Abel Damina: A Dismal Dramatic Dabbler [I]

 Preamble:

Screenshot of a clip of Mr. Damina manifesting himself to be a dismal dramatic dabbler: commenting on 1 Timothy 4: 3.

In his preface to his "History of Heresies and their Refutations" St. Alphonsus Liguori penned down the following words: 

Heresy has been called a canker: “It spreadeth like a canker” (II. Tim. ii, 17); for as a canker infects the whole body, so heresy infects the whole soul, the mind, the heart, the intellect, and the will. It is also called a plague, for it not only infects the person contaminated with it, but those who associate with him, and the fact is, that the spread of this plague in the world has injured the Church more than idolatry, and this good mother has suffered more from her own children than from her enemies. Still she has never perished in any of the tempests which the heretics raised against her...

 In recent times, there have been a peculiar manifestation of this "canker", this "plague", through a popular Nigerian personage called Mr. Abel Damina. There is a comic side this manifestation: and it is that it is even scandalous to the not-so-pious ears of the agents of those in whose system is the synthesis of all heresies! Thanks to the so-called freedom of self-expression and publication having the unscrupulous social media outlets at it's disposal, Damina's canker and plague vies with wild forest fires in it's spread no less in the damage in it's wake. 

By "dismal", we mean the attribute of being "boring", "depressing" etc. And by "a Dabbler" we mean "an amateur", "a trifler". 

Though styled a "renowned Christian minister"  and particularly famous for his fascination for "elaborate exegesis" so-called, and idolized for his teaching that "people should not depend on religion but on direct connection to God and the Scripture"; anyone with basic Christian common sense is able to see, without much difficulty, how Mr. Abel Damina is neither a Christian nor a Christian minister. To the extent Historical Christianity is at stake, renown though he is at best as a "Dismal Dramatic Dabbler.

The duty to defend the revealed Truth and to instruct the ignorant and counsel the doubtful urges us on to make this intervention for the instruction and edification of people of good will, hopefully timely. 

The Background: What Got Me Started:

I recently stumbled on a series of clips titled "Dr. Abel Damina exposes errors in the Catholic Church" or something similar. The person who posted the series insinuates that Mr. Damina was provoked to action by a certain Novus Ordo lay-robed "Fr. Oluoma", likening it to one provoking a sleeping Lion or something like that. 

In his sworn project to "expose" the "errors" in the Catholic Church, Mr. Damina has made a number of curious claims. Reviewing each of the many of his bold and false affirmations is not necessary. It suffices to list a few, which when reviewed, it would be sufficiently clear that he is of the fellowship of falsehood - the synagogue of Satan, an agent of the mystery of iniquity, and that he is to be avoided at all cost by anyone who has concern for the salvation of his own soul. Mr. Damina claims:

• That Catholics are not the first Christians.
• That Catholics are not allowed to read the bible. That if they were, many of them would discover the many heresies of the Catholic Church. 
• That in the New Testament, there is no such thing as special Priesthood as claimed by Catholics: that Catholic Priests have no special powers.

We see here his 

1. decided attack on the historical claim of Catholic Church as being the first and only Christian Church; and this manifests his rejection of the doctrine concerning the divine institution of the Catholic Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.
2. his falsification of Catholic discipline on the study of the Bible; 
3. and his bold denial of Christian, and by that I mean Catholic, sacred Ministerial Priesthood.  

It is no surprise that modernist lay-robed agents posing as "Catholic priests" would be outraged by his claims as they are very much attached to social status their supposed identity affords them.  

Be that as it may, people of good will have the right to be disabused of the diabolic deception of this piteous infidel/heretic/apostate posing as a "Christian minister". 

In this present article, only the first point is discussed. 

Historical Christianity = Catholicity - Unbeatable Testimony: 

1. When St. Paul and St. Barnabas were teaching in Antioch, the moral body of disciples instructed by apostolic doctrine were then first called "Christians" (Acts. 11:26). 

Now, to differentiate this same moral body faithful to apostolic doctrine from heretics and schismatics, St. Ignatius, himself a Bishop of Antioch, would later identify it as the "Universal, i.e. Catholic Church". 

