Although polytheism was largely practised on the continent but later rendered redundant; being accused of primitiveness and idolatry there were also Africans who believed in the concept of one god long before the introduction of the imported faiths. Yet many Africans remain averse to the traditional religions.


In a continent hosting an abundance of gods yet apparently all wrong according to the verdict of presumptuous outsiders equipped with weapons that would later voluntarily show us the “true God”, how then could it be possible for some Africans to adhere to the seemingly “right” concept but “false god”?
Alas, traditional religion on the continent was not even given a fair assessment for one to conclude prematurely that our ways was “wrong”.


Could not the being in which ‘believers’ call “God” manifest itself in contextually relevant ways to all people?

Could not the being in which ‘believers’ call “God” reveal the truth of itself to Africans prior to the arrival of the missionaries on the continent?

Why do “born-again” Africans believe that in order to connect to this being called “God” one must have to go through a Jewish Persona?

And if there is “one true God” should not the deity of African monotheists also be considered in the running?

Interesting piece

Dear friend Emofine:
First of all, my expression of affection for you.
I have my doubts that African religion is really polytheistic.
I can be wrong, but I think Oloorùn is the only god and creator. The Orisa are emanations of the one God and creator, whose misiçon just is to maintain the universal balancing between.
So I understand it.
When we speak of God (Evangelical, Islamic, Catholic, traditional, etc) I always think we are talking about the same.
I understand that the difference is in how each of us that God appoints, and the way they cultuamos each of us.
Absolute truth does not exist, and the biggest mistake we can make is to fanatizarnos.
I send a fraternal and sincere hug.

Dear friend Emofine:
First of all, my expression of affection for you.
I have my doubts that African religion is really polytheistic.
I can be wrong, but I think Oloorùn is the only god and creator. The Orisa are emanations of the one God and creator, whose mission is precisely to maintain the universal balancing between. I do not understand that the Orisa are gods, this is part of the vision of European missionaries, and a bad interpretation or translation of the word "Orisa". Do not forget that the first European priests who came to Africa felt that Esú was the devil in African version ...
So I understand it.
When we speak of God (Evangelical, Islamic, Catholic, traditional, etc) I always think we are talking about the same.
I understand that the difference is in how each of us that God appoints, and the way they cultuamos each of us.
Absolute truth does not exist, and the biggest mistake we can make is that of bigotry.
I send a fraternal and sincere hug.

emöfine2:
And if there is “one true God” should not the deity of African monotheists also be considered in the running?

This is one most significant question most Africans refused and still refuse to ponder on. If only they had hearts or heads. . . .
And somewhat, our refusal to engage this question will continue to affect our worth before so-called "advanced nations". A nation which underestimates its own god or gods is bound to count least among other nations. Why? Cos the god represents all that this nation holds sacred and true, all that is meaningful, all that counts and will count. As soon as such nation falters in its belief in its god, cracks will surely appear and a long descent into insignificance begins. Perhaps this was what brought Africa its first series of marginalization.
Just see how the crusaders defended the holy city against muslim invaders. Is that happening in Jerusalem, in the Middle East, not now a battle of "gods", a battle for "god" significance?
High time Africans woke up to the reality that elevating one's native gods is elevating oneself. I bet, as long as we continue to exhort these inherited jewish and arabian gods, we can never count among the nation of peoples.
Word!

Interesting. . .

Ptolomeus: Dear friend Emofine:
First of all, my expression of affection for you.
I have my doubts that African religion is really polytheistic.
I can be wrong, but I think Oloorùn is the only god and creator. The Orisa are emanations of the one God and creator, whose misiçon just is to maintain the universal balancing between.
So I understand it.
When we speak of God (Evangelical, Islamic, Catholic, traditional, etc) I always think we are talking about the same.
I understand that the difference is in how each of us that God appoints, and the way they cultuamos each of us.
Absolute truth does not exist, and the biggest mistake we can make is to fanatizarnos.

Hello Ptolomeus

Hmmm but all the gods governing these faiths are not in harmony with each other. . .

The carriage in which these imported faiths were facilitated was under the slogan “one true god” . . . erecting monotheism as the seemingly correct theology. So there must have been a market for that theism but that is not to say all Africans practised polytheism; the spirituality on the continent is just as diverse as its people.

