Editorial: Between Bishop Obinim and Prophet TB Joshua

Years ago we interviewed Chief Psychiatrist Dr. Akwasi Osei about the conduct of Daniel Obinim and he said the young man has influence and money at a very young age and that may have triggered a latent mental challenge called grandeurs delusion, so, the man thinks he is all in all and can do any and everything and get away with it.

For those who followed Obinim, you would remember he even claimed he could change into a snake, lion, eagle and more. He even claimed to be called “Angel Obinim” and could fake having a conversion with angels right in front of his congregation. You remember the names of “angels” he mentioned – Ayetefrem and something else. Jokes!

Today, Obinim says he has stopped all those things from this year. He even made a joke and said “how could I even claim I could change into a lion and all that”. These were clear signs of delusion which his followers bought hook, line and sinker. Today he says he is walking away from them.

So, if you think of all the things TB Joshua is said to have claimed to be and have done, I want to believe Dr. Akwasi Osei’s diagnosis would have been spot on as far as TB Joshua is also concerned.

The challenge with all these people allegedly suffering from grandeurs delusion is that they surround themselves with gullible loyalty junkies who fuel their grandeurs delusions but never question them. What then happens is that, their loyalists endure all the “crap” for so long that, when one of two people begin to question things at some point, they are tagged and banished from the fold. Everything they say outside of the fold are seen as wicked lies and the remaining loyalty junkies are used as weapons to discredit the “rebels”.

It is a vicious cycles that is working very well in many congregations and other groupings, and yet you still have people who believe that anyone who gets out of the cycle and says anything is rather the bad one. They forget that those very people were once used to discredit others, so what is the guarantee that the current junkies will also not be tagged rebels if they begin to question stuff?

Let’s not forget that those who remained loyal to people like Jimmy Jones to their tragic death in 1978, did so with honest faith that they were following a true man of God sent by God to lead them to heaven.

Those who followed Peter Anamoh to Bawku on 11/11/11 to “avoid the end of the world disaster” he falsely predicted, did so with honest faith.

Those who are following this new end-time preacher who claims the world will end in 2028, are doing so with honest faith.

Anyone who questions any of these people will be banished and tagged as rebels and be discredited with past video clips and all that. That is the style they all use as a warfare against people who wake up to the reality of their manipulations.

I honestly think our state institutions like National Security should start developing interest in some of these things before people’s lives are destroyed in their honest pursuit of genuine faith.

Blessings.

By Samuel Nii Narku Dowuona (Xexe)