To that extent, a renown ecclesiastical author would say: 

Whosoever is of the true faith of Christ, may justly say, Christian is my name, Catholic my surname: a greater honour, and a greater advantage, than to be of any royal family. 

St. Pacianus explains that:

when heresies had arisen, and endeavoured by diverse names to tear the dove of the Lord and Queen in pieces, the faithful required their surname: hence they who before were called Christians, are now surnamed also Catholics. Christian is my name and Catholic my surname. 

One thing is clear therefore: this term Catholic, distinguishes the one true Holy, and visible Apostolic Church of Christ from all and every other congregation, sect, or party. 

2. As noted in the previous article, St. Augustine, who was lead slowly but surely by Divine Providence in his search for the truth has this to say when writing "Of True Religion":

...in Christian times there can be no doubt at all as to which religion is to be received and held fast, and as to where is the way that leads to truth and beatitude

 (St. Augustine, Of True Religion, 3)

 ... religion is to be sought neither in the confusion of the pagans, nor in the offscourings of heretics, nor in the insipidity of schismatics, nor in the blindness of the Jews, but only among those who are called Catholic or orthodox Christians, that is, guardians of truth and followers of right. (St. Augustine, Of True Religion, 9)

...We must hold fast the Christian religion and the communion of the Church which is called Catholic, and is called Catholic not only by its own members but also by all it's enemies. Whether they will or no, heretics and schismatics use no other name for it than the name of Catholic, when they speak of it not among themselves but with outsiders. They cannot make themselves understood unless they designate it by this name which is in universal use. (St. Augustine, Of True Religion, 12) 

Note worthy is that, in making this affirmations, St. Augustine  cites for his evidence salutary Christian doctrines and disciplines, and the witness of Martyrs and Confessors in defense of the Christian, i.e. Catholic, religion. 

Also, speaking of the Catholic Church in relation to heretical sects, St. Augustine affirms thus, as quoted by St. Alphonsus Liguori:

...This is the One Holy, True, and Catholic Church, opposing all heresies; it may be opposed, but cannot be conquered. All heresies come forth from it, like useless shoots cut off from the vine, but it still remains firmly rooted in charity, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it... 

2.  St. Alphonsus Liguori writing of Philip Melanchthon, one of the disciples of Apostate Luther in his "History of Heresies" notes that:

Many authors relate that, being at the point of death, his mother said to him: “My son, I was a Catholic; you have caused me to forsake that Faith: you are now about to appear before God, and tell me truly, I charge you, which is the better Faith, the Catholic or the Lutheran?” He answered: “The Lutheran is an easier religion, but the Catholic is more secure for salvation

Again, the same St. Alphonsus Liguori notes that:

The Lutherans and Calvinists say, just as the Donatists did before them, that the Catholic Church preserved the true faith down to a certain period some say to the third, some to the fourth, some to the fifth century but that after that the true doctrine was corrupted, and the spouse of Christ became an adulteress. This supposition, however, refutes itself; for, granting that the Roman Catholic Church was the Church first founded by Christ, it could never fail, for our Saviour himself promised that the gates of hell never should prevail against it: “I say unto you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt, xviii, 18). It being certain, then, that the Roman Catholic Church was the true one, as Gerard, one of the first ministers of Luther, admits (Gerard de Eccles. cap. 11, sec. 6) it to have been for the first five hundred years, and to have preserved the Apostolic doctrine during that period, it follows that it must always have remained so, for the spouse of Christ as St. Cyprian says, could never become an adulteress.

4. Arguing too from the testimony of history, Cardinal John Henry Newman (who was a convert from Anglicanism) in the Introduction to his now famous 1845 book, "An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine", affirms thus:

History is not a creed or a catechism, it gives lessons rather than rules; still no one can mistake its general teaching in this matter, whether he accept it or stumble at it. Bold outlines and broad masses of colour rise out of the records of the past. They may be dim, they may be incomplete; but they are definite. And this one thing at least is certain; whatever history teaches, whatever it omits, whatever it exaggerates or extenuates, whatever it says and unsays, at least the Christianity of history is not Protestantism... To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant. And this utter incong-ruity between Protestantism and historical Christianity is a plain fact.

