RENASCENT IGBO RELIGION IS AN UPDATE OF THE WELL KNOWN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION

INTRODUCTION TO INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT’
The Computer-Age Spiritual Fellowship for Citizens of this Global Village

A KENEZIAN PREFACE

Many people are mere conformists. They are those personalities that are satisfied with ‘going through the motions’; doing what everyone else is doing to make a living and waiting for the final ‘call to glory’ as they brand death! Many of us are born and live an inconsequential life; bland, uneventful and without anything particular to be remembered for after our exit from this mundane world, a temporal habitation for the soul. There are some others, whose lives and contributions to the society made a difference! They changed the ‘status quo’ by either extending the frontiers of knowledge or developing their immediate communities. They improved the understanding of human nature and taught others the values of humanitarianism. These heroes and heroines touched the lives of many both inter-racially and internationally.

They added colour to the doldrums of routine existence on planet earth!
A few had tall dreams and went ahead to transform them into reality despite all odds. This group devised methods of changing the deplorable situations and the deprived circumstances of the lifestyle they met on becoming adults. Some adolescents dream of the courage to better their social status, but often take off on the wrong foot of seeking for titles, money, fame and crowning it all with indulging in romantic relationships.

Others dared to pursue the unknown, to break new grounds and blaze trails for followers to tread on. Their zeal, inquisitiveness, passion, persistence, desire, motivations and prayers were fully rewarded if they paid the prize for success; optimism, dedication and the refusal to quit. Their philosophy of life was ‘When the task gets tough, the tough get it going!’, ‘Never say, never again!’ or ‘All that it takes to make the impossible possible is the power to remove the ‘im’ in front of the possible!’

They eventually became geniuses, inventors, explorers, leaders or discoverers! They evolved into the innovators and pioneers who helped to enlarge the frontiers of human civilisations and removed the age-old boundaries of the unknown. Joining this select group of animators or league of achievers is usually not by accident or by mere wishful thinking. Beyond desire and hard work is a divine factor that must be recognised, respected and appropriated in unveiling the unknown that the Divine Architect had hidden there for ages waiting for a brave soul to convert it from obscure dormancy to utilitarian vibrancy. This author, Dr Kenez wants to know where you belong in this universal continuum. Or, are you waiting for ‘manna from heaven’?

Historians inform us that Christopher Columbus actually set out to discover another route to India when he stumbled at the Americas and thus opened up humanity to a large continent partitioned into northern and southern halves but connected by a strip of islands. Today, the Panama Canal has made it possible to access the Eastern Regions of the World while travelling continuously to the west! Inventors, Discoverers and occasionally, religious leaders emerge from obscure communities of despised nations to beam supernatural light and divine wisdom of the Creator!

Those who search will eventually discover something unique. Those who ask penetrating questions may one day obtain answers from above rather than human palliatives that rarely satisfy the saintly soul. Those who ardently knock on the doors of heavenly wisdom, sooner than later gain divine inspirations from the Holy Spirit of the Original Architect and Ultimate Engineer of the earth we inhabit! He alone has all the answers to all physical, social, mental, spiritual and the personal and socio-political problems of our mundane world, if only we humble ourselves and honestly ask for his wisdom and guidance. But, do we?

The Creator has hidden so much from our intellectual faculties that to date we are still unravelling those He is allowing humanity to glimpse at through divine dreams, intuitions, inspirations and revelations to devout souls! Do you want to have supernatural knowledge mediated by spiritual faculties of seeing, feeling, sensing and caring for others? Look inwards, for the kingdom of God is inside you, not outside as many preachers tell you. No one ever got eternal bliss by keeping the commandments of men. It is given to altruistic seekers of that Divine Guidance in the affairs of mankind, which many yearn for but do not know where, when and how to find it. Search for it in this book!

