Of faith, reason, and the shadow of heresy, By Osmund Agbo

This…shouldn’t be an indictment of religion however moderately a plea for introspection. True spirituality shouldn’t cower earlier than essential thought; it ought to thrive in its presence. If we’re ever to reclaim our collective future, we should first reclaim the school of motive, the braveness to query, to problem inherited dogma, and to assemble an ethical framework that’s authentically our personal, moderately than one imposed upon us by those that as soon as sought our subjugation.

At an occasion just lately, I met a younger couple who passionately shared their plan to ship their youngsters again to Nigeria for his or her highschool years. Their imaginative and prescient resonated with a chance my spouse and I as soon as entertained, although numerous circumstances stored that dream at bay. Whereas many, together with this couple, firmly imagine within the inherent supremacy of Nigeria’s ethical values because the driving drive behind such efforts, our perspective differs. Ours is rooted within the worth of cultural immersion for our little ones navigating twin identities.

In Africa, we prefer to revel within the notion that we’re the final bastion of ethical conservatism, standing agency whereas the West descends into ethical anarchy. We view their societies as unmoored, decadent, and irreverent, whereas ours stay sanctuaries of divine order. This phantasm is commonly bolstered by the sheer omnipresence of church buildings, which dot each road nook of our lands like monuments to our piety. But, beneath this façade of righteousness lurks an unsettling actuality: societies riddled with corruption, overrun by kidnappers, ritualists, and criminals who render our cities uninhabitable, forcing an exodus of our greatest minds, some so determined that they’re willingly to courageous perilous seas, enslavement, and even dying to flee.

If Africans are certainly the custodians of morality and values, whereas the West wallows in debauchery, why then can we flee in such massive numbers from the supposed sanctity of our idyllic lands to hunt refuge within the very societies we denounce? What does this reveal about us that we abandon our self-proclaimed utopia in pursuit of solace amongst these we deem misplaced?

For a lot of in our homeland, faith shouldn’t be merely a perception system however an untouchable sacred edifice, shielded from scrutiny by an nearly instinctive reverence. To query its tenets is, for a lot of, tantamount to blasphemy. And when one dares to spotlight the paradox, that those that first imposed these Christian and Muslim faiths upon us now follow them with far much less rigour, such observations are sometimes dismissed with an impatient wave of the hand.

The Bible tells the story of an omnipresent, omniscient and all-loving God who despatched his solely begotten son to be tortured and brutally executed. Why? To atone for a sin we didn’t commit (unique sin) however was handed down from Adam and Eve just by advantage of being born. A sin that an all-powerful God may have forgiven immediately, with out bloodshed, if he so wished. But, as a substitute of merely absolving humanity, he selected to sacrifice his personal son to appease himself.

And what was this nice transgression? Adam and Eve, our forebears, had been deceived by Devil, one other of God’s creations, over whom He has dominion. The logic is dizzying, and in case your head is spinning, you aren’t alone. This story has been advised to us so many occasions and so ingrained in our consciousness, that we dare not query it. However this essay shouldn’t be about questioning the existence of God or some other divine being. Relatively, it seeks to problem the mental complacency of doctrinaire custodians of spiritual beliefs, who cling to medieval explanations for all times’s best mysteries.

A solution conceived in an period when human information was in its infancy continues to be being propagated and introduced to Twenty first-century Millennials and Gen Z, generations with way more inquisitive minds and little allegiance to dogma, to simply accept as unvarnished reality. The problem is that the obvious inconsistencies usually crumble underneath the load of motive, making them more and more tough to uphold. Any marvel why at present, many are peeling away and embracing the alternate options?

Some of the insidious instruments of subjugation has at all times been the conquest of the thoughts. The Bible, for all its profound philosophical and moral knowledge, was not launched to Africa solely as a conduit for salvation, it was an indispensable weapon within the colonial arsenal. To subdue a individuals, one should first dismantle their mental sovereignty, conditioning them to understand inquiry as heresy, dissent as defiance, and blind submission as the head of advantage. As soon as the thoughts has been subdued, the physique affords no resistance.

There may be the story of a younger artist, famend for his technical talent and mastery of classical strategies, who traveled to the mountains to hunt the knowledge of an previous painter recognized for creating breathtaking artistic endeavors.

