HEAVENLY WAY OF JESUS CHRIST VS. AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS (ATR)

Religion is proof that something is terribly abnormal in the human situation and how humans relate to the so-called Gods. It’s like children needing mediators to speak for them with their own father, who always hides behind a dark veil. Humans are slaves to their Gods, and religion institutionalizes and legitimizes their spiritual captivity.

I am writing this article as a direct response to the comments on my last article titled, “ISRAEL’S ULTIMATE WEAPON AGAINST ISLAMIC TERRORISM, WORLDWIDE ANTISEMITISM, AND THE REAL EVIL MASTERMIND BEHIND BOTH” by my good friends, Tefo Smith, Paul Ibik PD, and my brilliant nephew, Ifeanyi Chuku.

THE MAIN POINTS THEY RAISED INCLUDE:

Tefo Smith says:

• Christianity is the enemy too, to the world and to Africa.

Ifeanyi Chuku says:

• Religion is the sole problem of mankind. I believe in no religion but strongly believe in the Law of Nature.

Paul Ibik PD says:

• Christianity and other orthodox religions are not the enemies of the world in the least, for their ethics and tenets teach morality, holiness, love, and mutual coexistence.

• The real enemy of humanity is the mindset/conscience.

• The real problem of Africans and some underdeveloped parts of the world is that they abandoned their own way of religion ordained and given to them graciously by the God of this universe—(As per Deuteronomy 32:8-9).

• Do not attribute man’s doings to any external factor or influence, for whatever man does is intentional and prejudges his own mind/conscience, and comes right from the bottom of his own heart.

• Why then, do you ascribe man’s doings to Jehovah/Allah/Devil or “Chi?”

IN CONCLUSION:

Tefo Smith says:

• So, what do you suggest further as a way forward?

Paul Ibik PD says:

• Go back to your roots [i.e., African Traditional Religions] and remain in good fellowship and harmony with your Creator!

• Just abide by Christ’s own teachings and revelation of our perfect God the Father … “Love the Father with all your heart.” [and] “Love your fellow human being as you love yourself.”

Ifeanyi Chuku says:

• The word peace has just one means to achieve, and love is the only answer.

• Jehovah, Allah, and Jesus are beings or deities. I don’t know if they truly exist or are human fictions.

MY HONEST RESPONSE TO THE POINTS RAISED:

• Without a doubt, I can say that religion—every worldly religion, including traditional Christianity that Paul founded—is an enemy of true humanity. It’s not what a religion preaches but what it does in practice that harms true humanity. All religions in the world preach love, usually among their own followers. If they genuinely practiced what they preach or truly cared about promoting human “morality, holiness, love, and mutual coexistence,” as Paul Ibik states, then humanity would be one big happy family, and the entire world a borderless paradise.

  
  

  If Jews, traditional Christians, and Muslims truly practice what they preach, then Jews would have loved and accepted Jesus Christ as their true Messiah, as he exemplified true love among them and today embodies it on Earth. Early Church fathers of traditional Christianity would not have persecuted or massacred true disciples of Jesus Christ in such brutal ways. Even today, greedy church ministers would not be brazenly defrauding their gullible congregations, both physically and spiritually. And Muslims would not be so full of bitter hatred, terrorizing, and brutalizing people of other faiths.

• Yes, the human mindset is problematic, but as an Igbo proverb says, it’s something that makes crayfish bend. Humans are instinct-driven animals, and the human mind is highly susceptible to external influences and impulses. This fact is undeniable. If that weren’t true, religion wouldn’t exist in the first place, and Jesus Christ wouldn’t have come into the world preaching love and peaceful coexistence to people who deeply understand that love and peace are far more beneficial to them than hate and violence.

  
  

  Human actions and inactions are primarily influenced by two opposing forces: good and evil, represented by the heavenly Father of Jesus Christ and Jehovah/Allah, who is the primary God of the human world. Prophet Jeremiah once pointed out that “the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct [even] his steps.” [Jeremiah 10:23]

  
  

  That is also why Jesus Christ prayed to his loving heavenly Father for those who tormented and nailed him to the cross, saying, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” [Luke 23:33] Similarly, Paul wrote to the Romans, saying, “So it depends not upon man’s will or exertion, but upon God’s mercy.” [Romans 9:16]

• For the way forward, Paul Ibik suggests that Africans should “Go back to their roots [i.e., back to African Traditional Religions] and remain in good fellowship and harmony with their Creator.” But how can Africans be in harmony with a creator they do not know, understand, or have direct access to?

