Laura Hill/The Badger HeraldNo home games are left to be played, and the Wisconsin women’s basketball team is hoping Sunday’s contest against the Ohio State Buckeyes will be the start of a lengthy road trip heading into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.The matchup of these two teams is the first this season, and there is a prize to be won. If Wisconsin (15-12, 10-5) wins, it will receive a very important first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. If Ohio State (18-9, 9-6) wins, there could still be a lot of shuffling to be done in the top five of the conference to determine who gets the byes.The tournament implications don’t stop with the Big Ten Tournament, either. They continue with the bracketology of the NCAA Tournament. Currently, Wisconsin is not receiving much love from the projections, despite being third place in the Big Ten. ESPN.com’s latest women’s basketball bracket has six Big Ten teams in, and Wisconsin is not one of them.A win against Ohio State on the road could do wonders for Wisconsin’s tournament dreams.“Ohio State has a very strong, solid strength of schedule and RPI, so this, along with every game we play down the stretch right now is like a tournament game,” head coach Lisa Stone said. “The strength of Ohio State…to be able to be victorious over them would bode well for our resume.”After a road win over No. 8/10 Michigan State Thursday, Ohio State is playing well heading into the matchup with Wisconsin. The Buckeyes also boast the consensus top player in the Big Ten – and arguably the country – in senior forward Jantel Lavender.Lavender is leading the Big Ten with 22.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game and has never failed to get 10 points in a single game her entire career – an NCAA-record 129 consecutive games.Much of the responsibility for shutting down Lavender will fall on the shoulders of Badger senior forward Lin Zastrow, and she has had experience battling some of the top post players in the country. Zastrow allowed the country’s eighth leading scorer, Northwestern’s Amy Jaeschke (22.3 ppg), to score only 25 total points in two games this season.Barring foul trouble, Zastrow will be forced to play every second that Lavender is on the floor, which could expose the depth Wisconsin lost when senior forward Tara Steinbauer went down with a torn ACL.“You just want to play the best you can and limit [Lavender’s] shots, limit her touches,” Zastrow said. “You can’t stop her. She is too good of a player.”Ohio State also brings three other players who average over 10 points per game and will force Wisconsin to make a collective defensive effort to stop the Buckeyes, and it is that effort that leads senior guard Alyssa Karel to believe in a victory.“I think that if they could take any one of us 1-on-1, they would probably win, but it is the fact that we’re going to play team defense, we are going to stop them as a team,” Karel said.The biggest advantage the Buckeyes seem to have is its past. Ohio State has won 17 consecutive games against Wisconsin, but that statistic rings on deaf ears.“It’s less about the history and more about the fact that we are playing the bodies and the uniforms, not the name on the jersey. They are good, and they are good for a reason,” Stone said, also making sure to point out that Wisconsin has never been ahead of Ohio State in the conference standings at this point in the season, either.The Badgers are hoping that a sloppy performance that produced 20 turnovers against Indiana Wednesday night will help them be ready for the showdown with the Buckeyes.“We played ugly but still won [Wednesday] night, and we will be sharper and focused [because of it], and we know the magnitude of this game…we stay focused on that,” Stone said. read more

Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan travels to Canada in search of talent. The Ontario area is a preferred spot, yielding the likes of former player and former coach Alison Domenico, as well as current defensemen Lindsay Eastwood.Both of those players came from the same club, the Nepean Wildcats. Nepean cemented themselves as an SU (2-3, 2-2 College Hockey America) pipeline this season when three players from their U18 Juniors team began their careers at SU.“I think that Ali’s familiarity helped us get Lindsay four years ago when she committed to us,” Flanagan said. “Then, obviously, we got to know the coaching staff really well, and one thing led to another.”Defenseman Abby Moloughney and forwards Lauren Bellefontaine and Shelby Calof are all from the province of Ontario and have been playing hockey together since the bantam level as 13-year-olds.