The artist had spent years perfecting his craft, learning underneath nice masters, memorising each rule of composition, and replicating the works of historical past’s most celebrated painters. But, regardless of his expertise, he felt uninspired, his work missing life and depth.

Upon arriving on the grasp’s secluded studio, the younger artist bowed respectfully and mentioned, “Grasp, I’ve studied each nice portray, practiced tirelessly, and mastered each method. But, my work feels empty. I search your knowledge to assist me paint with (a) true soul.”

The previous painter smiled and gestured towards a clean canvas. “Earlier than we start, paint one thing for me.”

Wanting to impress, the younger artist instantly set to work, making use of every stroke with precision, layering colors precisely as he had been taught. When he completed, he stepped again, anticipating reward.

The grasp studied the portray, then silently picked up a brush and dipped it in thick black ink. With out hesitation, he swept his brush throughout the canvas, protecting the whole portray in darkish, heavy strokes.

The younger artist gasped, “Grasp, why did you destroy my work?”

The grasp set down his brush and checked out him calmly. “You didn’t come to be taught; you got here to substantiate what you already know. Your thoughts is crowded with guidelines, strategies, and expectations. However true artwork shouldn’t be within the information you hoard, it’s within the house you create for one thing new to emerge.”

The younger artist stood in surprised silence. He had at all times believed that mastering artwork meant accumulating extra expertise and strategies. But, in that second, he realised his best impediment was his personal certainty. He had been so targeted on what he had learnt that he had left no room for creativity, spontaneity, or true expression.

Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer and luminary of the Renaissance, championed the heliocentric idea, asserting that the Earth and different planets orbit the Solar. His place starkly contrasted with the prevailing geocentric worldview endorsed by the Catholic Church on the time. His observations, facilitated by the telescope, offered compelling empirical proof that challenged conventional cosmological beliefs.

The stress between Galileo and the Church culminated in his trial by the Roman Inquisition in 1633. Accused of heresy for advocating concepts deemed opposite to Scripture, Galileo was compelled to recant his views and spent the rest of his life underneath home arrest. This episode not solely underscored the profound battle between rising scientific inquiry and established spiritual doctrine but additionally marked a pivotal second within the gradual shift towards fashionable scientific thought.

So the query stays: What number of of at present’s unquestioned “truths” will probably be uncovered as fallacies tomorrow?

Historical past teaches us that information evolves, however dogma resists. The actual query is, will we select to evolve with it, or stay shackled to the comforts of inherited perception?

This lesson reveals a profound reality:

To create, we should first unlearn.

Mastery shouldn’t be about rigidly following guidelines, it’s about figuring out when to allow them to go. The extra we cling to what we all know, the much less house we go away for discovery, progress, and originality.

Like a full canvas lined in paint, a thoughts crowded with preconceptions has no room for brand new inspiration. Solely by embracing uncertainty, questioning previous beliefs, and letting go of the necessity for management can we really create one thing significant.

The paradox of data lies in the truth that the extra we be taught, the extra we turn into conscious about the vastness of our ignorance. The tragedy of religion, nevertheless, is that it usually bars the door to the Galileos of the world. Solely these humble sufficient to acknowledge their lack of expertise can really attain knowledge.

Understanding, partly, is figuring out what have to be unlearnt. Probably the most direct and dependable path to genuine information is to dismantle false assumptions, problem entrenched beliefs, and strategy life with curiosity moderately than the knowledge of preconceived notions.

We are likely to navigate life with minds cluttered by judgments, biases, and previous experiences. But, true knowledge shouldn’t be about accumulation, however about clearing house for brand new insights.

This essay shouldn’t be an indictment of religion however moderately a plea for introspection. True spirituality shouldn’t cower earlier than essential thought; it ought to thrive in its presence. If we’re ever to reclaim our collective future, we should first reclaim the school of motive, the braveness to query, to problem inherited dogma, and to assemble an ethical framework that’s authentically our personal, moderately than one imposed upon us by those that as soon as sought our subjugation.

Osmund Agbo is a US-based medical physician and writer. His works embody Black Grit, White Knuckles: The Philosophy of Black Renaissance and a fiction work titled The Velvet Court docket: Courtesan Chronicles. His newest works, Pray, Let the Shaman Die and Ma’am, I Do Not Come to You for Love, have simply been launched.