  
  

  Paul Ibik also says that Africans should “Just abide by Christ’s own teachings and revelation of the perfect God the Father, and that they should “Love the Father with all your heart.” [and] “Love their fellow human beings as they love themselves.” But how can Africans go back to African Traditional Religions and at the same time abide by Christ’s teachings? African Traditional Religions neither recognize Jesus Christ nor acknowledge his teachings.

• Again, how can Ifeanyi Chuku, on his part, dismiss Jehovah, Allah, and Jesus Christ as inconsequential to the spiritual development of African people, while at the same time saying that he “strongly believes in the Law of Nature, and that Love is the only answer.” He, too, calls for a return to the ways of our forefathers, i.e., to African Traditional Religions, believing that means a return to strict observance of the Law of Nature. He clearly needs to understand the meaning of Nature and Love better.

  
  

  To be able to live adequately by the Law of Nature, one must first know who or what Nature is. Did our African fathers have adequate knowledge of what or who Nature is, and did they effectively adhere to his divine Law? The Father of Jesus Christ is Love, and the Law of Nature is Love and harmony. Jesus Christ epitomizes Love on Earth, being the sole Envoy of the Father in the world.

  
  

  How can someone who believes that love is the only answer knowingly dismiss Jesus Christ as a figment of humans’ imagination or as inconsequential in humans’ spiritual journey? “Love your fellow human being as you love yourself” is the first Law of Nature, and it is the very foundation of the heavenly Way of Jesus Christ.

I understand that recently, young Africans, disillusioned by the institutionalized, misleading, cruel, and despotic excesses of Judaism, traditional Christianity, and Islam, are increasingly calling for a return to African Traditional Religions. They wrongly criticize Jesus Christ as a symbol of Western imperialism, believing he is synonymous with traditional Christianity.

Although this might seem like a spiritual revival, it is primarily driven by emotions rather than a profound understanding of Ultimate Reality. Returning to African Traditional Religions is a step backward into spiritual primitiveness.

The best way forward cannot be going back to the old days of complete ignorance. Adam and Eve lived in total ignorance in Jehovah’s so-called Garden of Eden until the heavenly Christ endowed them with the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. Africans should diligently focus on gaining a proper understanding of what is truly good and evil, just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Ignorance, which the heavenly Christ abolished forever.

This knowledge would help them clearly distinguish between the loving Heavenly Father of Jesus Christ, who embodies Divine Nature, Ultimate Reality, and the Tree of Life, and the arrogant, self-exalting, petty gods of the sinful human world, among which Jehovah/Allah is the most notorious. I would like to start this discourse from the very beginning!

BACKGROUND

The Father that Jesus Christ revealed to the world is Divine Spirit. He is the eternal source of all existence, embodying ordered existence that contains the opposing realms of perfect Light and perfect Darkness, which together form Ultimate Reality or Supreme Nature. These realms represent the positive and negative aspects of Divine Spirit, who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.

Furthermore, the Father is Divine Light and eternal Life. His eternal presence in the sphere of his positive influence defines the realm of perfect Light. The realm of Light is the Father’s Heavenly Kingdom and the eternal dwelling place of all perfect spirits. It is the realm of eternal life and perfect existence.

The realm of perfect Darkness, on the other hand, is an infinite, undisturbed expanse of material nature, divinely reserved by our eternal Father of Origins for its divine purpose. Without divine light, it exists as a serene, lifeless landscape of divine thought, representing a state of non-being. Jesus Christ referred to the realm of perfect darkness as the Outer Darkness.

The universe is a catastrophic explosion within the Outer Darkness, a finite, chaotic, cosmic mushroom triggered by the dark energy of corrupted spirits expelled from the heavenly realm of Light. The universe provided them with an artificial home, helping create organic life forms at different levels of consciousness within the expanding mushroom, through which they manifest as living beings in a false existence.

Organic life forms naturally evolve within the cosmic mushroom whenever and wherever conditions are right, following a primordial blueprint that existed before the cataclysmic explosion known as the Big Bang.