The creator gave humans some of his powers and knowledge for recreating the material universe for the mutual benefits of all his created beings but today many use his gifts to perpetrate evil. Either by design or demonic manipulation, the obverse is the case; the first datum that every living thing recognises is that someone put it here and caters for its welfare. Dogs respect and fight in defence of their owners. Every pet realises that it is loved and taken care of by someone who has value for its existence. It is human who pride themselves of being rational beings that do not recognise, respect or realise that all of us have a single owner. It is absurd! Some believe there is an Almighty Creator who provides for each creature on daily basis, some assert that he has turned his back on us due to our congenital wickedness and cruel ways, while others simply deny his existence!

This is my summation of the problem; “Religion was/is a superstitious search by humanity for its origin, existence, meaning and relevance before the scientific era. The search was led by acclaimed sages among the elders of a community who defined its theories and practices. It is later ratified and recommended for legislation and implementation by state apparatus by convincing stratagem or coercion by politico-religious leaders. Thereafter, it is fine tuned and administered by ordained priests and priestesses who hand it down along ancestral lineages from one generation of lukewarm adherents, fanatics and mystics to another. Gradually, strong personalities emerge claiming divine appointment and so pull strong followers who idolise them as role models with supernatural powers. This obsession confirms them as beacons of adulation and finally leads to full scale idolatry.

Religion, which is superstition sanctioned by the state, is actually an addiction to man-made doctrines and dogmas invented, patented and copyrighted by a few demagogues.
• It enslaves the mind more than psychoactive drugs,
• Benumbs human creativity and resourcefulness thereby
• Restricting the development of the human potential and capital.
It is the main cause of poverty of the mind and underdevelopment of third world countries as its side-effects are indolence, redundancy, laziness and dependence of finished products and services. In the final analysis, it is the predisposing factor to lack of initiative, debilitating ignorance, fetish belief-systems, abject poverty and perennial ill-health.

Perhaps its only advantage is that it makes the polity docile and amenable to the whims and caprices of their oppressive leaders. Often, it hoodwinks its adherents into believing that ‘The God’ or ‘the gods’ they worship speak to them through the voices of their egocentric clerics who therefore can conveniently exploit them to satisfy their demonic desires of sensual pleasure and inordinate ambitions of amassing wealth. Their wanton indulgence in gluttony, wine and women is seen in every action and definitely this is the foolproof evidence of their demonic genealogy.

To rescue humanity from the demonic stranglehold of idolatry that now predominates worldwide, you are invited to reason along with us and see that we provide an everlasting cure for sensual lust for food, wine, sex, wealth and power that are the trademarks of society heading for damnation! Are you going to sit on the fence and wait for another failed experiment in messiahship that was riddled with myopic and ethnocentric bias? Who knows the Creator well enough to declare that he has ‘a chosen people’? Where is the evidence that Moses actually led the so-called people out of any oppressive regime? The history books and modern encyclopaedia did not record the enslavement of the Jewish race except as ‘they were believed as revealed truths’.

Then he went on to introduce the first and most heinous dichotomy in racism; JEWS and GENTILES! The negative impact of that first categorisation of humanity gave birth to all the nepotic, apartheid and racist policies in the entire world. If you care to join us in a sanitation exercise that will guarantee a better future for your children, the come and witness the development of religion from time immemorial to evaluate it subjugation to man-made doctrines, dogmas and modes of worship that are irreligious. Thereafter, we can seek for solutions as proposed by the computer-age Integrational fellowship; I S M.

A Kenezian Overview of the Ancient Igbo Religion before Westernisation 

A renowned author with WIKIPEDIA, the Free Encyclopedia, contends that Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual nature and a study of inherited ancestral traditions, knowledge and wisdom related to understanding human life. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to faith as well as to the larger shared systems of belief.

This is true of African Traditional Religion (ATR), the ancient Religious Thought that held sway before westernisation reached my forebears, therefore “Concedo in Aeternum”, with the Renowned Wikipedia Professor but with some modifiers you will soon observe.

• Religion as a concept and Culture as a way of life have a very thin line separating them. Most of the time the preliterate indigenes of rural communities converted their cultural practices into religious rituals and vice versa. Thus most primitive religions became the belief system or their natural theosophy and explanations on creation, existence and death. It was initially introduced to unite people on the grounds of totem and taboo, norms and mores, respect and fear of societal traditions to enable the then village heads to rule and drive the group or clan. Slowly, religions were engineered to evolve into stronger and wider beliefs.