“We pretty much know each other, we know how we play together,” said Bellefontaine. “When I’m working with Abby she’s my right wing. We have good chemistry and each know where we are on the ice.”AdvertisementThis is placeholder textThat chemistry was quickly noticed by Flanagan as one of the perks of having three players from the same club. Flanagan plays Bellefontaine and Moloughney on the same line. Syracuse also features a power play unit that includes the two forwards and Calof.Getting such a cohesive unit to commit to Syracuse is a process, Flanagan said. He’s run an Elite College Prospects camp at the Nepean facility the past two summers. Through Domenico and Eastwood, he has interacted with numerous coaches and families from the U19s down to the U14s.Another player is already committed to Syracuse from Nepean for next season as well, Flanagan said. That would put at least five former Nepean players on the 2019-2020 roster for SU.Susie Teuscher | Digital Design EditorFor the three freshmen already at Syracuse, the choice to commit was easy.“Lauren and I did our visit at the same time,” Calof said. “We committed on the same day. Then Abby mentioned that she was thinking about Syracuse too, so we had a little influence on her, I’d say,” Calof added with a smile.The choice pays dividends for SU so far. After a slow start, the Orange have won two straight, with Bellefontaine earning CHA Rookie of the Week honors for her two goals, one assist performance in a 6-3 win against Lindenwood.Moloughney filled the stat sheet so far this season, notching one goal and two assists in her first five contests. The forward attributes their success to her long-time defensemen.“Shelby has always had excellent vision and her passing has always been on point,” said Moloughney. “Shelby always has an idea of where Lauren and I are going to skate. This makes for quicker plays on the ice.”Increased pace helped transform an offense that was shutout 10 times in 36 games last season. The three freshmen, who have played together for the past five years, will look to continue the trend.“They instinctively know where each other are going to be,” Flanagan said, “and that’s a huge bonus.” Comments Facebook Twitter Google+ Published on October 22, 2018 at 9:44 pm Contact Tim: tnolan@syr.edu read more

The Nigeria Football Federation on Thursday wrote to world football-governing body, FIFA and the African body, CAF over tricky 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying games and the FIFA Confederations Cup, all in the month of June.FIFA had last week adjusted Nigeria’s matches, meaning the Super Eagles will play Kenya in Nairobi on Wednesday, June 5 and take on Namibia in Windhoek on Wednesday, June 12, before flying to the FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil.Nigeria became Africa’s flagbearer at the tournament following triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa last month.“We have fully appraised our priorities and wish that either of the following options be seriously considered: 1) That the matches in our African qualifying Group F (Kenya v Nigeria; Malawi v Namibia and; Namibia v Nigeria; Malawi v Kenya) be played on the SAME DATES of Wednesday, 5th June and Wednesday, 12th June, 2013 respectively.2)That all the matches be reverted to the ORIGINAL DATES of Saturday, 8th June and Saturday, 15th June, 2013 respectively,” the letter, signed by NFF General Secretary, Musa Amadu, read, inter alia.It means the Super Eagles will either play Kenya’s Harambee Stars and Namibia’s Brave Warriors at the same time and day as Malawi would host Namibia and Kenya respectively, or the matches would take place at the World Cup qualifying weekends as originally scheduled. “We make this request in the interest of fairness, as at the moment, Nigeria and Malawi have same number of points (5) and, for Nigeria to play TWO DAYS before Malawi in each of the two important qualifying games in June will give undue advantage to the Malawians,” the letterconcluded.Amadu added: “We see the FIFA Confederations Cup competition as a key tournament, but we also know we have to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, as priority. It is important to us to go to the FIFA Confederations Cup and then return to Brazil a year later for the FIFA World Cup finals.” read more