While the universe is a grand Sheol, a howling ‘prison of darkness’ for all the fallen, dead spirits in the Outer Darkness, the earthly world of humans is a secondary prison within the larger Sheol, and human nature signifies a second level of spiritual death. The Heavenly Kingdom of the Father surpasses both the human world and the universe.

Since the world exists in the realm of non-being, the fallen spirits are inherently spiritually dead and destined for eternal damnation. The Father reached out to them out of his infinite love and compassion. He offers them divine amnesty and complete redemption from self-damnation. The Father did this by sending the perfect Spirit of the heavenly Christ into the world as his special Envoy, who then made his first advent in the so-called Garden of Eden.

The fallen spirits would have been expected to be overjoyed and willing to fully cooperate with the Father’s only Rescue Officer, Jesus Christ, to achieve ultimate salvation and resurrection to true eternal life. However, some overambitious, self-seeking evil spirits had established a false dominion over their less informed kinfolk and were determined to oppose the Father’s redemptive mission.

God of Eden and his wicked allies disguised themselves as the Gods of heaven and earth to deceive ignorant humans. They prevented them from knowing about the Father’s generous offer of divine forgiveness and the heavenly Christ and his redemptive mission. Denying them ‘knowledge of good and evil’ effectively kept them from choosing life over death.

RELIGION: A WEAPON OF MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL SUBJUGATION BY THE HAUGHTY GODS

Religion is proof that something is terribly abnormal in the human situation and how humans relate to the so-called Gods. It’s like children needing mediators to speak for them with their own father, who always hides behind a dark veil. Humans are slaves to their gods, and religion institutionalizes and legitimizes their spiritual captivity.

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Religion represents spiritual captivity. It casts a dark shadow over people’s minds, blindfolding and binding their senses as if with chains, thereby enslaving their spirits. Even today, religion continues to undermine the collective defenses of humanity as a united, civilized species. Throughout history, only in the name of religion and the petty gods of the world have peace-loving people endured the worst forms of evil. Religion is a curse on humanity, and it remains the greatest folly of our current civilization.

Without understanding the difference between good and evil, primitive human beings were essentially mindless animals. They lacked functioning minds, consciences, and common sense. Exploiting their complete ignorance, the evil gods turned them into mindless religious followers. The Scripture shows that these gods established territorial control over ignorant humans and demanded worship and unconditional obedience from them. Deuteronomy 32:8-9 states:

“When the Most High [of the earthly world] assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court [according to the number of the haughty gods]. For the people of Israel belong to Jehovah; Jacob is his special possession [i.e., the lost descendants of Adam were Jehovah’s allotted share].”

Before the sudden appearance of the heavenly Christ on Earth, primitive humans worshipped various powerful gods and goddesses believed to possess supernatural abilities. These deities were human-like. After the pivotal encounter between the heavenly Christ and the evil God of Eden, which freed Adam and his descendants and brought divine light to the world, the gods and goddesses faded into obscurity. However, they cast a strong spell on their followers and began communicating with them through intermediaries.

Some of these intermediaries included inanimate objects, natural phenomena, revered ancestors, historical figures, or occult entities disguised as angels and archangels. However, they were simply objects of worship within our small earthly world. Still, uninformed humans were often willing to die for their beliefs in these religious idols. Some individuals were not only ready to sacrifice themselves for these arrogant, bloodthirsty beings but also more willing to kill others to demonstrate their unwavering loyalty.

The situation remains unchanged today, even among so-called enlightened humans. In the name of the Sun God, the Aztecs ripped out the beating hearts of their victims and held them up to the sun. In the name of Jehovah, Abraham deceived his innocent son, Isaac, tied him up, and tried to slaughter and offer him as a burnt sacrifice. In the name of the same murderous God of Abraham, Moses committed unspeakable atrocities against the Pharaoh of Egypt and his people.

Horrific atrocities committed by the Jewish people during their ill-fated Exodus, along with those committed by early Christian crusaders and inquisitors, as well as past and present Islamic terror jihadists, are well documented in human history. All these acts were carried out against peace-loving individuals in the name of the same bloodthirsty God of Abraham. The ongoing Islamic terror jihadism that devastates our world today is a clear example of extreme religious primitiveness. But how can one explain to the Muslim Ummah and the mindless supporters of Islamic terrorist groups like IRGC, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and others that they are entirely under an evil spell?

