“We´ll Fight for Christian Nation”

-Dr. Hill

A Liberian Baptist prelate and Chairman of the Liberia Council of Churches Technical Committee has public declared that his committee, along with other churches in Liberia, will ‘fight’ for Liberia to be Christian nation.

The Rev. Dr. Arnold Hill told a news conference at his Mamba Point residence Thursday that the ‘fight’ will be conducted through prayers and lobbying with Christian electorates to vote candidates who will support the bid to Christianize Liberia.

Dr. Hill indicated that according to the UNDP report of 2014, there were 1.4 million Christian voters in Liberia, suggesting that he and the rest of Liberia’s church leaders, who believe in the Christianization of the nation, will tussle with anyone who will attempt to remove Proposition 24 of the Constitution review agenda.

He recorded that over 700,000 Christians petitioned the Liberian Legislature on the Christianization of the nation, but the government has not taken any direct mandate, noting that the Christian community was determined in ensuring the realization of Liberia becoming the first country in the West African to be Christianized.

He emphasized that for long, the Christian community has sat without taking its rightful path in the remaking of Liberian history, adding that it was time for Christians to rise up to the occasion by replacing the secular nature of the state to Christian nation.

Commenting on the Liberia Council of Churches’ position that Liberia is not ready to be a Christian state, Dr. Hill intimated that the report of the technical committee headed by him, does not present anything of such, pointing out that the recent statement by the Liberia Council of Churches does not represent the facts of the committee’s report to them.

He described LCC’s statement as unfortunate and that the Council of Churches has committed gross injustice to the country and Christian community. He accused the LCC of failing to adhere to the technical committee’s report that the country has decided to be a Christian nation. Responding to fears of chaos if Proposition 24 went to and pass, Rev. Hill added that there was no reason why there would even be tension, noting that Liberia being a Christian nation did not mean the suppression of other religious beliefs.

He said Christianizing Liberia would only mean added that is righting the wrong inserted in the preamble of the 1986 Constitution which states that Liberia is a secular state. Earlier this week, the LCC, though its head, Bishop Jonathan B. B. Hart told the nation that the Council did not support the idea of Liberia being a Christian nation.

“We, the Liberia Council of Churches, wish to announce to the government and people of Liberia, ecumenical partners, the international Community and friends, that we do not support, in any form or manner Proposition #24 of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) to make Liberia a Christian Nation,” said Episcopal Bishop Jonathan B. B. Hart at a recent news conference in Monrovia Monday.

Given the sensitivity of the proposition and considering its implication on the nation’s security, he said the council elected to get involved in the debates and discussions surrounding the issue in order to inform Liberians where the church stood on the matter.

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor