When we learn something new, one of the ways we relate
to it is by finding a way to create a link between what we already know and
what we have just learnt. Even when the new knowledge involves a complete
change of ideology, we are only really able to associate with it by relating it
to what we used to believe in. Honestly, I don't know what scientists call this
phenomena in human psychology, but here is how I've been able to understand it
using the relationship between African traditional religions and the religion
of the west that has all but eroded it from the places where it used to reign.
Recently, I was in church and to my amazement, I
realised that the prayer points the pastor was giving had very similar
components to that of Yoruba incantations. It wasn't this discovery in itself
that was so shocking, but the fact that not only didn't any other person seem
to notice, they were all saying the prayer points after him with vigour. It
there and then occurred to me that the biggest reason that the practice of the
western religions have been able to hold firm in Africa is because within the
content of western religion, Africans have found a way to infuse attributes of
their Indigenous religions. Africans, (in this case, Yoruba people of west
African Nigeria) now worship with instruments that are considered. Common to or
peculiar to other traditional religions. Take for Instance, the use of BATA,
GANGAN, SHEKERE and AGOGO in churches used to be banned because of the original
relationship between Yoruba Gods and these musical instruments. Some of these
instruments even served as a medium of summoning the Gods.
Another astonishing similarity between the African
version of Christianity and the worship of African Gods is the way Africans
work themselves into a frenzy through songs and chants while supposedly calling
on the Jewish/western god. They would clap and dance and jump and even perform
acrobatics and really, apart from the name that they call upon when they pray,
there is very little or no difference between them at that moment and other
people in the worship of say, Sango; the Yoruba god of thunder, or Ogun; the god of Iron or even Egungun, the Yoruba
representation of ancestors.
Usually, at one point or the other, people might start
rolling around and, jumping and behaving weiredly. The pastor would then close
in and start saying stuff, invoking the "blood of Jesus" and telling
the supposed evil spirit that has taken over the person's body all the reasons
why it should vacate the body. This scene that I have painted above is very
typical of average protestant and pentecostal churches in my area and at some
point, I would often get frustrated by all of this.
Something does occur to me, that if truly, those
musical instruments have some relationship with the traditional African gods
who are often labelled "demons" by the pastors, then it may be
logical to say that in using those Instruments in a building dedicated to the
worship of another God, they are inviting the presence of other Gods into the home
of another. I don't know about you, but I think It would seem that a clash of
titans might be underway.
Does it make any sense to worship a western God like
an African God? God is God, and many believe that God is one. But only an
ignorant persons would deny the existence of other powers and really, the true
identity of the one true God is open to different speculation, interpretations,
identification and what ever interrogation any one has for it. If you would
worship Christ like you were worshiping Ogun, why worship Christ at all? I
believe that when the whites brought their religion and more or less
manipulated us into adopting it they brought a manual of how their religion
works. Isn't the point of the manual to make sure that people follow a certain
guideline on the operation of the new religion? And talking of the manual
anyway, it is amusing how when I told someone that "the bible is just a
book", she flared up at me, telling me how sacred the bible is. Now that I
think of it, the bible is, to christianity (or more accurately to the Jews)
what we lack in Yoruba religions and indeed most African religions; a
documentation of how everything started, what makes us special, how we should
live, history of our prophets and priests and every other fable that has even
the most remote link to our religions. So maybe it makes some sense to degrade
our religions because one religion just happens to be documented and well, lest
I forget, it is the religion of the people who enslaved us for so many years
and are still enslaving us now. It is the only economic organisation that
doesn't pay taxes in Nigeria.
I'm not holding my pen this day to drag any religion
through the mud, only to point out that many practice the western religion
because it is the trending and popular thing to do. Just as many become the
priest of the western God because of economic advantage. but really who are you
kidding? If you claim to be worshipping the christian God and yet you do it in
ways that depict the worship of another, I don't get what the point is.
If you wanna be a Christian, be a christian, but if
you start making a jumbo out of religion, chances are your worship is nothing
and whatever God you think you are praying to is probably more irritated than
impressed.
2 comments:
Hmmmmm
Hmmmmm
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