In the name of Jehovah/Allah, the Jews persecuted and murdered Jesus, and Muslims violently attack Jesus’ divine nature and preeminence. In the name of the same murderous God, Pauline Christians approve of and praise the killing of Jesus as an “inevitable” blood sacrifice necessary to reconcile them with Jehovah. Since these three so-called monotheistic religions of the world worship Jehovah/Allah, the God of Abraham, as the only true God Almighty, how does traditional Christianity, founded by Paul, relate to our loving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, who seek to redeem us from Jehovah/Allah and this evil world of darkness?

TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY DOES NOT ACCURATELY REPRESENT JESUS CHRIST

Jehovah, the God of Abraham, established traditional Christianity through his Jewish zealot, Paul, to serve as a direct extension of Judaism. Paul was a false apostle of Jesus Christ, and that is beyond debate. His conversion from being an apostle of Jehovah to an apostle of Jesus Christ was fundamentally fraudulent. In fact, Paul did not know Jesus Christ, either before or after his supposed conversion. His knowledge of Jesus was limited to the mystical Jesus that Jehovah/Allah revealed to him during his mystical tutorial in the Arabian Desert.

Clearly, Paul was not referring to Jesus Christ or his heavenly Father when he described his so-called conversion to the Ephesians. He said to them:

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s [Jehovah’s] grace, which was given me by the working of his power. … to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God [Jehovah] who created all things; that through the Church [of Jehovah] the manifold wisdom of God [Jehovah] might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” [Ephesians 3:7, 9-10]

The Father sent his Word of Life, Jesus Christ, into the world as true light, first, to “enlighten every man,” grant them eternal life, and then to redeem them from the Outer Darkness. Not for him to “be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,” who stand diametrically opposed to the Father’s will in the world.

After his successful crucifixion of Jesus, the Son of Man, in Jerusalem, Jehovah/Allah’s immediate goal was to diminish the influence and clarity of the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and ultimately to erase it from people’s minds. Paul assisted him by stealing Christ’s true gospel away from his genuine apostles and disciples in Jerusalem. Through his treacherous ‘appeal to Caesar,’ Paul took the gospel to Rome, the well-known city of idol worshipers, and delivered it to hardened idolaters.

The Roman Catholic Church fathers, who were clearly agents of Jehovah, brutally persecuted, slaughtered, and silenced the genuine disciples of the heavenly Christ, falsely accusing them of heresy. Then, they twisted and completely “rewrote” the gospel to serve Jehovah/Allah’s evil agenda. Finally, they strategically incorporated pagan ritual practices into Pauline Christianity, turning traditional Christianity into a direct contradiction of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Roman Catholic Church that emerged became the Church of the Antichrist, making unsuspecting followers of traditional Christianity antichrists by default. Aiming to permanently suppress the true gospel of Jesus Christ, Jehovah/Allah orchestrated the rapid and aggressive spread of false Christianity all over the world. That was the Christianity that Western colonialists brought to Africa, holding the Bible in one hand and the sword in the other.

Indeed, the universal Church of Jehovah/Allah has mostly succeeded. Although there are 2.4 billion traditional Christians today, only a few truly know Jesus Christ or follow his teachings closely. Nor can they even tell the difference between our loving heavenly Father and Jehovah/Allah, the wicked God of the human world. If even half of Christendom genuinely knew Jesus Christ, a natural spiritual revolution would have already occurred on Earth.

Traditional Christians tend to follow Paul more than Jesus Christ because they accept many aspects of Paul’s life, conversion, and teachings as authentic, despite their conflicting nature. They only call themselves “Christians,” but often do not preach or live according to the well-known teachings of Jesus Christ.

Moreover, they love and openly worship Jehovah/Allah rather than our loving Heavenly Father, who sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to redeem their fallen, dead spirits from eternal spiritual damnation. In everything they do, traditional Christians openly show their love for Jehovah/Allah and this world of darkness, thereby constantly crucifying Jesus Christ and rejecting his ongoing call for true spiritual freedom. They love the world, and so “love for the Father is not in them.” Yet even the Bible clearly says to them:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.” [1 John 2:15-16]

Evidently, the false light that blinded Paul physically on his way to Damascus also blinded him spiritually about the true Christ and his divine mission in the world. The same blinding light of the world prevents most churchgoers from seeing that Paul was both a false apostle of Jesus Christ and an antichrist in his stance. My book, Customary Christianity: Antichrist by Default, exposes Paul and his scheming mastermind, revealing the true Jesus Christ to genuine disciples of the Heavenly Way who are still caught in the deadly religious bandwagon. 