First Summing up:

From our brief historical excursion it is clear that:

• They who before were called Christians (Acts 11:23), became surnamed also Catholics such that one who follow the religion of Christ is apt to say "Christian is my name and Catholic my surname".
•  The term Catholic distinguished the one true Holy, and visible Apostolic Church of Christ from all and every other congregation, sect, or party. 
• Donatists, Lutherans , Calvinists, in their sobber moment back in the days granted that the Catholic Church had preserved pure doctrine of Christ from the beginning to some point: this being an implicit admission that the Catholic Church was the First, and therefore the Church founded by Christ, which inturn means that she could not at any point become corrupted since Christ has promised to be with her till the end of time and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her.
• Early heretics and those of the 16th century never identified themselves as Catholics, but by the name of their leaders (e.g. Ebionites, Marcionites, Valentinians, Donatists, Lutherans, Calvinists, etc.
• The Christianity of history is not Protestantism and the incongruity between protestantism and historical Christianity is a plain fact to people of good will.
• Any honest Protestant deep enough in history, and indeed desires to be a Christian both in name and in fact, would cease to be Protestant by embracing Catholicity. 

All this goes to show that anyone who denies the historical claim of the Catholic Church to being the first and only Christian Church is a boring and depressing amateur in historical studies, i.e. a  dismal dabbler. And if such a person is rather dramatic in his denial, then what would best describe him if not a "Dismal Dramatic Dabbler? We must call a spade, spade, don't we? 

Meanwhile, by denying the divine institution of the Catholic Church, and advocating that people should not depend on religion but on direct connection to God and the Scripture, Mr. Damina shows himself to be without Christian Faith, for, a faith which does not comprise all the doctrines of the Catholic Church is no faith at all. 

Now, it is an article of Christian Faith, Christian doctrine, that Christ divinely instituted His Church on earth as a visible society which is a fulfilment and continuation of the true religion preserved from Adam till the coming of Christ by the patriarchs, prophets and other holy men whom God appointed and inspired to teach His Will and Revelations to the people, and to remind them of the promised Redeemer. 

Yes, before Christ, the True Religion was not Universal, i.e. not Catholic. But after Christ, it became Universal, i.e. Catholic, and it is to be Catholic till the end of time; and the gates of hell, that is, the powers of darkness, and whatever Satan can do, either by himself or his agents - like heretics; shall not prevail against it. Yes, neither the Modernists, nor Abel Damina and his heretical dabbling and blabbing can prevail against the historical, divinely instituted Church of Christ: the Catholic Church.

As a matter of fact, he who wilfully disbelieves a single doctrine of the Catholic Church has no true faith, for he who receives some of the words of Christ and rejects others, does not really believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He guides the Catholic Church. 

When someone without Christian Faith sets himself to teach others Christian Faith - a case of the blind leading the blind. Mr. Abel Damina's case: a classical example... 

Now, Mr. Abel Damina most evidently willfully deny, at least thus far, one doctrine of the Catholic Church: the doctrine of her divine institution. He only does not profess but also ardently despises the doctrine enshrined in the formula "I believe (in) One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church". There should be no doubt about the conclusion, or should there? 

Well, one thing is clear: to the extent Historical Christianity is at stake, Mr. Abel Damina is at once a dismal dramatic dabbler and a heretic or perhaps an infidel or an apostate posing as a Christian minister; a blind leading the blind, and how great is the fall of the multitude under his lead into the abyss of errors and falsehood! Oh that God be merciful on them to inspire in them love of the Truth and desire to seek it as to find it! 

St. Alphonsus Liguori notes that

The heretics, however, who, instead of learning from the Church the dogmas they should believe, wish to teach her false and perverse dogmas of their own, say that they have the Scriptures on their side... 

Even today, infidel/heretic/apostate Damina boasts no less in having the Scriptures on his side. But, as we would should in a future entry, like his predecessors in the fellowship of falsehood and at the service of the mystery of iniquity, with regards to the Scriptures he is no less a Dismal Dabbler; and that should in no way be surprising.