GLOBALIZATION CHALLENGES AND CHANGE FACTORS IN
THE RELIGION OF AFRICANS
Globalization
Challenges and Change Factors in the Religions of Africa :
The Nigerian Experience
Ngozi
N. Iheanacho
Revised
into English UK
Jideofo
K. Danmbaezue
Introduction
Social
change and human transformation are constant variables in the annals of African
history and existence. During the pre-colonial period, before 1884, there
existed prominent states, political organizations and vibrant societies and
kingdoms – band societies, lineage systems, chiefdom and feudal organizations,
stateless, and state societies. There was rise and fall of great empires, such
as Malle, Songhai, Kanem-Borno , Benin , Ashanti
Within
the middle of the fifteenth (15th) century and the end of nineteenth
(19th) century, the international community accepted human trade as
legitimate. Slave trade had devastating impact on African societies and human
transformation, as humans in this period were conceived as commodities. Nigeria was one of the notable slave market
societies in Africa .
African
societies’ contact with Europeans transformed the pre-colonial socio-political
organizations into colonial territories, between 1884 and 1951. At this stage,
the hitherto independent states and stateless societies were subjected to
foreign rule, and ipso facto loss of sovereignty. The 1884
partition of African states under the platform of the Berlin Conference gave
legitimacy to the unmitigated European incursion and subsequent alteration of
the cohesive political, social, and religious societies of Africa
to their interest, and at the expense of the indigenous values of the people.
Each
colonial power used its home country’s ideology and value systems as model to
administer their new found colonies. Consequently, African states were
‘transformed’ into pseudo cultures of Europe, especially of Britain , Germany Belgian–
Congo etc
The
little contribution of colonialism to human transformation was and still is insignificant
when compared to its legacies of economic exploitation, environmental
degradation, social dependencies, enslavement by colonial education and the foundations
for ethnic and religious conflicts, which still hold the people sway in this
age.
However,
the stages of African transformation are subsumed within the framework of
changing world-systems. World-system is a theory in which individual societies
are viewed, not as autonomous, but as inserted into the operation of a larger
network. It is this network which world-system theorists and scholars like
Wallerstein (1974), acclaimed to be the proper unit of analysis through which
the fate of individual societies are being determined, principally by their
involvement in the world-system as a whole.
This is
a type of evolution which defines some general directional trend in history.
Some countries’ participation in the world-system has brought the continent the
realities of decolonization – modernization, which aim at managing colonial
legacies and modernizing its institutions and practices to suit the capitalist
world system in which the countries must exist. In another approach towards
better human transformation is the idea of African renaissance – the “rebirth”
of the “original” African economic, social and political liberties that had
been eradicated during the colonial period and somehow resuscitated during the
early independent stage of African societies.
The chequered
historical and staggering transformation trends in Africa
created and TO DATE still sustain social distances in human development. This
social state of humans in Africa is constantly promoted by international issues
and phenomenon, up till the present time globalization is taking its toll on
African countries, like Nigeria
International Features and Trends of
Globalization
Currently,
one of the main factors of society and human transformation is premised on the
concept of globalization. Globalization is characterized by integration of economies
as a result of expansion, diversification and deepening of commerce and
financial links, technology and information exchange, and free movement of
people. From the lens of globalization, the entire world is conceived as a
single market – one large and unified market, free for all comers and
competitors.
This is
the premise of liberal economic policies currently eulogized in Nigeria
In
travel and tourism, we equally observe the impact of globalization. People now
travel with ease. There are ready information and immigration guide of
different parts of the world. Many people travel for business purposes, others
for leisure, health or for other sundry reasons. Some countries’ main economic
base is even on tourism. This is the case of Egypt
Thus Labour
migration equally accounts for the significant impact of globalization and
human transformation among the natives. In its inbound and outbound dimensions,
it brings about changes in society and human development. Consider the
numerical strength, and the globalization implication of people, especially the
young, who crave for visa lottery of different countries of the world.
The migratory
trend of movement from the less developed nations to the developed ones is
another teething problem of globalization. Globalization has led to the influx
of migrants into political entities, including illegal immigrants choking up socio-political
systems to the point of creating imbalance to employment of the indigenes and concomitantly
the inability to control and manage the labour force.
To be
continued from here
Economic
and political groupings operating in the global system undermine territorial
integrity and sovereignty of states, under a neo-liberal ideology that, Pope
John Paul II, of blessed memory called “savage capitalism” – a type of
capitalism which assumes almost a religious character, as greed becomes a
virtue, competition a commandment, and profit a sign of salvation. In the
system, dissenters are dismissed as non-believers at best, and heretics at
worst, (Henriot 1998:6).
In the main, globalization has assumed the feature of distinguishing factor in
international social stratification of the world today. Globalization wears a
feature and phenomenon of war of space, in which those who are mobile with
potentials of easy movement throughout the world win, creating meaning and
value for themselves. The scenario offers a flow of unending choices, and by
implication, unending risks, danger and troubles. Consequently, the world is in
continuous transformation and change, and ipso
facto problematic factors to
cope with, (Ritzer 2008:578-579).
Cultural globalization is a major perspective of transformation in African
countries, like Nigeria Nigeria
Globalization,
Culture and Religious Challenges
As a
paradigm shift and emphasis on the gamut of observable cultural globalization,
we turn attention to operationalizing the challenges and change factors which
the variables and trend of globalization have brought to bear on the religions
of Africa . Here the religions of Africa are referred to as Islam, Christianity and African
indigenous religion. Although, Islam and Christianity are imported traditions,
but their propagation, acceptance and flourish justify such perception and
recognition. Islam and Christianity are recognized as indigenous to African
countries, like Nigeria
because they have been part of any known written history of Africa ,
(see Dopamu P.A. 2000:xvii).
Religion is a paradigm of culture and cultural globalization. According to Huntington Nigeria
Cultural globalization is currently challenging, bringing about rapid and
radical religious change, and societal transformation from different aspects of
our social system. Such phenomenon has induced changes in human perception of
the environment and life, new ways of thought – that are direct onslaught on
traditional worldviews, aspirations and value systems. Consequently, there are
question puzzles: is globalization aiming at homogenous culture in the world
i.e. ‘global village’?, or will it end up crystallizing cultural diversity
traits and consciousness of culture, and value differences in parts of the
world?
