God of Africa
The exposition made earlier on the process by which religious beliefs is formed made it clear that human intelligence and the stage of development determine the nature and degree of sophistication of any belief system. In addition, it is self-evident from the various religious beliefs that at the centre of every religion are a pantheon of gods. Without being unnecessarily naïve, it should follow that the gods must simply be a creation of the hands of humankind as well. However, that a group created and represented its god with artistic imagery to aid the focus of worshippers should not reduce the potency or importance of the god when compared to those with no physical representations.
It is common to read about the efforts made by the worshippers of Yahweh as they put down other belief systems, particularly those with physical representations, as idol worship. No matter what form a god is presented in the belief system of a people, one thing is constant: it is a way of showing reverence to a superior power above human capabilities. This is the central philosophy behind every religion on earth. If indeed it is true that the creation of gods is the handiwork of mankind then the god created should definitely be in the image of the creator. The gods would reflect the personality of the creator. A peace-loving person will create a peace-loving god. Similarly, a war-loving bloody person will create a war-loving and war-supporting bloody god. In the same manner, a jealous person will create a jealous god. Let us linger for a while on the jealous god.
Chambers Concise Dictionary defines jealousy as, ‘suspicious of, upset or angered by rivalry; envious, solicitous, anxiously heedful, mistrustfully vigilant, unable to tolerate unfaithfulness or the thought of it’. This is definitely an abnormal trait of the inability to share one’s possession either material or spiritual with anyone. It makes the abnormal person to be constantly on the lookout for disloyalty or signs of it. This type of abnormality is ascribed to Yahweh, the god through which Christianity evolved. African preachers who lack understanding of the cultural milieu that created this god are fond of quoting this particular trait as a plus sign to a god that brooks no disloyalty. This particular god wants total commitment from its worshippers. Does the trait of this god reflect the personality of its creator? Some of the materials in Exodus that introduced the nature of Moses’ temperament in Egypt and in the wilderness will answer this question . To be jealous is to have a restrictive sense of love, the kind of love that sets boundary. This kind of love is never all encompassing because it is strictly defined by factors that would ultimately boil down to hate – the endemic and irrational abhorrence of everything outside the boundary of the beloved.
We should not waste too much time on the jealous god, but all those who are concerned about life and what exactly is the truth of life should take some time to reflect deeply on the various forms of religion around them. Where the history of the religion is clear, try to make a comparative study of the personality of the creator of the god and the type of god created. The result of this exercise will give a good insight into the nature and origin of religion. Moreover, it will also reveal how the culture of a people is in turn affected by the personality of the god in vogue. In another sense, it seems the thinkers and philosophers of a society use religion as an instrument for creating or recreating a society in their own image, albeit through a round about strategy. Of course, it will be too obvious and upsetting to the status quo if they spelt out their intentions at the on set. By this covert method, the creators of religions limit antagonism to their grand divine plan of improving a society through spiritual re-engineering.
With this insight in mind, this writer would have invited genuine thinkers and philosophers in Africa to begin today the articulation of ideas for the creation of a truly African God or the revival of the knowledge of ancient gods that served Africa well in the past. Remember, the creation of gods is both an intellectual as well as a spiritual task and it is a job for the enlightened and awakened ones in all societies. However, this writer is again aware that in the creation of awareness for any god, the powers of heaven are always involved. It is this realisation that is now informing this writer to suggest that Africans may not need to create any god after-all, because The God of Africa is already in existence. What we need to do, right now, is to rediscover this special God of Africa. When a society flounders, as we are doing in Africa today, that is the moment the spiritual ones are raised up in order to prevent the eventual disaster that could lead to self-annihilation. It is not the first time this has happened in the history of mankind. The divine process that brings up men and women of astute minds in times of serious calamity on earth to salvage a people is one of the methods by which nature rejuvenates and recreates itself.
So far, we have realised that the jealous god of Judaism and its offspring are very hateful of all others outside their fold. This god because of its inherent hatred of others has readily given support to wars and bloodshed since Moses created it. Going through the history recorded by its worshippers, this god has consistently commanded them to do battle of ethnic cleansing on every one that they met. This god was very keen about creating a perfect race that would be free from all sins and blemishes. Hear the voice of the god, ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’. This divine intention is clearly similar to Adolf Hitler’s Aryan German project of the twentieth century. Thank heavens, both programmes failed. Thankfully, the worshippers of this god have since got tired of the ceaseless wars urged on them by the priests of Yahweh and they have quietly abandoned this jealous god. Unfortunately for the world, they have again created a new powerful god for themselves – god mammon – a much more liberal and cosmopolitan god for all seasons.