Close Forgot password? Please put in your email: Send me my password! Close message Login This blog post All blog posts Subscribe to this blog post’s comments through… RSS Feed Subscribe via email Subscribe Subscribe to this blog’s comments through… RSS Feed Subscribe via email Subscribe Follow the discussion Comments (47) Logging you in… Close Login to IntenseDebate Or create an account Username or Email: Password: Forgot login? Cancel Login Close WordPress.com Username or Email: Password: Lost your password? Cancel Login Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout Logged in as Admin Options Disable comments for this page Save Settings Sort by: Date Rating Last Activity Loading comments… You are about to flag this comment as being inappropriate. Please explain why you are flagging this comment in the text box below and submit your report. The blog admin will be notified. Thank you for your input. -8 Vote up Vote down rebal · 311 weeks ago Its funny how you post this on here about myers and brown. But what about all the other drug heads and dealers. That run around this town. And all the cops ever say is we are keeping an eye on them no do your jobs that you are paid to do and stop wasting my tax paying money that pays for you to do the job. Report Reply 1 reply · active 311 weeks ago -7 Vote up Vote down duh · 311 weeks ago they dont have the man power to post one outside the hospital room but yet have the officers spending there time looking for this nimrod. Only in sumner county Report Reply 0 replies · active 311 weeks ago +9 Vote up Vote down guest · 311 weeks ago “I guess he surprised us all by not showing up.” Seriously Kerwin? LMAO! Report Reply 0 replies · active 311 weeks ago -4 Vote up Vote down ProbablyinColorado · 311 weeks ago Nice move Kerwin………… NOT should have never taken that chance with such a loser. Now you have put the community at risk. Report Reply 0 replies · active 311 weeks ago +3 Vote up Vote down RUN MYERS RUN · 311 weeks ago I guess all that tough talk Kerwin was saying while campaigning was all BS. Kerwin you really disappointed me and others with this move of releasing him in the first place when he was in custody to begin with. You will not fool us a second time around as I will be voting against you next time and using this move against you. Report Reply 0 replies · active 311 weeks ago -8 Vote up Vote down DUMBSUMNERCOUNTY · 311 weeks ago This is Wellington PD, Sheriff, and County Atty Logic, Lets Drop charges so we don’t have to incur cost of treatment and then when all better this upstanding citizen will turn himself back in to custody to face charges that will more than likely (Given his Extensive Criminal History) be put in jail for an undisclosed amount of time…..O what’s that he ran and didn’t show up…..Who would have seen that one coming….This just goes to show how ignorant all of the PD, Sheriff and County Atty are….guess it doesn’t take more than a high school G.E.D to fill any and all Positions in this fine county…..YOU’RE ALL DUMB. Report Reply 2 replies · active 311 weeks ago +32 Vote up Vote down Larry · 311 weeks ago Well if they would have kept him in jail and then taken him to the hospital and watch over him until he was released and taken back to jail, you all would be *****ing about the bill that was incurred and taxpayers money would have been used to pay. Law enforcement can’t win no matter what they do in this county. If you don’t like it, get the training and strap on you gun and go to work at the police or sheriffs office and see just how hard it really is. Report Reply 1 reply · active 311 weeks ago 0 Vote up Vote down NDAWGG 0p · 311 weeks ago LAST I KNEW HE WAS BEING EXTRADITED TO OKLAHOMA ON CHARGES THERE- I KNOW THAT AN IM NOT IN LAW ENFORCEMENT- WE HAVE SOME REAL GENIUS IN THE WELLINGTON PD Report Reply 0 replies · active 311 weeks ago +13 Vote up Vote down Silent truth · 311 weeks ago If you read the article you can justify why Kerwin did what he did. If Thad shows up or gets caught then none of this will matter. Report Reply 0 replies · active 311 weeks ago +3 Vote up Vote down Voodoo Child · 311 weeks ago Well when he gets tired of running he knows where the jail is. Then the Sheriff can tell everyone that they captured him and slap each other on the back. Report Reply 0 replies · active 311 weeks ago 123Next » Post a new comment Enter text right here! Comment as a Guest, or login: Login to IntenseDebate Login to WordPress.com Login to Twitter Go back Tweet this comment