The variables of globalization are impacting effectively on the religion and
cultures of the world, in all perspectives. The process of interconnectivity,
as a vehicle of globalization makes it possible that what obtains in one parts
of the world, including social movements are rapidly communicated to other
parts. By this means, globalization has induced and transmitted many
socio-cultural changes, and sundry human development ideologies responsible for
religious change, the world over. Many Western societies now have at one end,
originally, religious buildings and institutions converted into warehouses,
while at the other end of the city, foreign religions which were hitherto alien
to the societies are flourishing. In the main, globalization accelerators –
internet, television, telephone and other facilities of the information
revolution age expose all peoples of the world to new cultures, and religious
practices. But for specificity, we narrowed the phenomenon of globalization and
its impact in Nigeria
Globalization phenomenon takes premise from the transformation of our
traditional societies – from the simple state of cultural homogeneity and
agrarian life, with sacred oriented leadership and institutions, to a new world
order characterized by new politico-economic world system. The surge of
globalization’s capitalist impulse stamped its dominant influence in the world,
following the decline of communist power. There from, the variables of
globalization, like high level of individual initiative, politico-economic
groupings, competition, and free enterprise which it ushered into African
societies like Nigeria Africa .
One of the challenges here is that the sanctity and conservativeness of our
religions can no longer be safeguarded. Hence the unmitigated influx of new
cultural patterns and religious practices obstruct the exclusivity of the
peoples’ religious beliefs and practices. On the individual level, many
Africans now question with ease, their traditional religious practices, with a
view to accepting new found secular, and capitalist ideologies of globalization
or ‘diluted’ religious practices which are easily amenable to capitalist
spirit.
The trend of capitalism as the soul variable of globalization is even more
profound in Christianity, and Islam. These religions have equally responded to
the materialist spirit of globalization, by crystallizing positive disposition,
and preaching concerning money as a means of attaining human transformation,
and meeting human needs, and salvation here on earth. Simple life style, and
less interest in things of material value, which were hitherto ideal and
fundamental religious teachings of Islam, and Christianity are fast
disappearing for preaching oriented in the capitalist ideals of globalization.
Instead of accepting poverty, Nigerian Christians, and Islamic faithful are
exhorted to doggedly crave for wealth, as exploiting and sharing in the material
resources of the world is perceived, and renascently interpreted in terms of
divine blessing and gift for God’s children to enjoy. The only difference from
the secular spirit is that Islamic, and Christian faithful are exhorted to
crave for wealth devoid of fraudulent, and violent means. Globalization forces
have pushed the religions to align their beliefs and practices to changing
world order, driven by capitalist indices. The trend also leads to change in
the life of the human players. Many Nigerian faithful of Islam, and
Christianity flout the teachings against fraudulent cravings. Yet, when they
acquire wealth through foul means, they are not scolded, but allowed to
celebrate their exploit in the house of God. Consequently, wealth acquisition
is conceived to be a divine index, and symbol of recognition, legitimacy, and
earthly fulfilment.
Globalization is taking negative toll on indigenous African knowledge and
skill. Many Nigerian languages, and those of many other African societies have
been predicted to be on the part of extinction. We are meant to understand the
discrimination of African indigenous languages not being global, and not means
of international transaction and communication. While we accept the benefits
Western languages bring to us, we are however, moved to wander whether our
indigenous languages are totally irrelevant and useless to the present trend of
human development and transformation, (Ikeme 1999:18). With the globalization
facilitated indigenous knowledge loss, the peoples’ indigenous religious
practices are on the part of decline and extinction, as both traditional
knowledge, local languages and religion are rapped up together in Africa, and more
so in Nigeria. The loss of one is the loss of the others. That is, the loss of
indigenous knowledge, and the loss of indigenous language is the loss of
African traditional religious language. In recent time UNESCO has lamented that
such loss lead to loss of humanity’s intangible heritage. In no part of the
world is this challenge more serious than Nigeria
Cultural knowledge obliteration pose further challenge, as it cause strain to
the values of community life, solidarity and corporate existence, for which
Africans are known. Rather than such heritage passed on easily to the young,
the values are being replaced by the individual spirit, and cut throat
competition of the capitalist propelled global system.
The ‘push and pull’ factors of globalization – travel and tourism, pose another
dimension of challenge and problem to African religions, and the human players.
Globalization enhance urban social system which challenge traditional
societies, religious practices, and institutions, given the resultant population
density, changing status, heterogeneous culture, and some degree of alienation
it ushers into the society. At the individual level, people find themselves in
different social settings and value system, which redefine their self concept
and image, different from those of their traditional societies, and religion.
Again, the complexities of globalization enhanced urban life also facilitate
proportionate complex problems for religious faithful and their clerics: such
as mixed marriages and divorce, childlessness and adoption, labour migration of
married people, career and family responsibilities etc. All these impact on the
personality formation and transformation of Nigerian societies, and human
development.
Inter-religious dialogue is another dimension of cultural globalization,
challenging the sanctity of African religions. Through the information
revolution of the new world system intercultural contact is promoted. Through
such inter-religious forum, and communication technologies, a gamut of foreign
religious ideas is cross exchanged. Consciously or unconsciously many of such
ideas and practices are adopted, incorporated and internalized in a host
culture and religion. This type of cultural borrowing is more so in West
African societies like Nigeria Chicago ; in 1986,
in Assisi Italy
under the auspices of Pope John Paul II; in 1990 it was in Moscow Nigeria ,
one other feature of this globalizing effect on religion is made manifest in
Godianism, a modified paradigm of Nigeria
The global fact of crystallizing women’s right, from the underlying philosophy
of liberalization, increased choices, and competition is another challenge and
change factor to African religions. The variables of globalization promote
women’s liberation from oppression, and inequality in social location, and life
chances, towards redressing the obstacles posed to women’s transformation and
development, by the traditions of the world. In this case, no part of the world
that is a major spotlight than Africa, vis-à-vis Nigeria
In Christianity, the underpinning gender ideologies of globalization have
enhanced women’s participation and role in their churches. Many Nigerian women
are ‘New Church
In Islam global ideas about women are equally making Nigerian women to raise
critical questions over their status, and the human development implications.
