It was the theologian Paul Tillich who declared that religion should be understood as ultimate concern, as that to which people pay ultimate allegiance or loyalty. Even though this view has been critiqued for being to amorphous to capture the complexity of what might be called "religion", there is hardly denying the fact that religions demand allegiance and loyalty from its adherents. It is because of this demand for loyalty that the theologian William Cavanaugh has seen the state as the new religion in that it demands ultimate loyalty. Like religions that require adherents to sacrifice themselves for the cause, the state also requires adherents to offer themselves in defending it. Not only does the state demand loyalty, it also gives those it claims a new identity. Ambazonia is attempting to create a new identity for people who once knew themselves differently, all the while claiming that it is only attempting to go back to an older identity. It is now demanding loyalty. It is also requiring people, especially the young, to sacrifice themselves for its cause.
Most people in southern Cameroons have understood themselves as Bakweri, Bayangi, Santa, Bafut, Babalang, etc. In addition to these, they have also known themselves as Christians, Muslims, traditionalists, or as belonging to other religious traditions. In the last sixty years, they have understood themselves as being part of what is now known as Anglophone Cameroon and the state called Cameroon has demanded their loyalty. Now Ambazonia is the new game in town, working on constructing a new way for the people to think about themselves - as belonging to a thing called The Federal Republic of Ambazonia, complete with a state house, a president, ministers, and spokespeople. Every day videos are posted on YouTube or WhatsApp purportedly containing statements from a minister of this or that, bringing a message of liberation to "fellow Ambazonians." Just like every state, they are imposing a new identity on people who once did not think of themselves in those terms, demanding the ultimate loyalty and sacrifice - just like religions do. Thus, young men and women are called upon to pay the ultimate prize to serve an ultimate purpose that is hardly clear.
In order to create this new system, like some religions, it needs a new enemy or a new past that it opposes. Thus, La Republic du Cameroun (instead of the government) has been cast as this new enemy and the people are promised that they are moving to a new promised land. Thus, a people who used to interact with each other without animosity are now taught to hate each other. And while churches in Anglophone Cameroon are addressing the matter daily - largely because they have to - churches in Francophone Cameroon are largely silent.
And here is why Christians in Anglophone Cameroon ought to reject the pretensions of Ambazonia. First, it teaches Christians to hate each other as states often do. Christians living in different states tend to see each other as foreigners, contrary to the vision of Jesus Christ. Christians are people who should be united and should care about each other rather than seeing each other as enemies. Christians should not be warring against each other as Ambazonia is calling on Anglophone Christians to do, and as states do. Ambazonia is giving Christians the impression that the problem with Cameroon is the marginalization of Anglophones without seeing the bigger context in which this problem is situated - the context of criminality in government. Leaders of Ambazonia are themselves people of very doubtful character. Thus, Ambazonia has instead chosen to contribute in making Cameroon a crime scene characterized not only by economic criminality but also the murder of the innocent. As people whose ultimate loyalty is in the God of Jesus Christ rather than to a state, Christians should refuse to shed blood as the Biya junta and Ambazonia is calling on them to do. There are better alternatives to challenging the rapacity of the Biya regime than to contribute in making the country a crime scene.
Most people in southern Cameroons have understood themselves as Bakweri, Bayangi, Santa, Bafut, Babalang, etc. In addition to these, they have also known themselves as Christians, Muslims, traditionalists, or as belonging to other religious traditions. In the last sixty years, they have understood themselves as being part of what is now known as Anglophone Cameroon and the state called Cameroon has demanded their loyalty. Now Ambazonia is the new game in town, working on constructing a new way for the people to think about themselves - as belonging to a thing called The Federal Republic of Ambazonia, complete with a state house, a president, ministers, and spokespeople. Every day videos are posted on YouTube or WhatsApp purportedly containing statements from a minister of this or that, bringing a message of liberation to "fellow Ambazonians." Just like every state, they are imposing a new identity on people who once did not think of themselves in those terms, demanding the ultimate loyalty and sacrifice - just like religions do. Thus, young men and women are called upon to pay the ultimate prize to serve an ultimate purpose that is hardly clear.
In order to create this new system, like some religions, it needs a new enemy or a new past that it opposes. Thus, La Republic du Cameroun (instead of the government) has been cast as this new enemy and the people are promised that they are moving to a new promised land. Thus, a people who used to interact with each other without animosity are now taught to hate each other. And while churches in Anglophone Cameroon are addressing the matter daily - largely because they have to - churches in Francophone Cameroon are largely silent.
And here is why Christians in Anglophone Cameroon ought to reject the pretensions of Ambazonia. First, it teaches Christians to hate each other as states often do. Christians living in different states tend to see each other as foreigners, contrary to the vision of Jesus Christ. Christians are people who should be united and should care about each other rather than seeing each other as enemies. Christians should not be warring against each other as Ambazonia is calling on Anglophone Christians to do, and as states do. Ambazonia is giving Christians the impression that the problem with Cameroon is the marginalization of Anglophones without seeing the bigger context in which this problem is situated - the context of criminality in government. Leaders of Ambazonia are themselves people of very doubtful character. Thus, Ambazonia has instead chosen to contribute in making Cameroon a crime scene characterized not only by economic criminality but also the murder of the innocent. As people whose ultimate loyalty is in the God of Jesus Christ rather than to a state, Christians should refuse to shed blood as the Biya junta and Ambazonia is calling on them to do. There are better alternatives to challenging the rapacity of the Biya regime than to contribute in making the country a crime scene.
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