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Chiism - Ofufe Chi

Welcome, O seeker of truth. May the Spirit be with you.


"Before Chineke, no religion is bigger, no religion is better; no religion is smaller; no religion is dearer and no religion holds exclusive truth. The only religion that is bigger, better, dearer and holds exclusive truth is the religion that teaches and lives love, that does not kill any of the human creations of Chineke on the glorious excuse of loving and worshiping Chineke. Join us now in our caravan of Chiism to help our campaign for religion without quarrels, wars or bitterness everywhere on Earth"---------Ogbaja (Prophet) Ahanyi Kama Onu Kama Onyioha.

Paganism and heathenism were two of the most common words used by western colonialists and their Christian missionaries who accompanied them, when referring to the religious beliefs that existed in Africa. This was because of their utter ignorance of the principles and the doctrines for which this religion stood. But at least now, they know and are aware that what they once mischievously labeled as paganism and heathenism were neither pagan nor heathen but a religion and spirituality, which had stimulated the growth of great cultures and civilizations in Africa.

Chiism has been the oldest spirituality of Africa. It is in the cradle of Chiism that the African people grew. It is Chiism that will help the children of Africa to rejuvenate themselves in unity and solidarity.

Chiism does not look down upon or despise another religion nor does it use force or coercion to impose its belief on others. With its message of universal unity and its philosophy of 'biri ka'm biri' (live and let live), it serves as an eye opener to those who still peddle religion in the market place by means fair and/or foul to win the world for this 'ism' or that 'ism'. Chiism on the other hand brings harmony and unity among the people of different religions in spite of their diversities. Humanity should sooner or later understand that harmony is the keynote of the universe. Equality in the universe throbs with a harmonious rhythm. Any disturbance of this rhythm will spell suffering and bring disorder and chaos.

Chiism will bring this needed harmony first among the peoples of Africa and subsequently offer it to the world as food for thought.

The U.N Leuven declaration

"The long era of prideful, and even prejudiced isolation of the religions of humanity is, we hope, now gone forever. We are resolved henceforth to serve humanity together, each in the way most in keeping with the convictions of his spiritual family and local circumstances" (The U.N Leuven declaration: par.4 of pg. 1), was a long stride in the evolution of the human mind from the woods of religious prejudices in which humanity had been tormenting since the past many centuries. This Leuven declaration must be given a symbolic philosophical knotting, expression and identification so as to completely possess the mind of all as to perpetuate it for bequeathal to posterity, or to govern every individual's daily religious behavior. This will be achieved under the coordinating panoply of Chiism as a binding overall or coordinating philosophy for all religions, as each religion can continue to operate its usual independent existence, but as a sort of liturgical variety of the universal and coordinating philosophy of Chiism. This preserves the various experiences and traditional cultural backgrounds of the local communities within which each religion has been operating, liturgical variations which will eliminate monotony of style in the worship of Chineke, Chi the Creator.

This divine concept was enacted during the Leuven Conference, when every delegate attended the religious services of the various religions-Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism, Sikhism, etc. Each demonstrated its style of worship and every delegate sat through the demonstrations without bitterness, with an open mind and great interest in the different styles of worship. Everyone was possessed by one unifying and common concept--that each style of worship is but another variety of a purpose common to all religions--to honor and thank the Supreme Being for infinite goodness to humanity. The concept or spirit which possessed the mind of every delegate and kept everyone spellbound with interest through each style of worship demonstrated by the various religions is belief in God and love of fellow human, which is enwrapped in Chiism to make easy the bequeathal of the spirit of the Leuven declaration to future generations.

Chiism is the appropriate platform for the nurturing of the spiritual balance of the Leuven declaration. It will conjure no prejudices of race, gender, ethnicity and nationalism because, all believe in the Universal Chi the Creator around whom the spirituality of Chiism is wound, and because Chineke cannot be identified with any particular race, nation, ethnicity or gender to arouse such clannish and other prejudices. Existing religious bodies as they are known in the world today will continue to operate as liturgical varieties to preserve the spiritual experiences and cultural traditions of the various religious communities of the world, while conceptual unity is achieved with Chiism.

It will be a refreshing and exciting experience if a person can go to India and feel free to worship in the liturgical variety of either Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism; or to China or Japan and feel free to share the liturgical variety of Confucianism, Taoism or Shintoism; and the liturgical variety of Islam and Christianity in Mecca or Rome; while in Africa you experience the traditional coordinating concept of Chiism, without any prejudice or rancor. With precepts--rational, positive, constructive and objective as these, Chiism is a useful agency for unity promotion and the mobilization of the masses of humanity for harmonious civilization everywhere on earth. We call on all peace loving religions to preach these new lights from Chiism from their pulpits, so that a great new spiritual civilization would be established among the masses of humanity everywhere on earth.


Ofo

 

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