Thy now organize themselves in groups and bodies with the common objective of
improving the lot of Muslim women. They challenge such practices as Purdah,
early marriage, girl child discrimination in formal education etc. These
challenges pose ideological conflict between the fundamentalists and
conservative practices of the faith, on the one hand, and global women
advancement ideologies.
The global trend in the quest for women’s right in religion is another
dimension of teething problems and challenge to our religions. In many respects
the agitation has led to the re-examination and redefinition of human
sexuality. The scientific advance in contraceptive and medical break-through in
the reproductive system have led to the conception that sex is not all
necessarily for human procreation, but for intimacy, pleasure, self-expression,
and self understanding. This renascent awareness has led to many religious’ faithful
questioning the various religious teachings and ethics on sexuality. Followers
agitate for their religions change of position against the background of such
global awareness on sexuality. Loss of virginity is now being tolerated in
traditional religious societies, while divorce is common in churches these
days. Gay marriage is yet another dimension of the challenges which the waves
of globalization have posed to religions in Africa .
The wave of such practice is gradually increasing its tempo as a major problem
to cope with in this age. Sexual related matters that were given traditional
conception and definition no longer hold.
Many hopeless fertility cases that were handled spiritually in African
religions are now treated by modern medicine. Fertility drugs and in vitro
fertilization are two major technologies of improved conception. But the procedures
are expensive, making it affordable only to the rich. This equally add to the
feeling of the people that wealth is of utmost importance to human, as against
spirituality, and ipso facto decline in religious flourish. The
global advance in reproductive medicine now makes birth control measures easily
affordable and administered. Contrarily, this negates the Traditional religion,
Christian, and Islamic common belief that the number of children a woman bears
is divinely determined. There is the outright termination of pregnancy, global
organ traffic, market and transplant, genetic engineering, semen bank, and
cloning. The global market on human, and obliteration of natural human
incarnation channel is inimical to the teachings of African traditional religion,
Islam, and Christianity.
Globalization is a concomitant of the revolution in information technology. It
is the devices and networks – micro-electronic technologies, such as cell phone,
the internet, and e-mail innovations in communication that drive globalization,
helping to reduce the barriers of physical distance and contact, (Ikeme
1999:2). This unfettered information passage of globalization give different
understanding of the religious worldview of Africans, replacing, and eulogizing
global trends that are alien to the people. Although, the technological
advancement in communication give opportunity for tele-evangelism, and
consequently offer new choices in human development and also in the transformation
of society. But many of the choices are divergent to traditional, and orthodox
religions. The global trend has continued to foster ‘irreligious persons’, and
obliteration of sacred order. The phenomenon encourages secularism, and giving
religious interpretation to ‘other’ life issues and yearning. In the global
age, Nigerians are increasingly taking to secular life – while traditional
religious worldview continues to decline in influence. People now look at life
issues and phenomena from experience, and ideas in this world, no longer from
divine revelation, or from a world beyond the physical, or from religious
authorities or religious traditions, (Molloy 2002:508). As advancement in
science and technology continue to accelerate globalization, as its
concomitant, religion will continue to loose its grip, while the secular vision
of life continues to flourish. Consequently, Nigerian societies now have
agnostics in traditional religion. Many of the people now crave for profound
life in globalization’s spirit of competition and free market, without reference
to God or other spiritual beings. Both scientific and theoretical agnostics in
Africa, and Nigeria
The spirit of openness, free market, and competition that are features of
globalization have exposed African environment to degradation. In the Niger
Delta area of Nigeria, ecological and biodiversity loss, via intense oil
exploitation to meet global market forces and demand have defiled the area with
its incessant oil spillage, pipeline explosion, gas emission, and flaring. These
have brought severe hardship to the people, changed their ideology and
perception of life. The people’s religious institutions and practices are
threatened, as sacred groves, creeks, rivers and shrines that adorn the places
are devastated. The loss of these sacred heritage have also led to the people’s
loss of identity, and traditional perception, definition of life, and view of
the world, and ipso facto the
loss of religious and cultural identity and legacies. The implication is that
globalization is a negation of the principles of sustainable development –
which emphasis is on ensuring that the cravings, and the exploitation of today,
in the process of development does not jeopardize the chances of generations
yet unborn. That is, the integration of the needs of the weak, the unborn, and
environmental friendliness in all human development and adaptation activities.
Contrarily, the liberalization idea of globalization concerning the environment
is that the market should be left free, on the belief that it would enhance
human development and growth, and that increased resources will be ploughed
back for environmental protection. Therefore, in an integrated global system,
the rate and quality of resources outflow from Nigeria and other African
countries is bound to grow, and ipso
facto, the pace of consequent ecological degradation, while price of the
natural resources continue to fall, and unstable in increase. As the resource
base erodes rapidly, so will Africa ’s living
standards, (Uzonwanne 1999; David 1997).
The global trend of New Religious Movements (NRM) has increased the problem of
globalization on African religions. Although the flourish of NRM’s is a global
fact, its origin is not traceable to Africa, especially Nigeria America China
and India Asia
for God, glory and gold. Western nations secure in their sense of political, military,
economic, and cultural impropriety and armed with either an expansionist
Protestant Evangelical faith or an equally expansionist Catholicism. This
social challenge is more profound in China ,
and Japan
In Nigeria
Conclusion
Globalization
wave is sweeping across nations and cultural boundaries. Hence African
countries like Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria
The feature of interconnectivity, relations and integration in globalization,
expose the people to alien cultures and traditions, values, ideologies,
uncritical cultural borrowing, and religious syncretism. All these challenge
and cause strain to indigenous value system and traditions. The free market
principles, spirit of competition and of capitalism which the world system
crystallizes lead to abrasive and problematic shift in Christian, and Islamic
teachings and traditions. Again, it encourages environmental degradation and ipso facto, the decline of the
religious values which are associated with certain environmental features and
ecological resources. These obliterate the religious stability, and grip of the
societies, hence constituting profound challenges, and laying foundation for
problematic changes in the religions of the people.
