This part of the article analyses the response of igbo traditional religion, odinani to some basic atheist questions.

he atheist has some basic questions about every Abrahamic religion. Something about the rigidity and inflexibility in the doctrines of these religions poses very many questions to the logical mind. Having been pinned down by these doctrines, the atheist, or at least most of them, withdraw these Abrahamic religions from the fixed presets where their logic, or at least most of it, hold true and tries it in the fast moving evolutionary world that currently exists. The absoluteness in their moral principles soon become questionable and somewhat suspicious. The extremities added to the definition of the Abrahamic god, All benevolent, Omnipotence, Omniscient soon becomes problematic. The final solution to these logical inconsistencies is the idea of blindly faith, devoting the entirety of your live to living a life that makes no sense to you, but hopefully leads to a place where you can find eternal happiness.


The logical problems in these Abrahamic religions, determinism, the problem of evil, omnipotence, absolute morality incapable of absorbing new knowledge, motivation for righteousness (hell vs doing what is right because its eight), are however answered effortlessly in one of the religions these Abrahamic religions replaced or nearly wiped out in Western Africa, the Odinani ( Or Odinana, Odinalu, Omenana, Omenani)


Determinism. The Abrahamic religions have a somewhat confusing stand about the idea of predestination and free will, hence, the pertinent question is, If by theological determinism we are all players in a preordained script(that is, predestined), then is there any viable justification for the idea of heaven or hell (which supposedly punishes or rewards us for our decisions)? Or again, if we indeed have freewill, can god claim to be omniscient (claim to have the knowledge of all that was, that is and that is going be). Like I mentioned above, fixed doctrines or statutes, seem to be the problem with these religions. Now we see that there is a problem of logical consistency, you cannot justly hold accountable for my actions if you willed them into existence.

In the Odinani, theirs is no issue with determinism because the religion is lived not obeyed. This is captured in the popular igbo maxim that says “If a man says yes, his chi also says yes”. Man exists together with his chi in synergy in the journey of man, the igbo believes strongly in the power and ability of man to craft his own destiny. That is why the ethics of hard work, accomplishment are celebrated and a man is measured on his own worth not his father’s (No wonder there weren’t plenty kings in igbo land). So in odinani, things are not deserved, they are earned, there’s no unmerited favor, there is no grace, there are no Hollywood scenes of god wielding a machete to destroy your worries, just hardwork.

source www.ceraphys.com

cc seun mynd44 lalasticlala

Hope this is not all...i am Delta ibo...i need and want to know alot about what our ancestors believef...