Avoid Religious Insults, Northern CAN Warns Christians

The northern wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged Christians to stop engaging in hostile religious exchanges, saying believers cannot defend God through insults or abusive arguments.

In a statement on Wednesday, the northern CAN Chairman, Joseph Hayab, cautioned Christians, particularly youths and clergy, to exercise restraint in the face of growing religious provocations on social media.

Hayab said many of the ongoing online debates, often presented as a defence of the faith, were contrary to biblical teachings and risk deepening divisions among religious groups. He noted that such engagements are “vain and unprofitable arguments,” and warned that they frequently degenerate into strife and ungodliness.

“The Bible warns Christians against engaging in vain arguments. From a biblical angle, vain arguments include reckless, unprofitable and provocative debates. Believers in Christ are, therefore, instructed to avoid vain arguments because they generate strife, ungodliness, and ruin both the speakers and the listeners,” he said.

His remarks stemmed from heated exchanges between members of different faiths on social media, including inflammatory posts, videos, and comments targeting religious figures and beliefs that have repeatedly gone viral.

Hayab, citing biblical passages, Titus 3:9 and 2 Timothy 2:23, stressed that Christians must not respond to provocation with hostility, even when their faith is ridiculed or misunderstood.

“As a Christian leader, I do not teach, encourage or instruct church members or any Christian at all to insult the divinity of another faith just because some disgruntled persons say or write awful things about Jesus or Christianity. An honest study of the Bible will help you understand that as an ardent follower of Christ, you cannot ‘fight for God, ‘” he added.

He further maintained that God, being omnipotent, does not require human defence through verbal attacks, warning that such actions only diminish the essence of Christianity.

“Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can ‘fight’ those who fight Him. From a Christian biblical viewpoint, no one can battle against the Lord because He is an omnipotent warrior who never loses,” he said.

The cleric also warned against copying what he described as “misguided religious zeal,” stressing that reacting emotionally to provocation undermines the message of love and peace central to Christianity.

“Such debates are unprofitable, worthless, and causes of ungodliness. Therefore, the biblical instruction is to avoid, shun, or have nothing to do with them,” he said, adding that using abusive language in the name of defending the faith not only misrepresents Christianity but also weakens its moral authority.

According to him, Christians using abusive words with others do not portray strength nor defend their faith; instead, such derides the Christian faith, makes a mockery of Christ’s spiritual authority and dims the bright light the Christian gospel brings to the world.