Yes, no part of the world can affectively shun the wave of globalization, given
that it is a universal phenomenon. But it is the position of this paper that
globalization variables, and the effects can be checked and manages. Thus, the
products of globalization would be critically assessed from time – to – time.
This strategy will allow for a comparative analysis and juxtaposition of the
incoming variables and products with the already existing values, and cultural
patterns that makes meaning to the people. By so doing, the ‘rich and good
substance’ of our religious and cultural heritage would not be completely lost
to globalization trend.
References
David Pearce (1997) “Corporate Behaviour and
Sustainable Development: The View from Economics” in Bansal, P. and Howard E.
(eds) Business and the Natural Environment UK: Butterworth – Heinemann.
Dapomu P.A. (2000) ESU: The Invisible Foe of Man
Ijebu-Ode: Ihubiotimo Publications.
Henriot S.J. (1998) Globalization: Implications for Africa
Lusaka
Ikeme Jekwu (1999) “Sustainable Development,
Globalization and Africa: Plugging the Holes” in African Economic Analysis,
2000 UK : University of Oxford
Merriam-Webster (1999) Encyclopedia of World Religions
Massachusetts
Molloy Michael (2000) Experiencing the World’s
Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change, California
Onunwa Udobata (1990) Studies in Igbo Traditional
Religion. Uruowulu Obosi: Pacific Publishers.
Ritzer George (2008) Sociological Theory. Boston
Uzonwanne Jude (1999) Competitiveness and the Future
of Africa (http://odili.net/feature/jude.html)
Wallerstein Immanuel (1974) The Modern World-system:
Capitalist Agriculture and the Origins of the European World-Economy in the
Sixteenth Century New York: Academic Press.
_______________ (1985) “The Three Stages of African
Involvement in the World-Economy” in Peter C.W. Gutkind and Immanuel
Wallerstein (eds.) Political Economy of Contemporary Africa .
Beverly Hills , Calif
I DOFF MY CAP FOR THIS LADY WHO
IS THE FIRST I HAVE MET IN THIS LONG ASSESSMENT OF ACADEMIC EVALUATION AND
ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO FOLLOW IN HER FOOTSTEPS…….THANKS, MY DEAR, NGOOZZII..
Now see what I wrote some twelve
months back before I ran into Ngozi’s nice
and erudite academic dissertation
THE ORIGIN OF MORAL DECLINE IN IGBOLAND WAS AND STILL IS THE ARRIVAL AND DOMINANCE OF FOREIGN RELIGIONS
Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez, D.Sc.
2001 - 2011
THE INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT
Founded in 1990, is an interdisciplinary socio-cultural organisation for
modern scientists who desire a self- fulfilled life spiced with spiritual
devotion, wisdom and peace of mind.
Our motto speaks volumes for
itself;
ONE ALMIGHTY CREATOR,
ONE CREATED UNIVERSE,
ONE HUMAN FAMILY!
ISBN: 987 -
………………..………………..……………………
© 2001 - 2011 Rev. Prof. J. J. KENEZ
First Published as a Newsletter in 1999 & Revised in 2001
COPYRIGHTS: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this work may be reproduced, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means; electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, or stored in any retrieval system, of any nature,
without the written permission of the author.
Published
& Printed By:
KIHOL PRODUCTIONS LIMITED
Danis Family
Villa, Umuelechi, Umuezeawala, Ihiala.
P.O. Box 139
BIAFURU
AMAMIFE ND’IGBO NIME R .O. B
Kenez
International Humanitarian Organisations Linkage
Email: saintkenez@yahoo.co.uk or
www.happyfamilynetwork.hpage.com
IMPORTED RELIGIONS BROUGHT OUR DECLINE IN SOCIAL MORALITY
The Genesis of Immorality in Biafra Was
the Assimilation of Westernisation
The desecration of our pre-colonial high moral
values started with the arrival of the first white missionaries in West Africa . What the natives called “NSO-ANI” was
re-branded FORGIVEABLE SINS and so watered down the sanctity of religious
values in Biafra . Its partner, WESTERN
EDUCATION neatly completed the ‘coup de grace’ as the foreign concepts and
social values of the colonialists destroyed the social ethics of the natives
and rendered our pristine mores and norms ineffective. In some communities;
“aping the white man’s dress code and mannerisms became fashionable and
ignoring the customs and traditions of the community was seen as the criterion
of being EDUCATED and MORE CIVILISED than the illiterate folks in the villages!
---------DR JIDEOFO KENECHUKWU DANMBAEZUE, @
30/06/2013 04:14:32 HRS GMT.
PREAMBLE TO AUTHENTICITY OF RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOUR
Daily we interact
with our parents, siblings, immediate relatives and neighbours in our small
circles of physical habitations. When we travel outside our ethnic and national
boundaries, we run into different personalities we love to hate or vice versa,
who consciously or unconsciously influence our lives positively or negatively.
Have you ever sat down and taken stock of what you have become over the last
ten years?
Many people you
see, meet with and/or socialise with 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 intellectually and socially which elevated
brotherhood of mankind both inter-racially and internationally.
These agents of
change were the true sons and daughters of the Almighty Creator of the
universe. They added colour to daily routines and 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. They were the catalysts of the world!
Historians inform
us that Christopher Columbus actually set out to discover another route to India when he stumbled at the new America 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!
Joining this select
group of animators or league of achievers is usually not by accident or by mere
wishful thinking. Beyond the routine duties of satisfying the five senses of
the body lies the desire to excel in unexplored areas of human existence and
the freedom to choose a divergent track that levies 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,
a global agent of spiritual evolution, Dr J. J. Kenez wants to know where you
belong in this universal continuum of innovators. Or, are you waiting for
‘manna from heaven’?
Those who place
priority on breaking new grounds and earnestly search for better alternatives
will eventually discover something unique. Those who ask penetrating questions
may one day obtain answers from above rather than the routine 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
The creator gave
humans some of his powers and knowledge for recreating the material universe
for the mutual benefits of all his created beings. The obverse is the case! Today many use his
gifts to perpetrate evil. Either by design or demonic manipulation, ingrates
abound everywhere and dominate the scene. 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 only
human beings, who pride themselves of being rational beings that do not
recognise, respect or realise that all of us have a single owner, a caretaker
and benevolent father/mother. Meditate over this assertion for a minute and
provide me an answer.