Connected as (Logout) Email (optional) Not displayed publicly. Name Email Website (optional) Displayed next to your comments. Not displayed publicly. If you have a website, link to it here. Posting anonymously. Tweet this comment Submit Comment Subscribe to None Replies All new comments Comments by IntenseDebate Enter text right here! Reply as a Guest, or login: Login to IntenseDebate Login to WordPress.com Login to Twitter Go back Tweet this comment Connected as (Logout) Email (optional) Not displayed publicly. Name Email Website (optional) Displayed next to your comments. Not displayed publicly. If you have a website, link to it here. Posting anonymously. Tweet this comment Cancel Submit Comment Subscribe to None Replies All new comments by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Thaddeus Myers, born in 1973, of Wellington who is facing eight felony charges, including seven drug felonies, is currently at large and being sought by the Sumner County Sheriff’s office, according to Sumner County Attorney Kerwin Spencer.Myers failed to show up for Sumner County District Court Thursday for an unrelated misdemeanor charge after being hospitalized for an emergency appendectomy. The district court judge had dismissed the drug felony charges “without prejudice” on Aug. 6 because he had been taken to an undisclosed Wichita hospital for the removal of his appendix and would not be able to face the charges levied against him in court. Spencer said the intention was to reissue the drug charges once he recovered from the appendectomy and left the hospital.He was scheduled to return to court this Thursday to face a Class A misdemeanor charge for criminal deprivation of property for an incident that occurred on April 17, 2014 that had nothing to do with the felony charges.But because he failed to show Thursday, Myers has forfeited his bond and must surrender himself within 30 days or face additional charges.Spencer said his whereabouts are currently unknown.Myers has been charged with: •Distribution of methamphetamine, a level 4 drug felony;•Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, a level 4 drug felony;•Conspiracy to Distribute more than 1.0 grams of methamphetamine, a level 3 drug felony;•Theft, a level 9 felony;•Distribution of more than 1.0 grams of methamphetamine, a level 3 drug felony•Distribution of methamphetamine less than 1.0 grams, a level 4 drug felony;•Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, a level 4 drug felony;•Possession of drug paraphernalia used to distribute a controlled substance, a level 4 drug felony.According to the criminal complaint, Myers and his live in “wife/girlfriend” Melody Brown, born in 1975, of Wellington are accused of several possession and drug charges stemming from sales from April 11, 2014 to July 19, 2014. Brown also faces the same charges.Allegedly, Myers was accused of selling a quarter gram of meth for $20 on April 11, and Brown was accused of delivering the meth.Then on July 19, Myers and Brown were accused of selling 1.6 grams of meth with Myers making the sale and Brown making the delivery to Kyle and Samantha Dunn. As payment for the drugs, the Dunns allegedly gave Myers a stolen 60-inch Vizeo television, valued at $1,100. The complaint said Myers had previous knowledge the TV was stolen during the transaction.On July 7, Myers and Brown were accused of selling 1.0 grams of meth at his residence. On July 19, Myers and Brown were accused of possessing less than 25 grams of marijuana in a large bag containing smaller bags inside. They also allegedly had two grinders, rolls of bags and a digital scale to test, analyze or distribute controlled substances.Both Myers and Brown were placed in custody at Sumner County Jail. However, Myers bond was set at $50,000 while Brown’s was at $25,000. She was able to make bond, while Myers did not.In early August, Myers, while in custody, started to develop problems with his appendix. Spencer said the court decided to dismiss his charges for two reasons.1) It did not want Sumner County to incur Myers medical bills because he was in custody;2) It did not have the manpower to have a Sheriff Deputy sit outside his door during the duration of his hospital stay.When a court dismisses charges “without prejudice,” it means the county attorney can refile those charges at a later date.“I spoke with both the Sheriff and the Wellington Police Chief and we determined he was not likely to hurt or kill anyone at the hospital,” Spencer said.Myers eventually checked out of the hospital last week. He was supposed to return to court to face the misdemeanor charge which was never dismissed by the court.  