Civilization And Its Misinterpretations II

Religion has served man's spiritual needs for centuries on Earth, and like every invention of man, it began from the primitive level until it has reached its advanced stage. There have been many things that have been developed from the thoughts and ideas of a single person until they have been accepted and embellished by their clans, societies, countries, and then accepted by the larger world. Some of these beliefs have since gained understandings that either conform to the originator's ideas, while others have diverged into something else unique, which do not agree with the innovator's intentions. We can call this type of belief adulterators’ beliefs. Below are some of the incorrect interpretations that have been recorded by other communities and those people who borrowed the religion of others:

Angelic Beings (gods) and Biblical Prophets (Okomfo, singular; Akomfo, plural)

In the context of religion, the gods have been seen as angelic beings who have had certain functions in the communities of those who originated these industries in the first place. Their functions are: 1. to serve human beings, 2. to minister unto human beings, 3. to guide them, 4. to protect human beings from harm, danger, and misfortune, 5. to function in their festivities, and 6. to support them regarding their endeavors. In this context, the gods have been heads of government of the clans (bigger families) of these communities, who receive constant communication, sacrifices, and contact with them. Among the Akan people of Ghana (and these comprise many groups such as the Akyem, Fantes, Kwahus, Akuapims, Nzemas, Brongs, Sewhis, Ashantis, Denkyiras, Akwamus, Kyerepons, Ahafo, etc.), all their different clans have their specific gods who are their family overlords. These gods are ministered by the prophets (Akomfo) who ensure that the appropriate things are done and abominations are prevented to enable these gods to stay and be the clan's protectors.

God (the Super God, the big one, Almighty) is thought by the people to have these same essential functions: 1. to serve human beings, 2. to minister unto human beings, 3. to guide them, 4. to protect human beings from harm, danger and misfortune, 5. to function in their festivities and 6. to support them their endeavors.

Biblical Prophets (Okomfo, singular; Akomfo, plural)

Many people at present educate themselves in theological seminaries in renowned universities around the world, and they later refer to themselves as "prophets," citing the biblical references in the great book known as the "Bible". Ignorant about the real person in the context in which the Bible was written and read by the society in question, they assert that they could imitate the activities of these same prophets in the manner they perform miracles, cure diseases, and also predict future events.

What the Bible refers to as a prophet is Okomfo or Babalawo in the Ghanaian and Nigerian cultures, respectively. These persons could prophesy by predicting what could take place in the near or distant future. They had worked in the courts of great Kings and Chiefs in the olden days since the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Hebrew times. They also work today in the palace and the traditional communities. In a spirit-possessed manner, the Okomfo can dance and run around in amok, while he is flanked by people or adherents who may be singing and dancing as well. A woman who has specialized in throwing white powder (shire/hire) around him could be following his steps as he or she dances. He can forewarn people, or the elders and chiefs/Kings, about an impending disaster, which will require that some rituals in the form of sacrifice be accomplished to avert this concomitant harm that will be coming upon the people. Okomfo usually works in his shrine, which could be a small hut or a big one with medicinal plants and statuettes in it. He also uses that place as his office, where he attends to incoming patients or clients who have come with their troubles and problems. Sacrifice is one of his greatest methods of healing or averting impending troubles for people and other inhabitants.

Therefore, when scriptures mention a prophet, it was none other than an Okomfo who worked with the Kings of Israel in the olden days and helped the people or entire congregation to respect and obey the commandments of the Lord/Jehovah. Those who translated the Bible into English and the German language were either aware or not, and had to maintain the word prophet to only refer to the Okomfo and nobody else.

In Ghana today, most of the "spiritual powers" being employed to help the ministers and pastors control and steer their big private congregations and church members come from these Okomfo/Okomfo Baa who practice in the villages or outskirts of the urban areas or the cities. Pastors and ministers perform miracles and cures by obtaining these powers acquired from the Okomfo.

Cardinal Human Beings Mistake

The presence of these extraterrestrial beings in the world is to serve human beings and support them in their endeavors to deal with their problems and tribulations. But human beings' greatest mistake is that they have turned it the other way round, that is, instead of being served by these Spiritual beings, they go ahead to serve them and do all sorts of things irrelevant, which are contrary to the original plan enshrined in religious thinking and spiritual intercessions. Their man services have been corrupted to mean man's slavery to these respected Gods. In the past, when they made those sacrifices during their consultations with either Odiyifo (Priest, Interceder, mediator, and diviner) or Okomfo (Prophet), it was to request the help and support of God (Supreme Being) or gods (clan head, government, and angel).

Sacrifice (Aforebɔ or Mmusuyiw)

The chief ingredient for sacrifice is blood (wumu gya, fire in you), which appears red. This was the only manner a human being could request the presence of spiritual beings or extraterrestrial beings to present problems or needs. To perform a Sacrifice, the blood of a special animal is required. These animals (sheep, chicken, fowl, turtle dove, cow, etc.) are thought to have committed no evil that makes them unholy or blemished in the presence of these Holy spiritual beings. Some have been compelled to use human babies for the making of important sacrifices, which had been abhorred by God and his rightful angels as an abomination. Yet, the latter was uncommon among the Israelites, but for the heathen and other unbelievers, these were commonly carried out and promoted.

Biblical Hebrews in Ghana and Angelic Governance

Angelic beings (gods) have, since time immemorial, been the heads of the families, different clans (Oyoko, Aduana, Asonnafo, etc.), and others. Their main functions (of these Governance) are to serve, to minister, to guide them, to protect them from harm, danger, and misfortune, to function in their festivals, and to support them in other various endeavors.