It is
absurd! It is unintelligent. It is unlike what a rational being can do.
Yet, that
is only a tip of the iceberg of irreverent religiosity in our global village.
Some learned fools
insist that everything came by chance and hold on to the theory of evolution!
Despite knowing that the common wristwatch could never have arrived by blind
chance and that computers and the Internet had inventors, this brand of
demented humans refuse to see and acknowledge the great artistry and creative
ingenuity in what they indulge in on a daily basis to survive till the next
morning! Some believe there is an Almighty Creator who provides for each
creature on a 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!
DECLINE IN SOCIAL ETHICS IS THE CRUX OF MORAL
DEPRAVITY
Double-faced Christians and Muslims now abound
everywhere; they worship Satan at night and come to church/mosque on
Fridays/Sundays! This lifestyle has eroded the credentials of our forebears!
There is now, an urgent need to redeem our children from these nefarious
practices! We must revert to the legacies of our renowned grandfathers, improve
on it and bequeath the next generation a better religious legacy than we had!
If you are concerned that our children need
fresh religious air that suits this global village and that posterity deserves
a better lifestyle devoid of wearing masks of deceit, pretences, subterfuges,
‘holier-than-thou’ attitudes, then join us in the sanitation exercise. Your
offspring will remain forever grateful that a select group of enlightened ‘Homo
sapiens sapientis’ took the bull by the horns to avert the perilous moral
decadence that is steadily turning all of us into unabashed hypocrites,
unrepentant fanatics and deluded mystics. You are welcome!
Culture is a summation of ethnocentric survival
strategies that each sub-unit of humanity had developed over the
centuries, institutionalized and passed on to their descendants. The
sons and daughters of the Almighty Creator have ignored their ONE CULTURE;
which is OBEDIENCE TO ALL THE NATURAL LAWS as ONE WORLD RELIGION. That is what
we desperately need today just we use cellular phones and the Internet without
killing anyone. Respect for and obedience to all the laws of nature is the key
for a peaceful world with beautiful people living, loving and sharing the
Creator's benefits as equal heirs to his blissful global world that we now
share amicably thanks to scientists who have uncovered his designs for our
mutual existence. LET US LIVE IN PEACE! This is the ‘One Global Religion’
that humanity needs now for ‘One Peaceful Global Village! Here I rest my
case/pen!
The author took his two sons to participate in the ANAMBRA CULTURAL DAY
CELEBRATIONS at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in 1995 for their first exposure to
fully traditional dances and masquerade festival. They enjoyed it!
RESUME OF MY DEPOSITION
Just type RENASCENT IGBO
RELIGION into
Google Search and see the volumes I had written on how, why and wherefore our
traditional "NSO
ANI" i.e. AVOIDNACE OF DESECRATION OF NATURAL LAWS is the best
religion in the whole world, yet we prefer to swim in foreign religions and
create an immoral nation wherein demonic politicians and pecuniary religious
leaders swindle us and smile to the banks!!
YOU CAN FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE SOME OF
THE TIME, AND YOU CAN ALSO FOOL SOME OF THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME, BUT YOU CAN NEVER FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE
ALL THE TIME, TALK LESS OF ATTEMPTING TO FOOL GOD AT ANY TIME.
CHAPTER ONE
DELIMITING OUR UNIVERSE OF DISCOURSE
The demands
of Formal Logic dictate that we begin our dissertation from the very beginning
of the theories and practices that gave birth to the doctrines and dogmas that
various religious demagogues invented and developed over the centuries!
UNIVERSAL
DEFINITION OF RELIGION
Let us start with this unabridged and unedited from Microsoft ® Encarta
® 2009
“Religion is the sacred engagement with
that which is believed to be a spiritual reality. Religion is a worldwide phenomenon
that has played a part in all human culture and so is a much broader, more
complex category than the set of beliefs or practices found in any single
religious tradition. An adequate understanding of religion must take into
account its distinctive qualities and patterns as a form of human experience,
as well as the similarities and differences in religions across human cultures.
In all cultures, human beings make a practice of interacting
with what are taken to be spiritual powers. These powers may be in the form of
gods, spirits, ancestors, or any kind of sacred reality with which humans
believe themselves to be connected. Sometimes a spiritual power is understood
broadly as an all-embracing reality (see Pantheism), and sometimes it is
approached through its manifestation in special symbols. It may be regarded as
external to the self, internal, or both. People interact with such a presence
in a sacred manner—that is, with reverence and care. Religion is the
term most commonly used to designate this complex and diverse realm of human
experience.”
“The word religion is derived from the Latin
noun religio, which denotes both earnest observance of ritual
obligations and an inward spirit of reverence. In modern usage, religion
covers a wide spectrum of meanings that reflect the enormous variety of ways
the term can be interpreted. At one extreme, many committed believers recognize
only their own tradition as a religion, understanding expressions such as worship
and prayer to refer exclusively to the practices of their tradition.
Although many believers stop short of claiming an exclusive status for their
tradition, they may nevertheless use vague or idealizing terms in defining
religion—for example, “true love of God,” or “the path of enlightenment.” At the
other extreme, religion may be equated with ignorance, fanaticism, or wishful
thinking.”
“By defining religion as a sacred engagement with what is
taken to be a spiritual reality, it is possible to consider the importance of
religion in human life without making claims about what it really is or ought
to be. Religion is not an object with a single, fixed meaning, or even a zone
with clear boundaries. It is an aspect of human experience that may intersect,
incorporate, or transcend other aspects of life and society. Such a definition
avoids the drawbacks of limiting the investigation of religion to Western or
biblical categories such as monotheism (belief in one god only) or to church
structure, which are not universal. For example, in tribal societies, religion—unlike
the Christian church—usually is not a separate institution but pervades the
whole of public and private life. In Buddhism, gods are not as central as the
idea of a Buddha (fully enlightened human being). In many traditional
cultures the idea of a sacred cosmic order is the most prominent religious
belief. Because of this variety, some scholars prefer to use a general term
such as the sacred to designate the common foundation of religious
life.”
