Brotherhood of the Cross and Star

Central belief: Love towards other men.[2]

God: God is biospiritually interconnected with all things in nature, is male and female, and good and evil.[3]

Jesus: Jesus did not have time to fully communicate his beliefs before crucifixion, and Obu’s role has been to explain, expand upon and add to his teaching. This is why a part of Brotherhood teaching has no counterpart in either the Old or the New Testament.[4] His son, Rowland, continues to add to the teachings. BCS followers suggest that Obu’s achievements have been superior to that of Jesus.[3]

Reincarnation: Because of a belief in the transmigration of souls between humans and animals, BCS members practice vegetarianism and veganism.[5] (They are also teetotal.)

Medicine: The BCS website expressly says that “BCS do not believe in medicine of any form”.[5]

Olumba Olumba Obu: In official BCS literature, it is suggested that Obu has the attributes of God,[5] although Obu has gone on record as saying "I am not Jesus Christ or God.".[6] BCS believes that calamity will come if the world does not worship Obu as God.[7]

In the 1990s BCS through their Spiritual Leader Olumba Olumba Obu said that something spectacular and unprecedented will occur in the year 2000 and that members of the fold should eschew evil, but should embrace love. He publicly declared that the 3 days darkness that was predicted by many religious leaders will not hold.[8] This teachings of Obu was misunderstood by many. They thought that he was referring to the apocalypse. It is now understood by BCS members as having been a Spiritual statement indicating the unconditional reign and rulership of his Son Rowland Obu who took over from Obu that same year. [8]

BCS is not politically inclined, but her members are involved in Nigerian politics. Their spiritual leader His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu is renowned for making powerful declarations and predictions about Nigerian politics.[9] Many political candidates usually go to the spiritual leader for blessings. They do this amidst heavy donations to the religious sect.[10] In 2015 just before the general elections, His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu predicted during one of their services that the PDP will lose the presidential seat. It came to pass. His most recent notable prediction is the statement he made that president Muhammadu Buhari will not die while on the seat of power. He made this statement during period when the President was critically ill. By this time many Nigerians speculated that he will die while some said that he was dead already. Obu also declared that Nigeria can never be divided. In April 2019 the BCS bethel in Ghana embarked on a mediatory procession to pray for peace in the country's elections the following year. The congregation in Ghana was joined by delegates from Nigeria, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, USA, Uganda and the UK. The march went through some principal streets in the city of Accra and ended at the Independence Square where prayers for peace were offered.[11]

BCS has bethels (churches) in several countries other than Nigeria, and has recently formed a “Government”, sending ambassadors to different countries.[12] The BCS also has a cable TV station, Called "Starcross TV".

.

• Reachout Trust
• Olumba Olumba Obu and African Traditional Culture

• BCS website