Pastor Abel Damina, the founder of Power City International, and Abel Damina Ministries, has stirred controversy during his 2025 New Year’s Eve service by emphasising that drinking of alcohol and smoking cigarettes should not be considered as a sin.
Addressing his congregation, on Tuesday, December 31, Pastor Damina asserted, “You cannot be a sinner by eating and drinking. I’ve told you before, alcohol is not a sin.”
Citing Mark 7:18-21 from the Bible, Damina argued that it is not a person’s consumption of food or drink that makes them a sinner.
Damina said: “Adam and Eve ate nothing. Adam and Eve didn’t eat anything. Were you there? You were not there. So how do we know whether they ate something or not? Jesus was there. Was Jesus there in the Garden of Eden? Yes. Can Jesus explain to us what happened? Yes.
“Do you not know that if Adam and Eve ate something, they would not be sinners? It is not what people eat that makes them sinners. It is not what you eat. You cannot be a sinner by eating or drinking something.
“I’ve told you alcohol is not a sin. I’ve told you cigar is not a sin. If you like put it on newspaper headline, I said it.
“Am I saying you should smoke? You should have sense from your father’s house to know that cigar will cut short your life.
“Am I saying you should drink alcohol? You should know that if you drink alcohol, you will lie down inside a gutter. Your shirt and trousers will disappear. You should have the sense to know that.
“If they (Adam and Eve) ate, it’ll go to their stomach. It’ll digest and go to toilet. They’ll be free.
“There’s nothing a man eats that enters his heart. It’ll go to the digestive system and it’ll go out somehow.
“It is what comes out of a man that defiles a man not what goes in. What makes you a sinner is what you’re thinking not what you’re eating.”
Damina is known for his bold controversial teachings. His remarks have sparked a range of reactions.
Critics argue that such views could lead to a disregard for personal responsibility and moral conduct, while supporters praise him for prioritizing spiritual growth over moral judgment.
Source: YouTube | Abel Damina Ministries International
