Embracing African tradition, Christianity

All spiritual concepts arise out of local experience, culture and environmental conditions. Local experience, culture and environment are spread through voluntary conversion or by coercion.

IAM a doubting Thomas; it’s hard for me to believe in something. I always have questions which no one seems to have an answer and I fill in the blanks which make me not so popular among my elders and even my peers.

I was born and raised in a family that believed in both Christianity and African Traditional Religion (ATR), so as it stands I have equal respect for both religions.

African Traditional Religion states that the community is the most important part of someone’s life.

This community is made up of people who remember and share the same traditions. The individual only exists within the community and separation from it is sometimes worse than death.

A believer’s family still has influence over him or her even if they live far away. Religion in most African societies also supports moral order.

It creates a sense of security and order in the community. Followers believe in the guidance of their ancestors’ spirits. There are spiritual leaders, kinds of priests or pastors in most ATR.

This person is essential in the spiritual and religious survival of the community.

In the Zezuru culture there are mystics or n’angas that are responsible for healing and divining (a kind of fortune telling and counselling).

These traditional healers have to be called by ancestors.

ATR is a way of life in which ancestors are part of every major event such as weddings, births and deaths as well as less important ones such as getting a job and finishing university.

During these events usually an offering is made to honour, please and thank the ancestors.

Traditional beer may be brewed, a cow, goat or chicken is slaughtered and the ancestors are called to receive the offering and bless the gathering.

Although ATR recognises a Supreme God, followers do not worship him or her directly as they do not feel worthy enough.

They therefore ask the ancestors to communicate on their behalf.

The Supreme Being is called upon in times of great hardship and need, like drought or other problems that may threaten the entire community.

The Supreme Being is the connection between people and their environment. I understand that all religions are unenlightened or better yet, under-educated.

There is a direct connection between lack of belief and education, but we’re not talking about literacy rates, which Zimbabwe does have a pretty high score.

I will not use the word evil because being under-educated, misguided, or you just simply have a different belief system than I do, does not make a person evil.

A word religion just loves to throw around. If you aren’t like me, you must be evil! I beg to differ.

Suggesting that someone’s beliefs might be evil is at the very minimum offensive. Having been called evil for using religion to pursue my own agenda when it suits me, I have plenty of experience here.

I can assure you that it did not help “the true Christian” believer’s cause.

It was not a productive way to convince me that Christianity is the only true religion, let alone that any single version of any religion is correct. All spiritual concepts arise out of local experience, culture and environmental conditions. Local experience, culture and environment are spread through voluntary conversion or by coercion.

Our society is based on the assumption that most people seek that balance.

People that act 100 percent for themselves and care nothing for others, only acting like they do to get what they want are considered most evil. Saints, who sacrifice everything of themselves for others are on the other extreme.

The concepts of good and evil mixed up with a deep understanding of the way the universe worked and how to manipulate it, combined to the point of good and evil became a matter of pleasing or displeasing the gods themselves.

Who knows what one has to do to please God/gods? Prophets, pastors, spirit mediums, traditional healers (midzimu svikiro n’anga) . . . I don’t know.

Point is when we are faced with spiritual issues one doesn’t understand we seek guidance from spiritual leaders, but why do others feel the need to judge those who use ATR to communicate with the highest power.

The term unenlightened is usually applied by more complicated spiritual systems to less complicated ones.

However, any spiritual structure may be best judged by the results that it actually produces in any population. In many cases these less difficult spiritual philosophies are more effective in producing a practical, harmonious and firm society.

One has to wonder how enlightened the world’s main religious streams actually are when they are the main perpetrators of so much hatred, violence and intolerance that currently exist in the world.

I believe that evil is acting in one’s benefit at the expense of the group you are in. Good is acting for the benefit of the group at your own expense.

A balance between acting for one’s own benefit and the benefit of the group is best. Our society is based on the assumption that most people seek that balance.

What was good or evil thus left the simple common sense of the people following their God given conscious scope and became dictated by the religious leaders, who gained great power this way.

Christianity started out as a new concept that rebelled against the common perception of the day, preaching that peace and love and goodness to one’s fellow man and forgiveness and turning the other cheek was the most important thing.

Unfortunately, the Romans soon co-opted it, turning it into a power to hold the people together under one rule and justified wars and conquering again like many religions before it.

Now, back to my original argument, if the religion is used by one against others, to harm them for the benefit of the one or few that say they have the power, then that is evil, by definition.

If it is used instead to limit the power of warlords, or heal the sick, then it is good.

Religion is doing more harm in Zimbabwe.

Religion continues to tear Zimbabwe into pieces and I do not think that we will prosper under the dark shadows of religion.

If one finally makes it in life there has to be evil involved.

Words are like stones and when a person hurls stones at people they really shouldn’t be surprised when people get hurt.

If truly religion could manipulate our success in life no one would have settled for the position they have today me included.

ATR has done more good than evil to Zimbabwe, but I cannot say the same about Christianity.

Every poor man wants to start a church in Zimbabwe.

Since starting a church is the easiest and fastest money-making business in Zimbabwe.

There are so many pastors’, prophets, prophetesses, bishops, deacons and so on, but the sad thing is that almost all of this so-called man of God are full of evil intentions.

All religions are unenlightened, obsolete and can be used as an excuse to do evil. I may be sounding crazy or devil, but the truth is that I do believe in God.

I just cannot put all my trust in one religion as they all have imperfections and are being used to justify evil deeds which is why we need the law to put the checks and balance.