The project of rediscovering the African God should be taken as a serious project by all seekers of truth. It is under this project that Africans can safely rediscover themselves since the agents of the foreign gods stole and bastardised the natural identity of Africans. It is not only the Africans in Diaspora who are suffering from identity crisis; the total population of Africans on the continent are similarly saddled with a similar problem. Identity crisis is a psychological ailment found to be a common problem with children during the period of adolescence. Africa is like an adolescent in the societies of the world that is desperately searching for its own unique identity. For this reason, Africa continues to try out different political ideologies, different friendships, different institutional arrangements, different religious beliefs, different cultures, etc. Yet, we are not at ease with ourselves since all our socio-cultural robes are either borrowed or imposed. We have failed to stabilise on any particular personality. Nothing in Africa is unique to Africans. Everything we do – our governments, our economics, our national policies, our arts and music, our science and technology, etc. – is a copy, a mediocre imitation, of the rest of the world. How long shall this foolishness continue?
It is necessary to make some things clear before we embark on the project of re-discovering the African God. The African God we intend to discover cannot be a jealous god. It can only be, principally and centrally, The God of impartial love. The reigning jealous god of the world is a tribal god. It was never a universal god of love and mercy, no matter how much its promoters tried to reconstruct its personality. This god hated all humanity except its chosen ones.
At this junction in the world history, every enlightened soul should join me in asking, what has the whole variety of humanity done wrong to offend the sensibilities of this god? What is wrong in worshipping god in a manner a people know how and to the best of their ability? For this innocent devotion, the jealous god was willing to crucify all the human races onto death. For many generations it counselled its chosen people not to associate with any of us. Now that they said its chosen people had rejected this god, at least in their hearts even though the ritual of worship is still being held, this god now turned its attention to Africans as the second or third best choice. According to the palaeoanthropologist, Africa is the oldest race in the world! Therefore, as the oldest race Africa should refuse to accept a third best position to any god.
Let us rediscover The God that created us in its own image. Africa is a continent of love and that is the weakness all the agents of evil has capitalised upon. The God of Africa is definitely a universal God of love that is willing to embrace all mankind as its own. This God has never discriminated against any people under any circumstances. It recognises all the other gods created by every mankind as an essential development in the direction of spiritual growth. It does not penalise any people who, by the dictate of the limit of their intelligence and knowledge, set up all kinds of artistic imagery to assist them in the teaching of the worship of the creator of life. The African God has always been a father/mother to all creations. Its personality is totally devoid of hate, jealousy and other like abnormal emotions.
The rediscovered God of Africa will not demand any blood, either of its own son or of the sons of others before it forgives human mistakes or transgressions. In fact, human sacrifice of any kind shall never be part of the rituals of worship. The only worship the African God shall demand in future will be the establishment of institutions of service to humanity, based on the foundation of the principle of ‘love your neighbour as your self’. These institutions shall be established for the sole purpose of promoting edifying thoughts, words, and practices and for abolishing fear, ignorance and servitude in Africa.
In short, the establishment of a knowledge-based culture and societies will be the minimum requirement that the rediscovered God of Africa will demand from all seekers. The African God has always been a friend and a partner to all mankind because it does not possess any trait of tyranny or despotism. Its divine gift to all seekers and searchers of truth and knowledge will continue to be the spirits of love, truth, humility and liberty. The African God, because it is The God of divine love, does not dwell in any house made by man but in the heart of all seekers of truth and life.
Summary and Conclusion
The above paragraphs will shock, frighten and anger all the dead souls in Africa but the sleeping souls will twitch and come alive. These awakened souls will not throw away the baby with the bath water but they will sit up to reflect on the sense or senselessness of this discourse. This writer has a grand design and shall not hide this from you if you have succeeded in reading this far. Our mission is to reveal the great lies that created the civilization of our world. A lot of the information given above is coded tit bits to sensitise you to think. Unless each of us begins to use our faculties, the great lies of religions, politics and economics that are about to send our continent to sleep will succeed.
Our mission is to seek out the less than five per cent of the African population who have resisted the foreign gods simply by being sincere to their consciences. Each soul knows what is true or false but fear and ignorance can condition a person to defy the quiet advice of the conscience. This five percent of the population must have been greatly troubled by the perversions going-on all over Africa in the name of God and religion. They must have been wondering if there is any supernatural force or power up there and why it has refused to intervene on the blasphemy being perpetrated under its name.
There is no doubt that the fundamentalist of the left and the right of the religious divide have been having a ball all over Africa with their deadly philosophy of peace via holy wars and of salvation through blood and cannibalism. This is the end time of religious lies, deception and duplicity. These deceptive habits must be stopped and expunged from the continent. The task is now in the court of the five per cent nonconformist Africans identified earlier who had refused to bow to the foreign gods or have since repented from their stupidity in case they had bowed to those gods in the past.