That charge stemmed from an incident in which Myers was accused of getting unauthorized control over Melody Brown’s cell phone while driving back from the Kansas Star Casino on April 17, 2014. Allegedly, the two were in an argument in the car when Brown allegedly was going to call police. Myers allegedly took her cell phone away from her without her permission and wouldn’t give it back to her. He allegedly tossed it into the yard at 502 N. Park in Wellington.Spencer said his intention was to re-arrest Myers for the felony charges when he was facing the court on the misdemeanor charge.“I guess he surprised us all by not showing up,” Spencer saidBrown had a docket hearing on Thursday. Her case is to be continued until Sept. 6.Follow us on Twitter. read more

The Allegheny County Midget Football League kicked of its 2009 season Aug. 15. Out of the four defending champions of the ’08 season, only the Clairton Midgets were able to pull out a victory. Garfield, as an organization, looks like they’re primed for revenge as they were the runner-ups in two divisions (Termites and Mighty-Mites) in the last campaign. They were in a three-way tie for a league best three wins. Clairton maintained their standing as one of the top clubs as they tied for the top win total in the league over the weekend. Last but not least, the Hill Disciples keep on trucking as they also sit on top of the rankings with three solid victories after week one. Homewood, with its two league titles last season, will look to rebound next week as they tied for last place with only one win. Let’s see how your community fared: Standings:1. Hill District 3-12. Garfield 3-13. Clairton 3-14. North Shore 2-1-1 5. Wilkinsburg 1-2-15. Lincoln 1-2-15. North Side 1-2-16. Braddock 1-3 6. Homewood 1-36. W. Pittsburgh 1-3Results: Hill District vs. HomewoodTwerps:  Hill District 0, Homewood 6Termites:  Hill District 6, Homewood 0Mighty Mites:  Hill District 7, Homewood 0Midgets:  Hill District 6, Homewood 0Lincoln vs. WilkinsburgTwerps:  Lincoln 0, Wilkinsburg 6Termites:  Lincoln 6, Wilkinsburg 6Mighty Mites:  Lincoln 6, Wilkinsburg 12Midgets:  Lincoln 27, Wilkinsburg 0 Garfield vs. West Pittsburgh Twerps:  Garfield 36-, W. Pittsburgh 6Termites: Garfield 33,  W. Pittsburgh 0Mighty Mites:  Garfield 14, W. Pittsburgh 24Midgets:  Garfield  21, W. Pittsburgh 0 North Side vs. North ShoreTwerps:  N. Side 6, N. Shore 6Termites:  N. Side 6, N. Shore 21Mighty Mites: Score not called in butNorth Shore won.Midgets:  N. Side  9, N. Shore 6 Clairton vs. BraddockTwerps:  Clairton 14, Braddock 18Termites:  Clairton 32, Braddock 6Mighty Mites: Clairton  24, Braddock 6Midgets:  Clairton 41, Braddock 6(Send comments to dwhowze@newpittsburghcourier.com.) read more

By Bruce FuhrThe Nelson Daily SportsIt’s time to put up or shut up for the Nelson Leafs.Down two games entering game three of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League Murdoch Semi Final to the Beaver Valley Nitehawks, the Leafs can ill-afford to fall into a three-game deficit.“We have to win our two games at home to be successful,” Leaf coach Chris Shaw told The Nelson Daily Thursday.“It’s a make or break situation for us. But we’re pretty confident playing at home where we’ve had a lot of success this season.”That success, however, has been limited against the Hawks. In four games at the NDCC Arena, Beaver Valley has won three.“We got to concentrate on our scoring chances and on our power play,” Shaw confessed. “We had some chances to get back in the game (Wednesday) but our power play let us down.”Shaw said the mood in the Leaf dressing room improved immensely following game one’s meltdown.“The guys feel a lot better than after the first game,” said Shaw. “I thought we played well enough to win in game two.”Nelson played Wednesday’s game without the services of top center Gavin Currie.Shaw did not want to comment on Currie, who spent the past six weeks on the injury list, saying the star forward is “questionable” for Friday.The rookie coach did call out his top players to be better when the puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday.“Our top players need to be our top players,” Shaw insists. “Our forwards six through nine, our younger guys, have been great. We really need our older guys to provide veteran leadership to lead us to victory.”ICE CHIPS: Game four is Saturday at 7 p.m. in the NDCC Arena. If necessary, game five is Monday in Fruitvale. . . . Nelson’s top two scorers from the regular season, Colton Schell and Joel Stewart, have yet to register a point in the series.sports@thenelsondaily.com read more