·         Various preachers have driven their thoughts across centuries to prove that their religion is superior. Lately, however, religion has become a mixed flavour of theories, dogmas and doctrines serving to control humanity with more free thinkers and isolation of superstitions. The 20th century had many reformers getting rid of some foolish and evil rituals, so that today, religion is more of a provider of the definition of life and its cycle and eventually its self-esteem.

A belief system can refer to a religion or a worldview. A world view (or worldview) is a term calqued from the German word Weltanschauung; Welt is the German word for 'world,' and Anschauung is the German word for 'view' or 'outlook'. It is a concept fundamental to German philosophy and epistemology and refers to a wide world perception. Additionally, it refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which an individual interprets the world and interacts in it.

Map showing multiplicity of religions, their numerical strength and relative importance of religion in countries. This is based on a 2006-2008 worldwide survey by Gallup, cited in Wikipedia (2000 edition).

Religiosity, in its broadest sense, is a comprehensive sociological term used to refer to the numerous aspects of religious activity, dedication and belief (religious doctrine). Another term though is less often used, is religiousness. In its narrowest sense, religiosity deals more with how religious a person is, and less with how a person is religious (in practicing certain rituals, retelling certain myths, revering certain symbols, or accepting certain doctrines about deities and afterlife), the Wikipedia lecturer concludes.

In summary, therefore; ‘Do you believe’ becomes more important than ‘Do you know’. In Renascent Igbo Religion the precursor of Integrational Spiritan Movement, the last nuance of the term “world-view” is the most relevant for producing A Worldwide Mode of Obedience, Loyalty, Respect and Worship of The Almighty Creator of the Universe Devoid of Bigotry, Racism and Syncretism. Knowing is what we now need not belief! Today, computer age citizens of the Global Village need a respite from Belief Systems!

The Igbo people have no name for the Giver of Life! All we have are appellations that describe the evident and superlative traits of this Consummate Spirit that created, creates and will still continue to create and sustain all the beings; visible and invisible, animate and inanimate, human or inhuman for ages in the future;

1. Chi-na-eke: the ultimate spirit that creates
2. Chi-ukwu:   the greatest spirit
3. Obasi bi n-elu: the omnipotent that lives on high
4. Ama-di-oha: the supreme husband of all
5. Ogara-nya ngada-nga: the wealthiest of the rich
6. Ugwu ana-ari-atu egwu: the highest mountain that is climbed with trepidation
7. Ogbajiri igwe kpoo ya nku: He that breaks steel and calls it dry wood
8. Utu na agba igwe: bacteria that eats up iron, i.e. potent ant that tears iron to shreds
9. Ogbu onye mbosi ndu n’ato ya oto: he that snuffs life out the arrogant at the apex of egocentric pride.

In our culture, one can only give a name to what one owns, has authority over and can dispose of at will! It is not right to give any name to the Creator; we describe what he is and does; “Chi-na-eke”, meaning; “the divine spirit that creates” or “Chi-Ukwu”; the Ultimate Spirit! Those who use the label “God or gods” for the Creator; have never spelt it backwards. Try it now and be shocked at what you get. Can you now realise the demonic coinage that has been used for centuries? Our ancestors were wiser. We dare not use lower caps in spelling the attributes we assign the Almighty! Igbos do not, could not, should not and cannot use a pejorative term or even an honourable one for their Creator!

Whereas other nations and cultures built places of worship for their religions, the Igbo know that the sky is the dome of the Creator and his illuminating lights are the sun, moon and stars. The natural grooves or well planned and decorated open squares are our places of worship; come rain come shine! Most devotional rituals are done in moonlighting periods as it is cool and lasts the whole night. Above are edifices other major world religions built. We have none! The entire horizon with all its benefits is our church!

