By Rev. Fr. Bernard Gregory Anaebene (Ph.D)
INTRODUCTION
Many scholars among the Catholic Priests of Igbo Land (South Eastern Nigeria) have continued, especially in the most recent times, to call serious attention to the consistent intermittent resurgences of Neo-Paganism among Igbo Christians, particularly as it concerns the youth. Even, many of the youth have completely dropped out and returned to their native (Igbo) Traditional Religion. As it stands now, many of our Priests and other committed and concerned Christians are very much worried and eager to know the reason for this problem.
As we may know, the truth remains that the Igbo (Africa) Traditional Religion has always been the religion of our ancestors or forefathers. It has been there for ages, and has been among those religions regarded as Paganism, which its beliefs according to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2015), are not part of any of the world’s main religions.
As we have said, this religion has been there from the beginning of times for our forefathers as it were with its beliefs and practices which have been natural and habitual to their lives. It is in this religion as a matter of fact that our first immediate Christians and their fellow subsequent members were brought up. This was the situation when Christianity was brought to our land by the European Missionaries.
According to Onwubiko (1973), the real history of the Catholic Mission in Onitsha began with the arrival of Father Lutz on December 5, 1885 (p. 204). That year, Father Lutz opened a station on the land donated by Eze Anazonwu, Obi of Onitsha. And that is the present site of the Holy Trinity Basilica, Onitsha. Still on this, Onwubiko (1973) observes:
From here, the Catholic Mission spread to Nkwelle in 1888 and Aguleri in 1890. Under Father Joseph Shanahan, who later became the first Catholic Bishop of Eastern Nigeria, the Catholic Mission spread to all parts of Igbo land and beyond” (p.204).
Since then, Christianity had been on steady progress ever till today, with some tremendous increase in the number of other Churches which were being founded or established. All this notwithstanding, our people (Ndi Igbo) are still involved in pagan practices and their benefits.
Commenting on this, Okafor (2020) writes:
Although, many were converted to the Christian faith, the practice of paganism did not entirely disappear from our land. Even many of the converts to Christianity who usually attended church services still combined the practice of the Christian faith with pagan practices – what is normally described as religious syncretism.
It is even because of this persistent problem that Archbishop A.K. Obiefuna wrote and titled his Lenten Pastoral Letter of 1985 – ‘Idolatry in a Century Old Faith’.
Even till today, it is still the same story of Neo-Paganism among our Christian people, especially the young ones (youths). It is the concern and worry for this present phenomenon that has prompted this reflection.
At this juncture, therefore, let us talk about exactly what Neo-Paganism means. The word ‘Neo’ comes from the Greek word Neos – meaning new, fresh, young (Greek English Dictionary of the NT, 2010) p.214. For me, it is idolatry (worship of idols) in a modern or new style or pattern being presented at the same time as what is objective and acceptable to the larger society. It is a belief-system that stands in between Christianity and Pagan religion with its double standard nature.
Simply put, it is a painted pagan religion being nicely and attractively projected to the shallow minded Christians. In the same vein, Okafor (2020) writes: “By neo-paganism here, we mean paganism with a new face and a new style. It is modernization of the pagan cult and practices to render them attractive to modern people particularly the youth.”
From this stand point, we must remark that some aspects of the traditional religion have died and even disappeared, but be that as it may, much still remains underground as die-hards and they have continued to menace and have active influence on the lifestyle, ideologies and world views of our people. As we look at the above, we hereby identify as a matter of necessity the root causes of the problems of neo-paganism.
- CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND REMEDIES
- Causes
Now, let us consider the causes of Neo-Paganism as it concerns Igbo Christians with the following:
- Family Upbringing Based on Igbo Traditional Religion
Most of our Christians today were brought up by parents who were African or Igbo traditionalists. It is the effect and influence of this religion that continues to hover around their Christian beliefs and practices. This is aided by the contemporary neo-3 pagan trend everywhere.
According to the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Nigeria in their book – Manual of Laity no. 16: …many Nigerian Catholics have not fully abandoned the old beliefs they inherited from the African Traditional Religion. Heavily infecting their perception and thought are pedagogy in conflict with Christianity. Their behaviours are consequently flawed with syncretism or superstition …suffering and death are largely interpreted as curse, with divine blessing understood mostly in material terms.
An Igbo Christian does not only practise his Christianity, but practises his Igbo Traditional Religion equally. However, when we seriously consider this issue, it becomes as clear as daylight that this Christianity which has been embraced by many of our Igbo people has a big problem which has always bedeviled it.
