By Oluseye Ojo
A renowned lawyer and politician, Chief Owolabi Salis, has expressed his concern about the misconceptions people have regarding the significance of January 1st.
According to Salis, millions of individuals have misunderstood the true meaning of this date on the Gregorian calendar.
Salis, who is a prominent member of the Eledumare Ministry, an organisation that promotes the belief in one God across different religious affiliations globally, spoke about the issue in his message to the world on the ongoing festive season.
He highlighted the fact that despite various religions claiming to originate from the same consistent God, they each have different calendars, customs, and rules.
Salis, the 2019 governorship candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Lagos State, also pointed out that the celebration of January 1st as New Year’s Day is a contentious issue among religions. While some observe the day as the beginning of the year, some religions have rejected it and have been celebrating different dates instead.
He stated further that the true date when the earth started revolving around the sun remains unknown with certainty, explaining that the chance of January 1st being the correct day is only one in 365.25, due to the variation in the length of the year.
Salis advocated worshiping only the one true being, Eledumare, who is the owner of every individual’s soul, and encouraged direct worship rather than through intermediaries. He warned against worshiping the concept of January 1st, as it would be considered idol worshiping of Janus, the Roman god of beginning and doorways. He stressed that worshiping any other entity than the Lord God Almighty would result in the submission of one’s soul to that entity, leading to spiritual harm.
He urged individuals to focus on their personal new year, which is their birthday, and emphasised that the exact date when the earth began its revolution around the sun remains unknown, and therefore, celebrating January 1st as a universal new year is not accurate.
Salis also reiterated the importance of considering time zone differences, as the concept of New Year’s Day can differ across countries and regions.