However, most churchgoers genuinely love Jesus Christ and the Father in their hearts, but they unknowingly serve and worship Jehovah/Allah, the Antichrist, with enthusiasm. They view Paul as the father of their faith and the most important advocate of the gospel of Jesus Christ, despite many of Paul’s actions and doctrinal statements clearly contradicting the explicit will of Jesus Christ.

THE WAY OF JESUS CHRIST IS NOT A RELIGION BUT A SIMPLE WAY OF LIFE

True disciples of Jesus Christ need to correct their misconceptions about Adam and Eve. Without doing so, they will never truly understand the true nature and mission of Jesus Christ, their heavenly Messiah. Adam and Eve were not sinners, as the Genesis account suggests, but the first true disciples of the heavenly Christ and the pioneers of humankind’s spiritual evolution.

What Adam and Eve received from the Divine Tree of Knowledge in the so-called Garden of Eden was not the fruit of evil and disobedience, as Paul indicated, but the essential fruit of the knowledge of good and evil from the Father, without which it would have been impossible for them to distinguish the loving Father from the wicked God of Eden. Even today, humans still need the “fruit of the knowledge of good and evil” to recognize and follow the Heavenly Way of Jesus Christ instead of the spiritually harmful traditions of worldly religions.

Jesus Christ represents the Divine Way of Life, given by the Father for humanity to follow to attain spiritual rebirth. True Christianity involves intentionally striving to be “Christ-like” or genuinely living according to Christ’s teachings. It is demonstrated through actions and not just in name. Those who only claim to be “Christians” because they belong to the religious group by birth but do not emulate Christ or follow his known teachings are, in essence, anti-Christ.

Jesus emphasizes this point by saying:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” [Matthew 7:21]

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And “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples [otherwise you are not], and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” [John 8:31-32]

Jesus Christ is not a religious figure, but a Divine Ideal meant for lost spirits in the world to emulate. He did not establish any religion or dictate any religious book or doctrines. He did not create, nor did he ask anyone to create a church or religious movement in his name, because he resides within every person who embraces the divine ideal.

He cannot be grouped with Jehovah/Allah and the so-called archangels, who are simply fallen, dead spirits. Neither should he be counted among the founders of worldly religions such as the Buddha, Moses, Paul of Tarsus, and Muhammad of Arabia, who were just favored slaves and messengers of petty gods of the human realm.

Jesus Christ introduced the knowledge of the Divine Spirit, who is the Supreme Nature and Father of all existence. He said that those who truly seek to be in harmony with him should do so within their spirits, not through worldly religions. He states that “The Father is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” [John 4:24]

He also reminded everyone that the Father is Love as he shared his gracious offer of complete spiritual redemption and a return to the eternal home of perfect spirits. He practically demonstrated the Father’s love among humans, showing us the only path to spiritual freedom and eternal life. 

All he asks of humans is to love the Father back and to love their fellow human beings as they love themselves. He does not require the burdensome religious rituals that Jehovah/Allah and the faceless evil gods impose on their gullible human victims. He makes us understand that the Father desires love and mercy, not blood sacrifices. He laid down his own life so that we may live again, and that is the greatest act of love in Nature. Thus, he says:

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” [John 15:13]

And “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” [John 13:34-35]

Remarkably, Paul Ibik correctly states that people should “just abide by Christ’s own teachings” to be “in good fellowship and harmony with Supreme Nature, who is the true Creator of our immortal spirits.” My brilliant nephew, Ifeanyi Chuku, has also discovered that “Love is the only Way” for anyone to abide by “the Law of Nature.”

THE THREE POISONED FIGS

Moses, Paul, and Muhammad belong to the same toxic rootstock. They are like poisoned raindrops falling on the mountain; they all flow down to the same valley.

As we already understand, the God of Abraham is the same for both the children of Israel and the children of Ishmael. Therefore, “Jehovah,” the God of the Jews, is the same as “Allah,” the God of Muslims. Traditional Christians who consider themselves followers of Jesus Christ also worship Jehovah/Allah, the God of Abraham, who is the God of Jews and Muslims. They say that he is the true Father of Jesus Christ. But how can they be correct when Jehovah/Allah, the Jews, and the Muslims, and their entire worldview, openly oppose the mission of Jesus Christ and the divine will of the Father, which is to redeem and resurrect our fallen, dead spirits from the world?