However classifying some Africans as polytheist may not be so definitive as some Africans hold a reverence for any entity they regard as spiritually significant such as the ancestors or perceived sacred animals etc which still differs from paying obeisance to their personal god.

I think you are right concerning the orishas because they are just like envoys to the supreme deity.
How many orishas are there by the way?

I send a fraternal and sincere hug.

sauer:
This is one most significant question most Africans refused and still refuse to ponder on. If only they had hearts or heads. . . .
And somewhat, our refusal to engage this question will continue to affect our worth before so-called "advanced nations". A nation which underestimates its own god or gods is bound to count least among other nations. Why? Cos the god represents all that this nation holds sacred and true, all that is meaningful, all that counts and will count. As soon as such nation falters in its belief in its god, cracks will surely appear and a long descent into insignificance begins. Perhaps this was what brought Africa its first series of marginalization.
Just see how the crusaders defended the holy city against muslim invaders. Is that happening in Jerusalem, in the Middle East, not now a battle of "gods", a battle for "god" significance?
High time Africans woke up to the reality that elevating one's native gods is elevating oneself. I bet, as long as we continue to exhort these inherited jewish and arabian gods, we can never count among the nation of peoples.
Word!

Only in Africa can illegal immigrants be given a ceremonial welcome whilst in return these same strangers unfamiliar with native customs have the audacity to disqualify things they have no clue of. Illegal immigrants labelling native customs as illegitimate but conveniently intruded with the correct faith thank god! (clearly not from a biased angle) and so decided to share the good news (in not so “good” a way) and holy book coupled with a holy gun perhaps, in one of the most miraculous shotgun revelations to happen in Africa.

Are not the converters senior to the converted? And does not the senior guide the junior? Or perhaps misguide? If one is under the authority of another man's god is one not also under the authority of another man? How can anyone respect those that do not have a respect for what is theirs.

You know it would actually have been interesting to witness the outcome if the converters have come to promote atheism - I wonder how many Africans would have considered it and what effect it would have had on the continent.

emöfine2:

Hello Ptolomeus

Hmmm but all the gods governing these faiths are not in harmony with each other. . .

The carriage in which these imported faiths were facilitated was under the slogan “one true god” . . . erecting monotheism as the seemingly correct theology. So there must have been a market for that theism but that is not to say all Africans practised polytheism; the spirituality on the continent is just as diverse as its people.

However classifying some Africans as polytheist may not be so definitive as some Africans hold a reverence for any entity they regard as spiritually significant such as the ancestors or perceived sacred animals etc which still differs from paying obeisance to their personal god.

I think you are right concerning the orishas because they are just like envoys to the supreme deity.
How many orishas are there by the way?

What I mean is a god, evangelicals who speak and ask him things to give and the Jews do not eat pork for him, and so on. etc. But I understand that there is not harmony, but are the people who make a different reading of the same.
When we speak of the beginning of a religion, we are not talking about the "birth of a god", but the birth of a cult, therefore, no "god" is prior to another ...

You ask me how many there Orisa?
Well, there are legends that speak of 401 ... but personally I figure seems fanciful. Even the ceremonies for some of them are no longer practiced.
Perhaps a more informed brother can provide any more precise element.

Ptolomeus:
When we speak of the beginning of a religion, we are not talking about the "birth of a god", but the birth of a cult, therefore, no "god" is prior to another ...

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Before the introduction of the foreign bible in the land of my ancestors, those who saw the sun before me knew very well that killing, stealing, coveting, dishonouring parents etc was a vice. They knew all this before the bible reached their side.

My forefathers did not worship the devil they worshipped Orise.

My forefathers did not sacrifice humans they performed rites.

My forefathers were not uncivilized they had a moral based structure in their community.

Yet somehow they were lacking and qualified as sinners because their god had a native name and the context in which they worshipped their god was “wrong” so urgently needed salvation through a Jewish persona which clearly betrays that they were the least of the "one true god's" priority yet they were urged to adopt this being as their alpha and omega.

There are clearly tactics in conversion. How do you persuade people to drop their beliefs, label it as “devilish” and adopt another?

If historians had to revise their opinions of Africans at the time how much more Africans about Africa.