The Bombers tip-off the tourney Friday afternoon against Nakusp at 2:15 p.m.Fernie meets Mount Sentinle in Pool B play at 4 p.m. before the Bombers tangle with the Storm at 6:30 p.m. School has resumed and so has the High School Basketball season at L.V. Rogers in Nelson.LVR kick off 2017 by hosting the Bombers Senior Boy’s Basketball Tournament beginning Friday at the Hangar.Five teams, Nakusp Cougars, Fernie Falcons, Mount Sentinel Wildcats, Selkirk Storm of Kimberley and Osoyoos Rattlers,  join the host Bombers in this annual event. read more

McGregor blasts Cerrone in 40 seconds in UFC return LATEST STORIES READ: Fajardo still ready to play in Fiba Asia Cup if calf injury improves “If he can play, then that’s a bonus, but we’re preparing as if he can’t, because it’s more difficult [to wait-and-see]. We’re preparing as if he’s not going to be there. I think that’s the best way to handle this,” he said.Fajardo showed up in Gilas’ last practice before flying to Lebanon in street clothes as a show of support.ADVERTISEMENT LeBron James scores 31 points, Lakers beat Rockets Gilas’ Standhardinger on China: ‘I hope they won’t like playing against me’ MOST READ 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Injured center June Mar Fajardo, who walks with a limp, shows his full support for Gilas. Mark GiongcoGilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes said he has no plans of replacing June Mar Fajardo in the Fiba Asia Cup lineup.Fajardo is expected to miss the tournament in Beirut, Lebanon due to a strained right calf.ADVERTISEMENT Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks PLAY LIST 01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson “No. If he can’t play, then we go with 11,” Reyes told reporters Saturday.READ: Fajardo out of Gilas for Fiba Asia Cup due to injuryFEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’The reigning three-time PBA MVP hasn’t ruled himself out of the Fiba Asia. He will join the team when it leaves for Beirut, Lebanon early Sunday morning.But Reyes said Gilas is already undergoing its buildup without Fajardo in mind rather than taking a wait-and-see approach. Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend ‘I’m out!’: PewDiePie releases last video before taking break from YouTube View comments Indian national gunned down in Camarines Sur Kawhi Leonard, Clippers rally to beat Pelicans read more

IntroductionThe airwaves in Liberia have been in recent times inundated with the debate on whether Liberia should be declared a Christian nation by law. This proposition, sponsored heavily by a group of church leaders during the recent Constitutional Review Conference, held recently in Gbarnga, was voted for by Christian delegates who attended the conference while the Muslim delegates boycotted the vote. There was even a shouting match between the Christian group and Muslim group, who had gathered around the Administrative Building, the venue of the conference, in order to make their voices heard. I, as a devout Christian, who had had all his elementary and secondary education in Lutheran schools before traveling abroad for college and advanced degrees, intend in this article to put across my personal views, with documentary evidences, my opposition to declaring Liberia as a Christian nation by law.Definition of a ChristianThe dictionary definition of a Christian tells me that “a Christian is one who believes in or follows the religion based on the teachings of Christ; a person who exhibits Christian qualities of kindness, fairness and decency”. This speaks volumes about Christianity. It is all embracing and full of love, and good moral attitudes as Christ himself displayed while on earth; as the hymn says, “in Christ there is no East or West.”The ArgumentsThose who are proposing that Liberia becomes a Christian nation are saying that the preamble of the 1847 Constitution of Liberia speaks of the founding fathers’ desire and intent to make Liberia a Christian nation, and because Liberians changed that path in the 1986 revised constitution, by making Liberia a secular state, Liberia was undergoing many challenges, detrimental to its progress. Being a religious nation is not a bad idea; in fact, Liberians are, by nature, a very religious people. According to a statistical research on Liberia by Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandrigk in their 21st Century edition of Operation World, 38.33% of Liberians are Christians, with an annual growth rate of +8.6%; Muslims are 13% with an annual growth rate of +11.3%; while the traditionalists are 48.37% with an annual growth rate of 7.8% (http://www.liberia2027.com/627324).  