Caucasians lack Angelic Governance and are Not Serious with God

Probably the reason Caucasians (Whiteman) are always involved with war and other evil external vices in the world is because they lack Angelic Governance, and they are not serious about God. This is how one prophet (Okomfo) explained the behavior of the White race in the world. The sight of constant shedding of blood led the Greeks to originate the once and for all shedding of blood through Kwasi Hene (Jesus Christ), who was killed by the Romans through direct instigation by the Jews and his people in Canaan. This led to the abolishment of the practice of daily sacrifice by the Israelites and their descendants, and the replacement of this with numerous services by Christians. But the harm being wrought by Caucasians through wars and deliberate engineering of conflicts around the world at the expense of the lives of millions of people shows that the Angelic governance is much better, and they protect many black nations in Africa from petty conflicts, global crimes, and wars.

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is an Illusion!

Yesu or Ayesu, who was known among the Hebrews in Canaan, indeed, came to the Earth and did a good job among the people of the world. He had compassion among the outcasts, tax collectors, prostitutes, Army officers who had killed many, and those who were poor and needed attention from the public and the authorities of the day. Due to his extraordinary power from God, He was able to cure incurable diseases and ailments, and also ministered to people from all walks of life. His mission, which was very simple and lacked pomposity, was very successful, as attested by his disciples and the later apostles who followed in his footsteps. But when it comes to the theory that he will return to Earth again as a Judge, there is no iota of truth in it. The Biblical texts surrounding this return theory were all inserted later by the evangelists who edited and wrote down the stories of his birth and ministry. There is evidence that He spoke about his disappearance for good [permanent disappearance from Earth] and that no one would see him again. That is all the more reason he promised the return of the Holy Spirit (the comforter) to come and replace him, and also assist in directing how the gospel will be carried out to the great people of the world.

Therefore, these stories hovering around Jesus’s return to Earth were manufactured [inserted into the texts] by the Evangelists or later writers, judging by the fact that no religion on Earth ever since the inception of the world had proclaimed this infantile belief or notion except Christianity, the Oppressor religion. And they were made for the weak, the slaves, and those with infantile or feeble minds considered to be unlettered in those days. This makes the Christian religion heavenward wild theory, A RELIGIOUS ILLUSION, something that will never come.

Desmond Ayim-Aboagye
Professor of Psychology of Religion

REFERENCES
Freud, Sigmund, 1944. Civilization and Its Discontents. New York: W. W. Norton.

Ayim₋Aboagye, D. 1993. The Function of Myth in Akan Healing Experience. A Psychological INQUIRY into two Akan Healing Communities. Uppsala Dissertations. Acta Universitatis Uppsaliensis.

Ayim₋Aboagye, D. 2008. Indigenous Psychiatry. Transcultural Study of Healing Communities in West Africa with Focus on Ghana. Aboː Abo Akademi University.

Ayim₋Aboagye, D. 2007. Akan Language and Its Relationship to Ancient Biblical Writings. Sociology of Names and Places in the Ancient Near East. J. H. Kwabena Nketiah Conference. University of Ghana, Legon.

Banchie, Darkwah, 2000. The Africans Who Wrote the Bible. Aduana Publishers. The USA.

Abrokwah, Kwasi. 2010. Revelation, the Movement of Akan people from Canaan to Ghana. Akanba.

H. A. Hoffner, Jr., ed] H. A. Hoffner, Jr., ed, "Perspectives on Hittite Civilization: Selected Writings of Hans G. Güterbock." Assyriological Studies 26. Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 1997. ISBN 978-1-88-592304-2

Gelb, Ignace J., "Hurrians, and Subarians", Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization No. 22. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1944

"Royal inscriptions". urkesh.org.
Steinkeller P., "The historical background of Urkesh and the Hurrian beginnings in northern Mesopotamia", In Buccellati G, Kelly-Buccellati M, eds. Mozan 3: Urkesh and the Hurrians Studies in Honor of Lloyd Cotsen. Malibu: Undena Publications, pp. 75–98, 1998.

Frankfort, H. (1939). Cylinder seals: a Documentary Essay on the Art and Religion of the Ancient Near East. MacMillan and Co., Pl. XXVIII e+i

Burke, Aaron A. (2019). "Amorites in the Eastern Nile Delta: The Identity of Asiatics at Avaris during the Early Middle Kingdom". In Bietak, Manfred; Prell, Silvia (Eds.). The Enigma of the Hyksos. Harrassowitz. pp. 67–91. ISBN 9783447113328.

Bietak, Manfred (2019). "The Spiritual Roots of the Hyksos Elite: An Analysis of Their Sacred Architecture, Part I". In Bietak, Manfred; Prell, Silvia (Eds.). The Enigma of the Hyksos. Harrassowitz. pp. 47–67. ISBN 9783447113328.

Van Seters, John, "The Terms ‘Amorite’ and ‘Hittite’ in the Old Testament", Vetus Testamentum, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 64–81, 1972

Horites at International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.

James Orr, "Horites", in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, (1915) page 1421.

Lawrence A. Sinclair (2000). "Horites". In David Noel Freedman (Ed.). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. W.B. Eerdmans. p. 607. ISBN 978-0-8028-2400-4.

Freedman, H.; Simon, Maurice (1939). Midrash Rabbah, Translated into English. Vol. 1. p. 348. Note 6: Hori is derived from ḥeruth, freedom, and ḥori, free.

"Deuteronomy 2: Keil and Delitzsch OT Commentary". Biblehub.

Peter Kessler and from the John De Cleene Archive,

Merrill F Unger (1957), Unger's Bible Dictionary.

Encyclopaedia Britannica (1910) Eleventh Edition, Cambridge. England

"Akwamu". Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2024.

   Comments0