For the Igbo, no human engineered structure is good enough to be the abode of the supreme spirit that owns the sky, the land and the sea. He is worshipped in the open! Therefore, I conclude this prelude thus: May Our Creator (Chi-neke) prosper the work of your hands and provide divine guidance and protection for your spouses and children. I share in this last prayer and hope that all is well for those who love The Ultimate Spirit (Chi-ukwu).

ANCIENT PANTHEON IN RENASCENTIGBOREL NEEDS MODERNISATION

The most widely worshiped deity of the Igbo was clearly the Earth goddess, ALA or ANI due to linguistic nuances. Next in rank to the Father Chineke, she is the Mother that manages the physical beings on earth for the benefit of her children. She provides fertility and the food that sustains all living things. She blesses farm work with bountiful harvest. The beautiful landscapes are the result of her proper feminine grooming! The ponds, lakes streams and all other sources of drinking water come under her care. The dead are buried in her bosom! Thus she became the deity that must be placated first for protection before one is clean enough to approach Chineke or else face the wrath of Amadioha, the god of thunder and lightning, the disciplinarian. She is represented by a nursing mother in sculptures and painting. Today, RIR uses this tripartite symbol of a family to depict her;

The Greatest Gift of the Goddess of Fertility in Igbo land is Viviparous Reproduction

It is impossible to enumerate all the lesser deities our forebears had, many of whom are now mere names to us. Among them were the spirits of many mountains, rivers, springs, respected ancestors, and reputable warriors, past kings and queens who had “become gods” at death. Demons also existed in pre-colonial era as malevolent spirits under the command of Amadioha, the disciplinarian. Sickness and misfortune were ascribed either to these demons, to sorcery or to divine retribution.

Gods and men

The gods were imagined to have their own lives, though also needing the service of their worshipers, who in turn were dependent on the gods for their well-being. They lived in their temples, where they had to be fed, clothed, washed and entertained. Part of their time, however, might be spent in heaven or in roaming the sea or the mountains. They might withdraw in anger and so cause life on Earth to wither and cease. One of the most characteristic rituals of the Hittites was the invocation by which a god who had absented himself was induced to return and attend to his duties by a combination of prayer and magic. The relation between man and god resembled that between servant and master. “If a servant has committed an offence and confesses his guilt before his master, his master may do with him whatever he pleases; but because he has confessed his guilt . . . his master's spirit is appeased and he will not call that servant to account.” Confession and expiation form the main theme of the extant royal prayers of Igbo priests.

 DIVINATION IN IGBO RELIGION

Divination is our native means of ascertaining the remote causes of events, catastrophes of misfortunes in our people’s lives. ‘ Igba afa’ which literally translates thus; ‘invocating spirits to reveal hidden information’, through which the cause of divine displeasure was ascertained, was mainly  an enigmatic procedure using cowries, beads or small bones of animals or tokens with symbolic names. This specialised arts is said to be inherited or conferred on native doctors by the particular spirit s/he worships or has fully dedicated her/himself to. The omens, as interpreted by these experts, are either favourable or unfavourable and would give ‘a yes or no answer’ according to the sense of the question put to them. In this way, by a lengthy process of elimination, it was possible to determine the precise offence that required expiation.

Oath-Taking, Initiations and Festivities

Our forebears hardly trusted anyone who had not been sworn to secrecy or confidentiality. To inculcate these virtues of allegiance, loyalty and patriotic ideals in the youth, titled men and leaders, they are initiated different levels of cults at early stages of their life spans. Historical records give abundant evidence for a kindred, communal or town religious cult. The king himself and other royalties take oaths, and a chief priest is always at hand to administer oaths at all important state matters, including royal decrees and treaties, that were usually placed under the protection of Igbo national deities.

   

Before the arrival of the first Whiteman on African soil, traditional grooming of children were organised in each community whereby the norms and mores of the kindred were passed on to bona-fide descendants of the same genealogies. These were the African Education of Survival Skills. Graduation Ceremonies for Batches of Initiates marked the end of the Education in Igbo Cultural World-View.