“Religion in this understanding includes a complex of
activities that cannot be reduced to any single aspect of human experience. It
is a part of individual life but also of group dynamics. Religion includes
patterns of behavior but also patterns of language and thought. It is sometimes
a highly organized institution that sets itself apart from a culture, and it is
sometimes an integral part of a culture. Religious experience may be expressed
in visual symbols, dance and performance, elaborate philosophical systems,
legendary and imaginative stories, formal ceremonies, meditative techniques,
and detailed rules of ethical conduct and law. Each of these elements assumes
innumerable cultural forms. In some ways there are as many forms of religious
expression as there are human cultural environments.”
Microsoft
® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
KENEZIAN
DEFINITION OF RELIGION
“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.” ( Dr Kenez 1991)
From the Animator’s Introduction to Integrational Spiritan
Movement I S M Manifesto
SEE APPENDIX A
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 a 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 Moses, who was brought up in an Egyptian royal court
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.
There is a plethora
of ancient and modern major world religions. In each, there are factions, sects
and denominations. It is syncretism galore! The name of the game is “join our
own, ours is the one prospering for now!” It is a religious market. It is a mad
world. Many nationals all over the globe are smarting under the colonial yoke
of Roman Catholicism or Islamism. The intriguing aspect of this brand of
neo-colonialism is that it brews dogmas and doctrines that propel fanatical
members to kill or be killed in the name of ‘God’. Religious fanaticism or
mysticism is a religio-psychiatric personality disorder that has never been
classified by any DSM and so has never been diagnosed and managed as other
psychopathological conditions that present in health services all over the
world!
If you care to join us in a
sanitation exercise that will guarantee a better future for your children, then
come and witness the development of religion from time immemorial to evaluate
its 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; INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT,
abbreviated thus: I S M. This medical scientist, pragmatic researcher and
existential therapist, is proposing that we scrutinise all the religious and
ethnocentric prejudices that had enslaved many children right from birth, who
were born into their parents religio-cultural practices and were never given
the freedom to search for objective methods of relating to their maker and
other humans. Can you join us to make this feasible?
………………………………………….……Rev. Prof. J. J.
KENEZ (11th Nov. 2009)
CHAPTER TWO
A SAMPLE OF HOW IMPORTED FALSE RELIGIOUS LIFESTYLES HAVE DESECRATED OUR
TRADITIONAL SANCTITY; MORES, NORMS AND ETHICAL VALUES
Where I was born, we have this
local saying; ‘He who does not know where the rainfall starting beating him,
will never know where it stopped’. Another warns; “A rat that joins a lizard in
playing in the rain, to remember that when the lizard is dry, it will still be
wet.”
In my culture, one does not
interpret proverbs. I dare do so for my readers who are non-indigenes of Igbo
land; both idioms imply that anyone who does not know who he is or where he is
coming from will definitely not know where he is going! The words of the elders
of my people of Biafra are definitely words of
wisdom. They can write a doctoral thesis with just an idiom or a statement of
the fact with a simple analogy!
Let’s look at these: The bat
is totally blind and is neither an animal of the sky nor of the land! The bat
is neither a bird nor a rodent for it hasn’t any feathers yet it flies! And
though it has the anatomy of mammals and a skin with furs it neither crawls nor
runs on all fours, yet it feeds like birds, amphibians and rodents! The bat
says he knows how ugly it is, so it has resolved to fly only at night! What a
tragedy! These unreverend men and women should emulate the bat!
There was a time when
Catholic Reverend Fathers and Reverend Sisters on missionary services in this
country were really admired, respected and idolised! That was in my teens when
the Late Bishop Shanahan was still an ordinary priest! Rev. Fr. Bindel was the
Parish Priest of Ihiala, then a very large area extending as far away as
Emekuku, Orlu and Oguta! They rode long distances on Hercules bicycles carrying
out their evangelistic duties. They trekked most of the time and made converts
by using the very few semi-literate natives as their interpreters!
These interpreters
were later promoted to Catechists and soon wielded much power! They taught
pagans catechism classes in the vernacular language and only those they
certified as having passed their examinations were baptised. They stood between
every catechumen and the sacraments of baptism, confession, confirmation,
matrimony and even the irregular reception of the Holy Eucharist! You could
neither see any Rev. Fr. nor receive any of these sacraments without greasing
their palms! No girls or women ever came close to the parish houses, not to
mention having handshakes with any priest!
The Rev. Sisters wore
sparkling ankle-length white gowns and their head-gear with a tall hood and
overflowing veils covered every part of their heads except for just the outline
of their faces. I never saw their ears! To us little urchins at the turn of the
century, they were angels. After all the pictures in our catechism classes were
made of white skins. They were all white women. We never dreamt that we would,
in later years, have our own black sisters and daughters qualified to become
Rev. Sisters. No one ever imagined that a black skinned woman could ever be
dressed like these white angels. These angels were our earliest teachers,
nurses, midwives and doctors. They ran the few mission schools and hospitals
that were then in existence at Ihiala and Emekuku. We adored and loved them for
their motherly care but, at the same time, we hated their injection needles!
We were told that both
the priests and nuns were virgins. It was even rumoured that they had no sexual
parts to their bodies. They were ‘castrated’ was the naïve belief that made the
rumour rounds then! We assumed that the nuns had neither breasts nor large buttocks
like our mothers and aunts! How were we to find out? The priests were covered
all over with their flowing white soutanes that they never put off in our
presence. “Did they ever urinate or defecate?” we wondered! I never saw any of
them in short knickers although I was a mass server for several years at St
Martin’s Parish, Odo-ata Ihiala, now in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State
That the priests were
chaste and the nuns, virgins, were assumed! We never saw the priests and nuns
chat together, hug each other or stroll along any road side by side. They were
discreet and circumspect. They were conscious of their vows of celibacy and
public image knowing that they were continuously being watched day and night.