Jehovah/Allah devised a three-pronged attack plan that relied on Abraham, his misleading legacies, and the three Abrahamic religions of falsehood to oppose the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ. Moses disarmed the Jews through the cult of Judaism, and Paul subtly misled the Gentiles with false Christianity. Then Muhammad introduced Islam among the Ishmaelites, ultimately unleashing extreme terror on the entire civilized world.

Jesus Christ and Jehovah/Allah represent the forces of good and evil, respectively, and they stand opposite each other in the ongoing battle for the spiritual salvation of human spirits held captive in the world. Judaism, Pauline Christianity, and Islam are interconnected systems of religious propaganda created by Jehovah/Allah to oppose, undermine, and potentially eradicate the true gospel of Jesus Christ on Earth. Together, they form Jehovah/Allah’s complex plan of religious extremism. Describing them as “Terror, and the pit, and the snare,” Jehovah/Allah proclaimed: 

“Terror, and the pit, and the snare are upon you, O inhabitants of the earth! He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit; and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare.” [Isaiah 24:17-18]

Indeed, Jehovah/Allah designed the three Abrahamic religions as a segmented religious dragnet, intended to entangle as many unsuspecting human spirits as possible. It does not matter to him whether someone is a Jew, a traditional Christian, a Muslim, a Gentile, or a follower of African Traditional Religion; he sees ignorant humans as blind religious slaves and aims to lead them all to eternal spiritual damnation.

So, the God of Abraham is the same, very disgruntled God of Eden, whom Adam and Eve defeated in Eden with the help of the heavenly Christ. Abraham rescued him from his interminable despair after his humiliating defeat in Eden and gave him the impetus to start portraying himself as God Almighty to ignorant humans on Earth. Moses, Paul, and Muhammad fell into the same culture of blind faith and fear of the unknown that characterized Abraham’s unconditional surrender to the defeated God of Eden, unlike Adam’s legacy of thoughtfulness and affirmative defiance, which brought spiritual blessings to all of humanity.

Jesus Christ is a higher authority that transcends the entire world, including Jehovah/Allah and his inhuman law codes. His teachings were divine and entirely his own. He did not derive them from the Jewish Scriptures or any other worldly texts. Jesus Christ did not create any set of laws for humans, nor did he author any Scripture, whether the Gospels or the Epistles. He only asked humans to love one another as they love themselves, calling it an “easy yoke,” compared to the tedious and horrifying traditions of worldly religions. Indeed, it’s always easier to love than to hate and resort to violence. Therefore, he tells all of humankind:

      “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:29-30]

Jehovah/Allah spread the malicious idea among his followers that Jesus Christ was a “wrong-doer” because he neither observed his redundancy Sabbath law nor supported the cruel “tit for tat” law code that he initially revealed to Moses and later to Muhammad. Instead, Jesus Christ authoritatively abolished Jehovah/Allah’s unjust laws among the Jewish people, demonstrating that he did not receive commands from him, but directly from his loving Father in heaven. Replacing Jehovah/Allah’s unjust commandments, Jesus Christ told the entire world:

·      “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” [John 13:34]

·      “As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.” [Luke 6:31]

·      And “You have heard that it was said [by Jehovah/Allah], ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” [Matthew 5:38-39]

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN JUDAISM AND AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS, ESPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT OF ANIMAL BLOOD SACRIFICES AND THEIR ASSOCIATED RITUALS

Animal blood sacrifices are mandatory in both African Traditional Religions and Judaism. In both traditions, blood symbolizes life and plays a crucial role in ritual covenants between the deities and their followers. These sacrifices are performed only by authorized specialists. In Judaism, only the Levites are permitted by Jehovah. In African Traditional Religions, priests authorized for blood sacrifices are chosen through lineage, divine calling, formal training, or community validation, but never randomly.

       In both sects, the type and quality of the sacrificial animal are specified and are of utmost importance because they ensure the vitality of the life-force. Additionally, sacrifices are only performed in designated places, such as the tabernacle or Temple in Judaism and the shrines or ‘Obi’ (spiritual hut) in African Traditional Religions.

