African Traditional Religion As The Science of The Future
The technology of the African traditional religion is light years away from the technology of the developed world. Many of the inventions of science (both new and old) are norms for the adherents of African traditional religions; teleportation, telekinesis, hypnotism, and weather control. Adherents of the African traditional religion have shown that it is possible to breathe in water without drowning and dance in the fire without burning.
Before we delve straight into the matter, let us have a look at some African traditional religious facts:
It is Powerful
Although adherents to a religion swear that it is real (they tell of all the ways their gods have helped them), not surprisingly, a non-adherent is bound to disagree until he sees the evidence. The African Traditional Religion (ATR) has proven to be potent in various ways.
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Ancestors are Venerated
Loved ones never really die. They become ancestors who take the position of a court which deliberates on the life of their living relatives. Sometimes, these ancestors decide to come back to life because of reasons such as a brutal death or a desire to be born into the same family they exited.
It Requires Sacrifice
In ATR, sacrifices are done during rituals for a variety of reasons including but not limited to healing, imploring, fortification, and celebration. Animals such as goats and chickens are slaughtered and their blood is used to conduct the ritual.
The Gods Really Do Get Angry
Yes, this doesn’t just happen in books. When abandoned or disobeyed, the gods do get angry and lash out at their followers. That is why most followers live in a state of reverence and fear, knowing that their disobedience to their god might cost them their lives.
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African Traditional Religion As Advanced Science
Here are some technologies that the world has come up with in recent years. Find out their ATR equivalent.
Holograms
Seeing things that no one else can see? Plucking objects out of thin air? Africans were already doing these things a long time ago. Little children who were possessed with spirits would often turn to them during exams. According to one of those persons, the answers to the exam questions were usually written on thin air or on a blackboard.
Spiritual people are also said to have four eyes with which they are able to see the extraterrestrial and the extraordinary. I heard a story of a man who ran mad after going to a Dibia for extra sight. They said he ran mad because when he got home with his new ability, he saw his wife walking on her head.
Telekinesis
In Sci-fi, telekinesis involves moving objects from place to place. African traditional religion goes a giant step further. It moves people! It is possible for someone to touch you and transport you to a location of his/her choice in the blink of an eye. Objects are also moved. Some people give you money and when you put it in your purse, the rest of your cash disappears!
A woman met a money doubler in the market. He asked her for a 20 Naira note and when she gave it to him, he ripped the edge off with his teeth. Then he told her to place it in her jewelry box when she got home and that by morning, the box would be overflowing with gold. The next morning, the woman went back to the box and found that it was empty. People have lost things even as heavy as bags of clothes in this manner.
Teleportation
This is a very popular one. In those days, there were no cars or airplanes and our forefathers mostly trekked to wherever they wanted to go. The powerful ones transported themselves in an easier and more desirable manner. They teleported from place to place. They did it very easily by simply drawing a circle on the floor, muttering incantations, or merely placing their backs on the wall.
The only thing that could stop them was when protective spells were placed around a place (in case they were on an evil mission). People appearing in the bedrooms of others without passing through the door and disappearing in broad daylight, in the middle of a crowd happened and is still happening in Africa.
Living in Water
There are mermaids living among us. Everyone who has knowledge of African traditional religion knows that this is true. These half-humans and half fish individuals are actually able to live both on land and in water. There was a time when the middle-aged wife of a wealthy man suddenly walked into the river in their hometown. Everyone thought she was dead until she walked out after seven years and returned to her family.
Many African mothers would often warn their children to not visit rivers because they are aware of how hungry the river goddess can be. Unsuspecting visitors could get lured into the water by the mermaids and die. There are also reports of people finding an entire city underwater. The lost city huh? More like Mermaid city. There are stories; the ocean destroying a glass house because the mermaids didn’t like having to see themselves in the mirrors as they bathed. There are and many more like this.
Sensory Mechanisms
This sensory power can stretch for miles and miles. A Juju man or woman can sense that you are coming hours before your arrival. When they tell you to go to a stall in the market and buy a goat according to specifications, don’t be surprised when you arrive and see that same goat staring at you.
X-ray Vision
Healers and midwives are often blessed with this power as it enables them to detect the source of sickness, and if a woman is pregnant or not. They can look at you and tell the sex of your baby. They can look at a broken leg and know just how to massage it for the bones to snap back in place.
Weather Forecast and Control
Rainmakers are real and they are powerful. Let me tell you a personal story. So my Uncle (bless his soul) had to bury his father and he went to the village to do so. When he got there he was told that as part of the preparation for the funeral, he would have to pay some money to the rainmaker. My Uncle was furious. Being an ardent Christian, he could not imagine taking his money and giving it to a Juju man.
So they went ahead with the cooking that day, not paying heed to the warning of the villagers. Jollof rice was steaming, chunks of meat were frying on the fire when the rain came down with a vengeance. It was so heavy that it quenched both fires and soaked all the wood terribly. The catch was this; the rain was only falling on the burial venue – everywhere else was dry.
It was obvious to everyone that it was the work of the rainmaker but my Uncle was still adamant. Thirty minutes later and the flood was almost knee level. Something had to give, so someone snuck out when my Uncle wasn’t looking and went to plead with the rainmaker. That was how the rain ended abruptly as though it had been coming from a faucet.
Shapeshifting
The African traditional religion enables its adherents to shapeshift into any animal of their choice. From as big as giant dogs and cats to as small as ants. Unlike Sci-Fi shapeshifting which is often depicted as a painful and hectic experience, traditionalists who have these animals as their spirit animals often shape-fit flawlessly.
Apart from being able to change themselves, ATR adherents can also cause others to shapeshift. One time, people stopped picking up cash from the floor because others had picked and got turned into rodents and tubers such as yam and cocoyam.
Potions
African healers are so adept at their craft that a simple mix of alligator pepper and bitter leaf could be used to cure heart disease. With herbs gotten from bushes, forests, or even behind their houses, these healers cure people of various types of diseases.
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Mind And Body Control
Hypnosis is easy and possible through ATR. You don’t need to dangle anything in front of someone’s eyes, sometimes all you have to do is talk and let your aura do the job. People could be convinced to do things they never wanted to do and the minds of kings can be changed. A little amulet could make you fall in love with someone who you would never have been attracted to.
For body control, African traditional religious adherents can withstand flames, squeeze themselves through small spaces, and become unconscious at will. They are able to master the out of body experience and sustain it for a long time.
In conclusion, African Traditional Religion is truly the future of all scientific aspirations in travel, industry, and technology. The religion remains powerful and potent for its adherents. There are hundreds of gods and goddesses African people worship, some of them powerful enough to beckon to people of all color, continents away, pulling them towards themselves in worship and communion.
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