So, they never scandalised us nor gave us the chance to suspect them! That was
in the early 1930s and 1940s. We gradually began to notice that many nuns went
on leaves that were termed “annual” and understood why some others that lasted
beyond twelve months were termed “sudden”, “casual” or “sick.” Soon, our own
sons and daughters were admitted into seminaries and convents. By the 1950s,
some were ordained and professed respectively. This first set never scandalised
us! We never suspected that they could lower the standards set by these
missionary white angels! That was before the Nigeria-Biafra civil war that
lasted from 1967 to 1970.
- The wind blew strongly so the hen’s anus was clearly seen by all!
All that changed as
the scales fell off our eyes. Our religious blinkers were forcibly removed by
what we saw during the civil war at the few Caritas Feeding Centres that we
naturally located within the parish premises. We saw a lot. Some printable,
others not whisper-able! Promiscuity was the mildest term for describing what
the refugee women described as own contributions to the war effort! Our
clergymen and women were the butt of their sexual exploits as relief items like
stockfish, egg-yolk and milk were exchanged for amorous relationships. Some
wore the glamorous foreign dresses donated by CARITAS & WCC that were meant for homeless refugees that left
their wardrobes behind!
- “Have they also eaten the forbidden fruit” was the mildest joke
about what we knew was happening at our local parishes. There was a
conspiracy of silence by all the culprits!
The war unmasked
everyone. Today, my ten-year-old niece knows that priests are anything but
celibate! Most mass servers can swear that beside heterosexual indulgence
involving widows, married and unmarried women in our parishes, our
self-professed celibates clandestinely practise homosexualism and lesbianism!
It is no longer news that paedophilia is the scourge of the Catholic clergy in
the United States of America
Even among our
Protestant communities, legally married pastors indulge in adulterous
relationships without any qualms of conscience. Prominent television
evangelists are now caught pants down at brothels. In the Catholic hierarchy,
most of our so-called celibates, males and females, are not only promiscuous,
but revel in homosexual and lesbian relationships. Some are pathological
Casanovas and Nymphomaniacs! Hell is let loose as most of the demons there are
now living in our parishes and convents. It is more of a rat race than an
epidemic! There seems to be gold, silver and bronze prizes reserved for those
who excel in this sexual revolution among our celibate community!
In addition, no one
wants to be left behind to pick up a bronze medal! Some have secretly fathered
children and are using church funds to maintain them. The female celibates go
on the pill or commit abortion monthly, dilatation & curettage being their
favourite option! Others build houses and sponsor their concubines in tertiary
educations. The ‘been-tos’ among them send their girlfriends overseas for
summer holidays. Others receive and entertain their white girlfriends, right here
in Nigeria
No one seems to be
bothered by this anomaly. Recently, however, some local ordinaries were forced
to set up special diocesan tribunals to investigate some of the reports they
received from parishioners who were/are the victims of this immoral revolution!
Some married women have lost their husbands to some pretty and sensuous Rev.
Sisters! Equally, some members of the C.M.O, whose wives have been snatched by
vivacious and amorous Rev. Fathers, are also complaining. Who can redeem us
from these demonic onslaughts? In the mass media, one reads about kidnapping;
which many have re-named “MAN-NAPPING’ considering that most of the abducted
are ADULTS not KIDS! Was that ever heard of in the days of yore? That was only
possible in epochs of inter-communal wars or slave trade, both of which arrived
with the white-man’s settling down and establishing foreign administrative
structures and their legal systems. Wife snatching, rape, abortion, nymphomania
and all other sexual sins; contraception, oral sex, homosexuality and
lesbianism came in the wake of aping the white man’s romantic behaviour that
the youths watched on videos and television screens. The acceptance of
confessions and the ‘sacrament’ of penance worsened an already degenerating
moral decadence!
A KENEZIAN EPILOGUE
DR KENEZ SUMMATION OF FAITH FROM
PREVIOUS RELIGIONS THAT CAN ENTHRONE REAL PEACE FOR CITIZENS OF THE GLOBAL
VILLAGE
There is one supreme eternal
reality; the truth; imminent in all things; creator of all things; immanent in
creation. Without fear and without hatred; not subject to time; beyond birth
and death; self-revealing. This Eternal Reality is known only by the Divine
Revelations from His Grace.
Faith is ultimately the
acceptance of the divine authority of the Omnipotent and Omniscient Almighty
Creator of the universe we share with all the other beings he has made;
micro/macrocosms, living and non-living beings that regularly obey the natural
and eternal laws he embedded in his creations for our mutual benefits.
----Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez (1999)
By faith is meant, first, conscious
knowledge, and second, the practice of good deeds. "Know, therefore, that
only the LORD your Creator is the Ultimate Reality, the Absolute Truth. Only he
is the steadfast Godhead who keeps His gracious covenant to the all who believe
and trust in his everlasting love and fatherly care for beings, seen and unseen
to the tens, hundreds and thousandth generations of those who love Him and keep
His commandments." Hence, recognizing and
affirming that this One Almighty Creator of
the entire Universe is our Father/Mother and therefore, only to this Creator is
total worship due. Our corporate willingness, commitment and submission
to this One Creator that exists guarantees all that are alive sustenance, and
to His prescriptions for living in accordance with his ordained eternal and
natural laws is surely the only assurance of living a good life assured to
anyone who (1) believes in Him, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads
a righteous life, will receive their recompense from the Lord. They have
nothing to fear, nor will they grieve."
------------- ISM Integrational Faith
(2013)
FELLOWSHIP OF TRUE CHILDREN OF THE
CREATOR
Faith in Buddhism centres
on the understanding that the Buddha is an Awakened being, on his
superior role as teacher, in the truth of his Dharma (spiritual teachings), and in his Sangha (community
of spiritually developed followers).
In the teachings, saddhā is often
described as:
·
a conviction that something is
·
a determination to accomplish one's goals
·
a sense of joy deriving from the other two spiritual teachings and in
community of spiritually developed followers.
As a counter to any form of
"blind faith", the Buddha's teachings included those included in the Kalama
Sutra, exhorting his disciples to investigate any
teaching and to live by what is learnt and accepted, rather than believing in
something simply because it is taught.