ASPECT	JUDAISM	AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS	KEY SIMILARITIES
Blood Concept	Life of the flesh is in the blood … it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life.  [Leviticus 17:11]	Blood is life-force (vital energy).	Blood sacrifice releases this life-force to enable humans communicate with or appease the deities or spirits of ancestors.
Authority	Levitical Priestly Class (kohanim): Male descendants of the biblical High Priest, Aaron, through the paternal line.	Authorized Priests or elders.	Authorized ritual mediators.
Purity Laws	Emphasis on ritual purity of priests and unblemished animals.	Purification rituals for priests and animals.	Purity is central to legitimacy of the blood sacrifice.
Space	Stone altars, Tabernacle, the Temple.	Shrines, Obis, altars.	Sacrifice limited to a dedicated space.
Purpose	Atonement, thanksgiving, covenant.	Appeasement, healing, protection, blessing.	To repair or maintain relationship between humans and the deities.
Statutory Rules	Strictly in accordance with the Torah, the Law.	Strictly adheres to inherited customary codes.	Detailed, rigorous instructions for the sacrifice ritual.

EFFECTS OF JUDAISM, AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS, AND OTHERS ON TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY, ESPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT OF ANIMAL BLOOD SACRIFICES AND THEIR ASSOCIATED RITUALS

 There is no doubt that traditional Christianity, as founded by Paul, was not entirely original. History clearly shows that it was a clever blend of Jewish and pagan traditions. For example, the early Christians’ understanding of Jesus’ cold-blooded murder was shaped by both Judaism’s sacrificial tradition, the broader ritual practices of the Mediterranean world, and those of African Traditional Religions.

       Early Christians were Jews with a deep understanding of the Torah’s sacrificial laws. After the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD abruptly ended temple sacrifices, early Christians mistakenly viewed Jesus’ brutal murder as the ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice that fulfilled and replaced the Temple offerings.

       Furthermore, within African and Greco-Roman traditions, sacrifice was viewed as a means of connecting with the divine. The Mediterranean region, including North Africa, was deeply rooted in religious practices that involved sacrifices to various gods, household deities, and ancestors. As a result, early North African Christians—such as those in Alexandria and Carthage—were familiar with the ritual practices of African Traditional Religions, including communal meals, libations, priestly mediations, and shrines. They simply rejected animal sacrifices but kept the symbolic significance of meals and offerings through the Eucharist.

       The Eucharist reinterpreted animal and human blood sacrifices from Judaism and other religions as a “one-time, non-blood sacrifice” by Jesus. Wine symbolized his blood, and bread represented his flesh. In this way, early Christians cleverly transformed sacrificial meals—such as the Jewish Passover and sacrificial feasts of other religious traditions—into a memorial of Jesus’ death and resurrection. However, the Eucharist holds no real significance in the Heavenly Way of Jesus Christ.

CONCEPTS THAT TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY BORROWED FROM JUDAISM AND AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS:

ELEMENT	JUDAISM → CHRISTIANITY	ATR-LIKE CONTEXT → CHRISTIANITY
Blood as Life	Jesus’ blood as atonement for the sins of the world, and as a seal for a “New Covenant.”	Common understanding of blood as having sacred power of atonement.
Priesthood	Jesus as High Priest, and Church hierarchy as the “royal priesthood.”	Familiarity with ritual specialists mediating between gods and humans.
Sacred Meal	Eucharist modeled after the Jewish Passover meal.	Communal meals and offerings as part of ritual worship.
Covenant Language	The Passover as a “New Covenant” in Jesus’ blood. (See Luke 22:7-20)	Covenant sealing rituals existed and still exists across African cultures.

CHRIST’S LIFE AND TEACHINGS VERSUS THE DOCTRINES AND TRADITIONS OF TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY, JUDAISM, ISLAM, AND AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS

Jehovah strategically established Judaism for the Jewish people through Moses and gave them well-documented commandments in the Torah, which they relied upon to crucify Jesus Christ. He then continued with traditional Christianity, which he founded through Paul, claiming it was for the Gentiles. He crafted Pauline Christianity as an extension of Judaism and used it to distort and corrupt the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Finally, he created Islam through Muhammad to be his last and most vicious weapon of religious falsehood for his final assault on the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ in the world. These facts are so clear today that every clear-thinking human being on Earth can understand them.