The proper conduct for religious groove administrators; shrine or temple personnel was laid down in a tablet of instructions that gives some insight into the organisation of a prayer and worship in pre-colonial places of adoration among our people. Divine vengeance is threatened against those who violate any of the norms or mores of the community, commit adultery or rape, homicide or suicide, steal live yams from another’s farm,  misappropriate food or drink brought for sacrifice, who admit unclean animals or unauthorised persons into the temples, who purloin vessels or implements belonging to the god, who fail to celebrate festivals at the proper time and warriors who desert their posts to spend the night with their wives.

   

Achieved Social Status is Highly Respected in Igbo Land for Authentic Leadership as Kings or Chiefs

Many extant texts consist of descriptions of festivals in which the king or queen is the chief celebrant and even doubled as priest or priestess. In some communities, as it is in Eze-awara ancient kingdom, the two posts of royalty and religious and intertwined, so that the traditional leader becomes holy and a role model!  The festivals were numerous and all related to farming seasons; from the planting all through to the harvesting time. The details in costume for males and females signified full manhood and womanhood. Pouring of libation may be done by a chief priest or by the ‘okpara’ the oldest male in the community, such as the crowning or robbing of the king and his entry into the temple, accompanied by warriors, various dignitaries and musicians playing their instruments. Owing to the very large number of fragmentary texts, it has not yet been possible to discern special characteristics of the festivals. They invariably culminated in libations and frequently in a cultic meal. One such festival in Eze-awara kingdom lasted seven markets weeks by Igbo calendar, approximately 28 days and involved celebrations in different grooves and squares.

Burial customs

Oral traditions abound about male and female slaves having been buried alive with their masters; kings or queens. Ignorance about life after death occasioned the folly our ancestors indulged in believing that their services were still needed over there in the spirit world. There was a burial ritual for a king or queen that lasted 13 days and in which the body was embalmed with local herbs that were very potent in preservation. Corpses of warriors were dipped in the blood of sacrificial animals at their burial ceremonies before they were respectfully laid down with the skulls they captured during epic battles, their obsolete firearms, bows and arrows. Titled men and women were buried in sittings positions. Morticians of old knew enough about ‘rigor mortis’ to have achieved those pre-colonial medical feats! A feast followed their placement on a royal stool in a stone chamber with all their ceremonial adornments! 

We must pause at this funeral stage of our narrative that recaptures the legends of our forbears. There shall be chapters where the nitty-gritty of mythologies of the ancient Nri, Aguleri, Igbo-Ukwu, Arochukwu and other notable kingdoms will be graphically documented. It is interesting to note that our people abhorred cremation and extreme surgical operations because of their belief in re-incarnation. One burnt or mutilated by surgery or accident was expected to come back scarified and looking ugly! 

With advancement in the theory and practice of Christianity that has caught up with the present generation WE NEED TO MODIFY ALL THE AREAS THAT PAINT IGBO RELIGION  PRIMITIVE, RETROGRESSIVE, SUPERSTITIOUS AND SIMPLY BLACK MAGIC. 

That is what Renascent is all about. A consortium of our professors in Religion can put their heads together and polish, shine and give us a world wide perspective that is acceptable to all peoples in all nations of the world. Here, I rest my call for innovations to our erstwhile ATR; African Traditional Religion, to be upgraded to INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT. 

Passport Sizes of Three Faces of the Author in Traditional Dress Code

Three faces of the Global Village Theosophist and Existential Family Therapist, who states; “There is nothing man can authoritatively declare about the Almighty Creator except to posit that HE IS! Anything else is guesswork, despite the catalogue of doctrines, dogmas, mythologies and rituals! The truth is that out of love the Supreme Being made us his sons and daughters, co-heirs of his benevolence that abound in the material universe so that we may live happily. We, simply, ought to love and share them!

For More Info Contact:
The Author,

Dr Jideofo Kenechukwu Danmbaezue
P. O. Box 139, 0803-9097614 or 0805-1764999,
Email: agunabu1948@gmail.com

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CEO: Dede-Kenez Internet Biz
Phone: 0806-456-5877
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