It is however, an error to assume that Liberia is, or was ever a Christian nation, or founded on Christian principles. In fact those above statistics are saying that over 60% of Liberia’s 3.5 million people are not Christians (Ibid.).  Although the signing of the declaration of independence was done by Christians in the Providence Baptist Church, nowhere in the 1847 Constitution is there an article declaring Liberia as a Christian nation. In fact, based upon the definition of a Christian and seeing how Christianity is all inclusive, the definition of a Christian nation cannot fit Liberia since, based on historical facts, it was actually founded on divisive principles. Even assuming that the founding fathers had Christianity in mind, since their intentions were to civilize and Christianized the indigenes, the assumption that Liberia is a Christian nation is yet to be proven; it overlooks the fact that traditional religion practitioners and Muslims were present in this region long before 1822, when the newcomers arrived.As stated earlier, Liberia was actually founded on a divisive principle. In his book, Rise and Fall of the First Liberian Republic, George E.S. Boley (1983) mentions that the preamble of the declaration of independence spoke of a people returning to Africa from slavery in America, who claimed to have originated from America-when indeed they had earlier originated from Africa-speaking condescendingly about the land to which they were now returning. According to him, “a native or aboriginal Liberian was considered inferior to an Americo-Liberian by reason of his alleged heathenism; similarly a native… was not considered a full citizen unless he was, by the standards of the settlers, completely detribalized, or civilized…”(1983, p.28). The motto of the Republic of Liberia only speaks of “The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here” as if those met here did not matter. The late Bishop George D. Browne observed in his book, The Episcopal Church of Liberia: Under Indigenous Leadership: Reflections on a Twenty Year Episcopate: “Our constitution provided for two legal systems: for Tribal or Customary laws or Interior Regulations… meant for the ‘illiterate-Liberians’ or ‘the country-people’ who lived in the hinterlands… and other laws intended for the coastal and ‘literate’ Liberians who lived in the cities. While we were talking about ‘one nation indivisible’ we were actively sowing the seed for a divided nation” (1994, p. 150).Christianity is all inclusive based upon the teachings of Christ; in Christ there is no East or West. However, the settlers never consulted the indigenes or natives on the well-fare of Liberia as they were not considered citizens but heathens who needed to be civilized and Christianized.  As pointed out by Joseph Saye Guannu, in his Short History of First Liberian Republic, the indigenes were denied citizenship of Liberia until 1904 when President Arthur Barclay granted them a blanket citizenship (2010). Even so they did not benefit from the fruits of democracy until President William V. S. Tubman created the four new counties of Bong, Nimba, Grand Gedeh and Lofa, and allowed them have representatives sit in the National Legislature (Ibid.). Again, the Liberian Constitution has never embraced the idea of having other races become citizens of Liberia except black, which, of course, is against Christian principles. Even citizens, who were forced to relocate to other areas of the world as a result of the civil war and political instability, are being denied dual-citizenship by the current constitution.The call by some Liberians for Liberia to move from being a secular state (meaning a state not affiliated with any particular church or particular faith) to being declared a Christian nation is a move in the wrong direction at this juncture in Liberian history. It will never make any individual Liberian more Christian than he or she has been, neither will it bring any more development to Liberia than exists. It is rather a monkey wrench being used by some politicians in order to derail the fragile peace that we enjoy now, as well as the reconciliation process underway. Lest we forget, history has taught us that the unwholesome collaboration of church, state, True Whig Party and the Masonic Craft in the past aided the entrenchment of corruption in Liberia. This is where the “so say one so say all” phrase originated from. The church compromised the integrity of the gospel by refusing to push for righteous life style in Liberia, as heads of state also became top cleric men of the church and secret societies; men, whose decisions could not be questioned.  