leaders, etc)? These are important questions for all Christians to ask themselves.


尼日利亞：福音派信徒殺害兒童「巫師」

世界應該知道這件令人震慄的可怕事件。在尼日利亞，數以千計的兒童被基督教福音派信徒相信是被魔鬼附體的「巫師」，當中一些兒童甚至被折磨致死（1）。「自由福音教會」牧師海倫．Ukpabio是一個著名的獵巫者。她製作短片宣傳兒童「巫師」的確存在（2）。她的支持者曾闖入一個兒童權利會議搗亂（3），混亂間一位在場的反迷信教育家利奧．Igwere的財物被盜。現在，Ukpabio居然告上尼日利亞聯邦法院，控告Igwere「宗教歧視」，聆訊將於本月十七日展開（4）！世上還有更荒唐的事嗎？一名散播迷信，導致許多兒童被虐待致死的人在法庭控告一個試圖阻止這些兒童被殺害的人道工作者！

這件可怕的事情，迫使我反省宗教信仰，尤其是基督教信仰。有些在尼日利亞的基督徒相信，某些兒童是被魔鬼附體的「巫師」，為他們「趕鬼」，甚至殺害那些的兒童。信仰可殺人！世界各地的基督徒都應該反省他們自己的宗教信仰及其危險性。

你可能認為發生在尼日利亞的恐怖事情與世界其他地方的基督徒的信仰無關。它們實在有極大關係。在基督宗教信仰的核心是一套超自然信念：上帝創造並保守世界；上帝聽禱告；聖經是神的話語；原罪；耶穌是神；處女生子；十架救贖；復活；基督再來；永生；撒旦是真實的；神和撒旦屬靈爭戰；鬼附；等等。

如果基督徒相信這些，自然也相信孩子有可能被撒旦（魔鬼）附體。孩子被鬼附，為何不替他們趕鬼？如果趕鬼失敗，為何不早送孩子入永生？這樣的思路是合邏輯的。更重要的是，「屬靈爭戰」是西方基督徒也相信的，尤其是靈恩派和福音派。西方基督教也有進行趕鬼，只是不至殺人而已。

基督宗教，承繼猶太教，讚揚亞伯拉罕的信心，在上帝的命令之下，打算把自己的兒子獻祭。基督宗教讚揚亞伯拉罕，便間接贊同以活人獻祭。亞伯拉罕或許與尼日利亞的情況無關，但視人的性命低於對上帝的信心，便是兩者背後共通的價值觀。宗教信仰，包括基督宗教，可以是危險的。唯一的保障，就是把普世人權標準置於一切宗教信仰和所有宗教權威之上，包括聖經。簡單來說，使世界更加安全，我們必須把人的生命置於上帝之上。

聖經說撒旦是真實的，鬼附真有其事。聖經和教會讚美亞伯拉罕企圖殺子。如果您相信某個孩子被鬼附，你會否贊同替他趕鬼？為何，為何不？如果你相信上帝要求你犧牲自己的兒子，你會否以信心服從上帝？為何，為何不？信心是一種美德或是一種惡？信徒應該服從宗教權威或批判宗教權威（聖經、教會、教宗、牧師、尼日利亞殺兒童的基督教領袖等）？這些都是所有基督徒要問自己的重要問題。


Notes 註:

1 Saving Africa’s Witch Children (Channel 4)
www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-8/episode-1
"In some of the poorest parts of Nigeria, where evangelical religious fervour is combined with a belief in sorcery and black magic, many thousands of children are being blamed for catastrophes, death and famine: and branded witches. Denounced as Satan made flesh by powerful pastors and prophetesses, these children are abandoned, tortured, starved and murdered: all in the name of Jesus Christ."

2 End Of The Wicked – Helen Ukpabio www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUeKBibBN0I

3 Helen Ukpabio supporters invade child rights conference in Calabar, Nigeria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWktZEj6OZ8 

4 Witch Hunter Takes Humanist to Court (from a CFI email)

In May 2009, the Center for Inquiry (CFI) launched an anti-superstition campaign to highlight and combat the abuse of alleged "child witches" throughout the African continent. Now "witch hunter" Helen Ukpabio, head of the Liberty Gospel Church in Nigeria, has filed a lawsuit in Nigerian federal court against Leo Igwe, CFI's representative in Nigeria.

The events were set into motion on July 29 when a mob of about 150 members from Ukpabio's Liberty Gospel Church attacked Igwe and others during a "Child Rights and Witchcraft" event in Calabar, Nigeria. Police finally broke up the mob and arrested one person. Igwe’s bag, phone, camera, and a copy of his planned speech were stolen and his eyeglasses were smashed.

The complaint filed by Ukpabio essentially alleges religious discrimination on the part of Igwe, who has been a tireless vocal critic of Ukpabio's claims that many of Nigeria's children and women are "witches". The suit, scheduled for a hearing on December 17, is seeking an injunction to prevent Igwe and other humanist groups from holding seminars or workshops aimed at raising awareness about the dangers associated with religious belief in witchcraft. 

(The mission of the Center for Inquiry is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.)