By: Ukachuchwu Okorie
In writing this article, I thought a lot about what has transpired in the spiritual life of an African and many parts of the African continent. Organised religion is a cancer to the life and progress of Africa, especially when you assess the direction Islam and Christianity have taken Africans today. There are many lies and fallacies told in the course of expanding both religions as they helped in sustaining colonialism. Most especially, Christianity did. There were good works by some of the missionaries. Nonetheless, many laid the foundation to the madness, fraud and exploitative approach in Christendom today
In a paper presented by Fidelis NkomazanaI; Senzokuhle Doreen Setume on Missionary colonial mentality and the expansion of Christianity in Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1800 to 1900, they argued that,
“Historical evidence shows that Batswana possessed rich cultural and religious traditions that contributed to the rapid spread of Christianity in Bechuanaland Protectorate (the present Botswana). The Western missionaries chose to reject or marginalize these traditions, which were based on the concept of the Supreme Being from time immemorial. The underlying patterns of these cultural and religious traditions and systems of the Batswana provided a firm foundation upon which Christianity was conceived, understood and received. However, some missionaries gave the impression that no such religious traditions and heritage existed prior to their arrival on the African continent.”
Having positioned that, most African cultures believed in the supremacy of God through various ways and traditions. Unfortunately, the autocratic nature of colonialism eroded aspects of traditional mode of worship, which were termed pagan and idolatry. This damage was ameliorated later by the Catholic Church through the 2nd Vatican Council which recognized Africa’s non-written educational system. Many colonial efforts against Africa’s mode of worship aimed at destroying African civilization and religious philosophy. A particular ‘white lie’ in African Christendom is the depiction of Satan as black, looking like Africans while Jesus Christ and angels are painted like Caucasians. Many grottos of the famous St. Michael defeating Lucifer and sending him to earth is a good example. It adorns many Christian Centres in African countries. As a matter of fact, many now see the devil as black and Jesus Christ as Western. However, I asked a few theologians their views about this religious sacrilege by missionaries and colonialists in Africa.
Ireland’s popular social media preacher, Rev. Austin Francis said,
“Jesus Christ cannot be only white or black because he is in all that came into this world.”
The fiery Facebook Bible teacher further quoted John 1:9, which says “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
Another teacher of the gospel, Nestor Philips Uzoma informed, “There is no quotation in the Bible depicting Satan as Black. This colouration of evil strongholds to be black is human imagination. Satan is anything evil that challenges the good, which is of God of all creation….so, Satan so informed is a spirit….and no information available anywhere as to the colour of spirits. They are either good or bad.
Black/ Darkness spiritually connotes ignorance…..in the dark (not informed or aware).”
Nestor Philips Uzoma argues that
one is bound to error, mislead, or blinded when not informed or enlightened. “Knowledge is power (Proverbs 9:10-12). The West that are predominantly fair skinned are powerful in all dimesion, because they seek knowledge…then curiously seek to understansionnd”, he further said.
Far from the arguments above, many of the lies told from the slave era have been sustained today with photos and monuments adorning across parts of the continent. It has even helped to fatten the complex psyche of the blackman in many aspects of life. The worst is that organised religious groups, which have entrenched themselves in the lives of people, laid a foundation to part of the rot in their spiritual life today. Africans need to be free from a spiritual and psychological bondage.
