But the handsome light complexioned Jesus Christ we were introduced to in primary school whose pictures doted our orthodox churches till today, carried very long coiled hair and nobody protested that.
So what's wrong with Pastor Jimmy Odukoya who succeeded his late father's church business as G. O. from having dreadlocks? I think it's an unnecessary noise to distract the young pastor from his evangelical work.
If his inherited flock don't like his dress sense as a pastor cum artiste, they are free to leave and others particularly the dynamic adventurous young ones will flock in. It's Oja Oyingbo that feels nobody's absence as Ebenezer Obey rightly sang. That is the essence of democratic entry and exit. All religious and non-religious businesses agree to this.
Sons of some business magnates carry dreadlocks or coiled hair like that of "our primary school Jesus" and they are directors in their fathers' businesses yet workers under them do not protest.
I like listening to Pastor Sam Adeyemi for his intelligent scriptural interpretation and relating it to life reality without over-boring his audience with miracle-miracle all the time. Not because of his looks or appearance but for his intelligent delivery on topics which I do disagree with at times.
Despite being a retired Christian after being a Muslim by birth, I'm still an avid reader of Jehovah's Witnesses' publications for their lucid informative scientific content on many useful contemporary issues for many years in spite of not agreeing with their religious conclusions. So life is about choice, not compulsion.
Dreadlocks may be natural or artificial. If you don't comb your head hair for months or years you will get dreadlocks. Nothing diabolical or really spiritual or magical about it. I don't like it but it doesn't mean others won't. It's a matter of choice. Our primary school Jesus carried long hair, I still have the mental image of that picture today so that I can quickly identify him in case of his second coming. Call it religious colonial mentality if you like, you may be right. Pope doesn't carry long air like Jesus. Many catholic fathers, Anglican, African, methodist bishops and prelate shave their heads. Does that make them anti-Christ or unserious? No.
White garment churches (Wolis) carry dreadlocks. It's seen as a sign of spiritualism and more godliness by the adherents.
Members of white garment churches adore their members with dreadlocks, they automatically nicknamed them "Woli" "Oluso" "Alore" i.e. prayer warrior, seer, even when they are children. That's the extent of respect members give to their Wolis with dreadlocks. But funnily enough, when I was in Cherubim & Seraphim, aka K&S for about seven years, none of our best Woli, regular "Elemi" i.e., members that always go on trance to foretell and see vision wore dreadlocks. This put paid to my childhood ignorance that Wolis must carry dreadlocks.
Like in Christianity so also in Islam and Isese. Some fads like having a long beard or goatee by many Muslims, especially Alfas, or Sango priests having a hairdo like a woman and decorating it with cowries are not in the tenets of Islam, or Sango decreed. It's a matter of democratic choice or mere doctrinal behaviours for identification. Cowrie usage belongs to all Isese groups not exclusive to Sango adherents. Even the red clothes are not exclusive to Sango adherents. Some Egungun and Akogun sects adopt red for their symbols and clothes.
Let every religious priest and merchant advertise and recruit members to their folds the way they like and let members join whichever religious clubs they like and exit freely without ‘wahala’ out of over 4,000 religions in the world.
Many join religious organizations because their pastors are handsome, rich, sexy, and presentable, beauty of their churches, good choirs, for business sake, for employment purposes, because of their helpers, landlords, looking for girlfriends, boyfriends, in search of marriage partners, some because it's their family church or spouses churches. And some jump from church to church as religious tourists or just for fun.
It's a free world. Your character, integrity and values define you, not your kurukere kurukere religion symbolism.
"Orun ni o mo e ni to ma la" i.e. "Orunmila". Let heaven judge the righteous with dreadlocks, jalabia, suits, Agbada or any clothes. Or there's no heaven again ni? So why the rush to judge your pastors, Alfas, and members of other sects or religions when they have not committed any crime? Peace Be.
Adeola Soetan