This collaboration helped to solidify the Americo-Liberian hegemony over the indigenous Liberians as evidenced by their 133 year-rule over the country from 1847 to 1980.From the reactions of some members of his church, as observed by the late Bishop Browne, in his book, mentioned supra, (1994, pp. 125 &134), there was a major myth that the Liberian society was built on four foundations-the church, the state, the True Whig Party and the Masons, and the only way that one would climb the ladder of success in Liberia was to become a member of the craft. Many believed that the church existed along with the state and the state was the same as the Masonic craft and the True Whig Party. Currently, it is believed that some politicians and some clerics who have churches that have grown wealthy from their charismatic/Pentecostal churches are once again trying to return to the status quo which existed in Liberia before 1980 and this is dangerous for the country.Let us Liberians beware and be wise. Mixing religion with politics is dangerous, especially at a time in Liberia when the country has just recently emerged from a prolonged period of instability-1980-2003. Relative to the mixing of politics and religion in Nigeria, Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi, of Jos, Nigeria, observed, “Religion, by its nature and content appeals not so much to reason. It is a heart matter and carries with it huge emotions” (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31026554). It is a ‘divide and rule’ technique (like money) often used by politicians (Ibid.); so Liberians should not allow politicians to once again divide and rule them by this means. Liberians need to wake up and live in the 21st century, not in the 19th century. Liberians need to move forward, not backward. Liberians must open their eyes and see all the red flags raised around them and the world, when it comes to mixing politics with religion. It is important to take note of what Boko Haram has done in our own backyard, Nigeria – the atrocities carried out in their attempt to declare Sharia laws in claimed territories of Nigeria; what happened in Kenya recently with the indiscriminate killing of 148 non-Muslim students at Garissa University College by the militant terrorist group, al-Shabab; see Iraq, Syria and other places where the Islamic State (IS) has created havoc in their quest to create an Islamic Caliphate. Who, in his right mind, will see his neighbor’s house burning down due to fire and then will send his own children to play with fire in their living room?ConclusionLet Liberia remain a secular state (one not associated with any church or faith) in which all religions will live and worship according to their religion in peace and harmony; with no one religious sect set above the others as the 1986 constitution says. The framers of that constitution foresaw the danger far ahead. Let sleeping dog lie. Liberians have suffered enough and seen many hardships.  Liberians need to heal, and we can only do this by turning our backs on those old divisive practices and prejudices that divided us in the past. Liberians should be more concerned now about stamping out corruption and other vices which have had more devastating effects on Liberia’s development. Tagging Liberia, as a Christian nation, has no direct effect on the country’s development.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) read more

The Fort St John Wildcats are having a bottle drive on sat oct 25 from 11:00 – 4:00, so if everyone could leave their bottles on the step we could pick them up. And if anyone has any questions please feel free to call 785 -2759. This is to help with ice times and for the painting of our bus and if anyone else wants to play in PCFHL this year we still have room and we are still taking donation to help us out for ice and you can contact Paul at the same number or leave a message if there is no answer- Advertisement – read more