Meher Baba described three types of faith,
emphasizing the importance of faith in a spiritual master:
"One of the most important qualifications
for the aspirant is faith. There are three kinds of faith: (i) faith in
oneself, (ii) faith in the Master and (iii) faith in life. Faith is so indispensable to life that unless it is present
in some degree, life itself would be impossible. It is because of faith that
cooperative and social life becomes possible. It is faith in each other that
facilitates a free give and take of love, a free sharing of work and its
results. When life is burdened with unjustified fear of one another it
becomes cramped and restricted....Faith in the Master becomes all-important
because it nourishes and sustains faith in oneself and faith in life in the
very teeth of set-backs and failures, handicaps and difficulties, limitations
and failings. Life, as man knows it in himself, or in most of his fellow-men,
may be narrow, twisted and perverse, but life as he sees it in the Master is
unlimited, pure and untainted. In the Master, man sees his own ideal realised;
the Master is what his own deeper self would rather be. He sees in the Master
the reflection of the best in himself which is yet to be, but which he will
surely one day attain. Faith in the Master therefore becomes the chief
motive-power for realising the divinity which is latent in man."
Bertrand Russell noted, "Where there is evidence, no one speaks of
'faith'. We do not speak of faith that two and two are four or that the earth
is round. We only speak of faith when we wish to substitute emotion for
evidence."
Kenez Danmbaezue observes; “ The only
truthful thing anyone can say about the Almighty and Benevolent Creator known
in many cultures and languages by a variety of names is; AN INTELLIGENT
SUPERNATURAL BEING EXISTS WHO CREATED ALL WE CAN EVER SEE, THINK AND FEEL! Any
other statement we make about this Ultimate Reality, Absolute Truth that is
omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent being is mere guesswork that only feeds
doctrine and dogmas!
APPENDIX A
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 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
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.
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!
From the Inaugural Speech of the International
Animator on Foundation Day 1991
For More Info Contact:
Dr Jideofo Kenechukwu Danmbaezue
Danis Family Villa, Umuelechi, Umuezeawala,
P. O. Box 139
Email: saintkenez@yahoo.co.uk
OR agunabu1948@gmail.com
MY APPENDIX
B THEN GOES ON TO SHOW
THE TINKERING AND DOCTORING OF THE ORIGINAL JESUS CHRISTIANITY BY
EMPEROR CONSTANTINE & SAUL OF TARSUS
Dr Kenez Agunabu Enochian Beatitudes For A Global Religion for Peace In Our Global Village
ReplyDeleteTHE ENOCHIAN BEATITUDES
1. Blessed are those who obey all the Natural Laws in creation, For theirs is the Kingdom of God, personally guaranteed by The Almighty Creator of the universe.
2. Blessed are those who recognise that all human beings are their brothers and sisters, For their portion is the possession of the true Egalitarianism.
3. Blessed are those who know that we all share the same air, water, blood plasma, sun and moon, For this native insight shall reward them with filial love and care for others.
4. Blessed are those who realise that we all walk and plant on the same ground, For social justice and the joy of sharing shall be their everlasting benefits.
5. Blessed are those who wake up early each morning thanking and praising God, For this acknowledgement shall bring them divine blessings and peace of mind.
6. Blessed are all that recognise that equality at birth is the L.C.M. of human life, For theirs is the philosophic insight that eradicates apartheid and abrogates racism.
7. Blessed are the wise who know that we return to this human equality at death, For theirs are the social virtues and simple lifestyles it inculcates in all wise people.
8. Blessed are the genuine proponents and practitioners of true family life, For, through lovely children and happy homes, they shall inherit eternal life.
9. Blessed are all who train themselves to restrain their thoughts and guard their speech, For they will be respected by and confided in by those who interact with them anywhere.
10. Blessed are the few who have conquered their appetites for food, drinks and sex, For true happiness based on control of their will power shall be crowns on their heads.
BLESSED ARE THE TRUE DISCIPLES OF PATRIARCH ENOCH FOR
• SUCCESSFUL LONG LIVES,
• GOOD HEALTH IN OLD AGE, &
• PHYSICAL ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN SHALL BE
THE ETERNAL PRIZES RESERVED FOR THEM BY GOD!
Inspired by the Holy Spirit and written down at 3.30 a.m. on the 11th of March, later improved on and modified till 9.35 a.m. on 26th July, 2004 by Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez D.Sc.
WELCOME TO INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT FOR A GLOBAL PEACE
ReplyDeleteYOU ARE EXCEPTIONALLY FORTUNATE TO JOIN US IN PROMOTING DESIRABLE PROGRAMMES TO ENTHRONE A WORLD FILLED WITH FAMILY HEALTH, SOCIAL SUCCESS AND OPTIMUM HAPPINESS, SOCIETY OF RATIONAL BEINGS; I . S . M i.e. INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT; THE CRUSADERS FOR A LASTING GLOBAL PEACE.
Our mission is; “A global peace initiative for conscientiously seeking ways of healing the world of xenophobia and/or religious bigotry and our target is abrogating all forms of racial prejudices and halting current ethnic cleansings by denouncing religious fanaticism so we can enthrone a lasting global peace for our global village" Your wisdom in joining us will be better appreciated when you have gotten 100 members to become part of this Worldwide Peace Crusade.
Your duty is SIMPLY to make our dissertations available to each new member and conduct weekly seminars where you all discuss the most efficient and effective ways of implementing our global objectives of having: ONE ALMIGHTY CREATOR, ONE CREATED UNIVERSE AND THEREFORE ONE HUMAN FAMILY. Send us their emails and passports for registration so we can come and inaugurate all of you as a community chapter. You will then be our Co-ordinator & Chairperson for that chapter.
My emails are; agunabu1948@gmail.com & saintkenez@yahoo.co.uk
Aim:
a. Encouraging sound academic excellence in society through active research publications on the Internet, thereby changing society through academic leadership and in humble humanitarian services to communities members live in, thus changing the political climate in developing nations through intellectual empowerment for service
Objective Strategems:
i. Organising Symposiums, Awards, and Rallies to challenge social ills, oppression of the poor, less privileged and the downtrodden
ii. Delegating members and awardees to government agencies to speak for the less
privileged and also to challenge injustice, corruption, and abuse of Human Rights
iii. Carrying out research to empower people for job creation and Poverty thus eradicating through creative Education and skill development