However, is it not time for our Muslim warriors and Christian warriors to rethink the sense or the senselessness of the wars they have mercilessly waged on the people of Africa? This short essay is an effort specifically directed at awakening the few thinking Africans, on the need to reappraise the holy theological claims of all the representatives of the foreign gods that are currently doing the rounds in Africa. This appraisal is necessary because of the trail of death and destruction these foreign gods are leaving behind. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in the world knows that Africa is dying, that Africa is in decay and that Africa is in ruin. This is the predictable consequence of the unceasing wars of the gods on the African soils and souls.
The innocent souls of Africans with no knowledge of the raison d’être for the wars of the gods have been caught up, carved up and ruined by these holy wars. Sudan is a classic case where these wars have moved from cold war to hot war, that is, from the spiritual realm to the physical realm. It is a country that has succeeded in keeping all the merchants of weapons of destruction in business as the country maim and kill her people for nothing. Nigeria is vigorously trying, as at this moment, to dive into a similar affray. Similar scenario is repeated in diverse forms in many countries in Africa. The religious leaders and the political leaders are arguing furiously that unless their countries follow a particular religious way, these countries cannot taste or see progress.
Dear African Brothers and Sisters, how long shall this stupidity go on? Is it not high time we began to ask among ourselves, who is right or wrong between these two combating gods? Are the moronic representatives of these gods in our midst speaking about the same god or different gods? If they are speaking about the same god, why then is the fury, the anger, the animosity, the hate, the hot blood, the ill-temper, the bigotry, the arrogance, and the strife between them? However, by the actions, pronouncements and the fruits the representatives of these gods bear, there is enough evidence to suggest that the gods of the different foreign religions are different. Again, by the level of hate among their different representatives, we could also suggest these two gods seem to be sworn eternal enemies of one another. If this is true, is it in the interest of Africans to get involved in the battles of the gods? Would it not be wise for the entire mankind to stand clear and refuse to get involved in a battle we have no knowledge of its origin or the reason behind it? Why should mankind allow itself to be used as pawns, darts, tools and ammunitions by the warring gods?
This writer hopes he has given nobody any reason whatsoever to doubt his believe and faith in the supernatural. It is necessary for me to state my case at this junction. This writer believes there is one Supreme Power or Force or Energy that governs the affairs of our universe. Nevertheless, he humbly submits that he is not competent to give that supreme Power a name. Like the Chinese Lao Tzu says, ‘The name that can be named is not the constant name’. He also agrees with Lao Tzu that ‘The nameless was the beginning of Heaven and Earth’. The Supreme Power is therefore nameless. On the same note, he agrees with Yeshua (‘Jesus’) who said in the opening prayer he taught his disciples, ‘Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name’ . According to this prayer, it suggests that the name of the Supreme One is sacred and that even if it is known, it should not be used carelessly. Furthermore, the physical world and my physical being are enough testimonies to instruct my senses that both are the products of meticulous designs and plans. The writer unconditionally give the credits for these uncountable creations to the Nameless One.
Where we defer with the religionists is in their childish claims that seem to suggest that they know the Nameless One personally to the point of calling it by name or arguing that a particular name is its true name. Again, we have difficulty going along with any of them that fanatically argues that a particular way is the only way that leads to the Supreme One. In my little understanding, the writer tends to see the Supreme One as a kaleidoscope that offers an ‘ever-changing variety of beautiful colours and patterns’ with ‘a delightful diverse and unpredictable sequence of sights, events, etc.’ Meaning, whatever and whichever level or angle any of us is standing to view the Supreme One in action, what we shall see can never give the whole picture of Its essence and majesty. It is on this basis we have argued against the religious combatants in Africa. We also recognise the divine messages given to the world by the men whose names are being quoted as the founders of these two religions but we are equally aware that what goes on in the names of these two gentlemen are nothing but dreadful perversions of the truth they gave to the world.
We don’t intend to stretch this essay beyond this point but we shall take up this discourse in another work under preparation. We want this pamphlet to remain as much as possible, a short essay. To all those who have succeeded in wading through this essay, we say congratulations. This essay cannot help but have a positive impact on your life. This writer is concerned about re-programming the chips of your heart. It is our desire to seek the assistance of heaven to erase the software of hate that religion has written in your heart and to replace it with a brand new software of love that heaven has promised to write for all mankind. It is our hope that when the divine surgery is completed your new heart shall be totally devoid of hate and jealousy. The total essence of your new heart shall be solely and purely to radiate and to share true love with all creations.