So, what we are stressing here is that it is true that Igbo People have indeed embraced Christianity with an encouraging number, but it is still a religion of ambiguity, which is just nominal and practised as a routine duty. The Igbo Christian people have not understood it and have not equally incarnated it in their lives. According to Obiefuna in his Lenten Pastoral, Idolatry in a Century Old Faith (1985) stressed: “We have not started living the new life; we are still thinking and acting as we were before Christianity came” p.18.
In the same vein, Madu in his unpublished Lecture Note (2018) explained how many Black African Christians, Igbo inclusive go to Church on Sundays, and externally profess their Christian faith, but in reality, their practical beliefs, lives, and all that make them human are anchored in their Traditional Religion. It is true they have rejected their Traditional Religion, but they always “relapse into it again especially at crisis periods, and go into lives of superstition, magic, charms, divination, fortune-telling… which their Christian faith forbids.”
Continuing on this, Ekezuike (1980) states:
He [the African Christian] plays a dual role. Christianity is outwardly practised, and paganism in secret and more precautiously, too. He puts on the mask of Christianity on top of paganism. The new Christian inwardly believes in ‘Osu’, ‘Ogwu’, ‘Ogbanje’, ‘witchcraft’, ‘charm’, and so forth.
They do not prevent him at the same time from believing in the Blessed Trinity, the Bible and the Dogmas of the Church… But his actual faith comes to light when real temptation comes. Imagine he does not get a male child or is completely childless. What does he do?
For many people, especially scholars, it is aptly labelled shallow Christianity or call it Christianity that is skin-deep.
- Upsurge and Proliferation of Pentecostal (Mushroom) Churches with Its Divinatory Services
The general overseers and the pastors of the Pentecostal Churches are associated with divinatory services because they preach the gospel of prosperity. At this point, we have to talk about divination.
Divination
According to Pastoral Guide Vol. 1 (2004), divination is a superstitious practice whereby one intends to learn certain secrets of future events with the help of the devil, the devil being invoked either explicitly or implicitly (p.915).
In the same vein, Harper’s Bible Dictionary (2002) defines divination as an attempt to secure information, … by the use of physical means, about matters and events that are currently hidden or that lie in the future (p.594).
And I consider divination from the stand point of Igbo Cultural Milieu or Setting, as an art and practice of seeing or foretelling future events; discovering hidden or past events and even the present ones, secret knowledge of the spirits, divinity or ancestors concerning the effect of unexplainable reality.
In pure African Setting or Cultural Milieu, a diviner is one who offers divinatory services, interprets the mysteries of life and conveys the messages of gods to people. He issues guidance in their daily affairs and sometimes settles disputes or conflicts. He reuncovers the past in order to look into the future.
According to Azorji (1995), extensions of divination and its definition include “astrology, crystal guessing, palmistry, sorcery, witch hunt, witch craft and priest craft…” In fact, divination is a worldwide phenomenon.
Divination has continued to function in pari-passu with Christianity because it sustains the crises moments of the African or Igbo Society and even beyond. The crisis situation does not discriminate between the poor and the rich, between Christians and non-Christians but cuts across every religious barrier and this is what makes it difficult to handle.
It is because of the mystery that is associated with divination that both Christians and non-Christian practise and promote it. Divination has equally continued to survive because it provides already made solution to both private and general problems of the people. Today, it is assuming a new trend as it is being symbolized, popularized and promoted by both Christians and members of Igbo Traditional Religion especially by those who practise Neo-Paganism.
That is why there is increase and multiplication of praying houses or centres (Pentecostal Churches) for signs and wonders where “miracle working” pastors operate. Our Christians inherited divination from their ancestors and they see it as an indispensable part of their life (that is to say, their inheritance).
Pentecostal Churches and their leaders (General Overseers and their pastors) cleverly discovered this and have seen it as a fertile ground where their church can thrive and be sustained. In other words, no divinatory services no Pentecostal Churches – any day, they stop proffering divinatory services, no one will visit or look for them again. And this is the domain of the ‘almighty’ Neo-Paganism.
Those who go for divinatory services, do so in order to win election, cases and favour; get promotion in their places of work, get desired or targeted life partner; succeed in their businesses and get rid of their enemies. They also seek for divinatory services in order to find out the cause or source of their misfortune, ill-health, failure and problems. And they end up suspecting and accusing their colleagues, neighbours, relations and family members; creating suspicion, disunity, animosity and crises.
In divinatory services, the diviners bring in, by way of innovation, some aspects of Christian symbols and this can be confusing to the Christians because today some diviners have introduced the use of candles, holy water, olive oil and some other materials that are being used in Christian Churches, so as to lure their clients and victims.
Divination is a phenomenon which science has not succeeded in eradicating, and it militates against the sincere conversion of Christians.