       Today, traditional Christians, expecting to convert the Jews to Christianity, blame them for not readily accepting Jesus Christ as their true Messiah. But how can traditional Christians who worship Jehovah, the God of the Jews, hope to convert them when the Jews are the original and better worshipers of Jehovah? It’s like trying to force someone to eat a potato with potato porridge. The truth is that traditional Christians have nothing unique to offer the Jews, but they are completely unaware of this fact.

       As a continuation of Judaism, traditional Christianity is inherently anti-Christ by nature. It is no surprise that, even today, Jews continue to reject the divine nature and mission of Jesus Christ because they are not yet properly informed about the true Jesus Christ. Anyone who truly understands these facts would not dismiss Jesus Christ or equate him with the God of Abraham, the so-called archangels, or prophets and messengers of Jehovah/Allah, such as Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, and Muhammad.

       Anyone attempting to condemn or attribute the cruelties and corruption in traditional Christianity to Jesus Christ is not only disrespectful but also unreasonable. To clearly see how much the life and teachings of Jesus Christ differ from the doctrines and traditions of Pauline Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and African Traditional Religions, we should examine the chart below, which highlights these differences. Once we understand these, it becomes evident that traditional Christianity generally misrepresents Jesus Christ.

THEME	JUDAISM	TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY	ISLAM	AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS (ATRS)	CHRIST’S LIFE & TEACHINGS
View of God	Strict covenant with YHWH (Jehovah), the God of Abraham, as Israel’s sole tutelary deity.	Allegiance to YHWH (Jehovah), the God of Abraham, misrepresented as Trinity—Father, Son, Holy Spirit.	Strict allegiance to YHWH (Allah), the God of Abraham, as the Lord, King, and God of mankind. (Surah 114)	Acknowledge the Supreme Creator but presume to connect with Him through intermediaries—such as ancestors, spirits or local deities.	Jesus Christ revealed the Father as Supreme Nature, Ultimate Reality, Divine Spirit, Love, Tree of Eternal Life, and Origin of all spirits in existence.
View of Jesus Christ	As ordinary Jew and a false Messiah.	Jesus Christ as divine, Son of YHWH (Jehovah), the God of Abraham.	As Isa, one of 124,000 prophets and messengers of YHWH (Allah), the God of Abraham, and a Messiah without any special role.	Not recognized.	The only perfect Son and Envoy of the Father in the world, the true Light that enlightens everyone, the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the Resurrection.
View on Creation and Rulership	YHWH (Jehovah), the God of Abraham is sole creator of heavens (universe) and earth, and he rules the kingdoms of men.	YHWH (Jehovah), the God of Abraham is sole creator of heavens (universe) and earth, and he rules the kingdoms of men.	YHWH (Allah), the God of Abraham created the heavens (universe) and the earth in six Days, and he is the Lord, King, and God of mankind.	Acknowledge an unknown Supreme Creator.	The world is not of the Father or his Son. The Father’s Kingdom is spiritual and transcends the physical heavens and earth. Also, Christ’s kingdom is not of the world.
Scripture / Authority	Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), Torah as foundation.	Bible — Old and New Testaments; Church Traditions and Creeds.	Quran as final revelation of YHWH (Allah); Hadith and Sunnah as guides.	Oral traditions, myths, proverbs, elders, diviners.	Jesus’ life, teachings, and miracles, documented in the Prophets, Gospels and the New Testament, as witnessed by his true prophets, apostles, and disciples.
Prophets / Mediators	Prophets of Israel. (Moses as greatest). Prophets are not seen as mediators.	Saints, clergy, and sacraments seen as channels of grace and mediation.	Muhammad as last and greatest prophet of YHWH (Allah), but not a mediator.	Ancestors, spirits, divinities seen as intermediaries.	Jesus Himself is the only bridge between the Father and fallen human spirits in the world.
Law / Practice	613 commandments (ritual, ethical, and civil laws).	Ritual Sacraments (baptism, Eucharist), liturgy, moral teaching, Ten Commandments.	Five ritual Pillars (faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage), Sharia.	Rituals, sacrifices, dances, libations, taboos, rites of passage.	A simple command to love the Father and one’s neighbor, highlighting the Father’s grace and inner transformation, without any ritual laws.
Worship	Synagogue and Temple (historically); prayers to YHWH, festivals, Sabbath.	Church services, prayers to YHWH (Jehovah), sacraments, festivals.	Mosque prayers to YHWH (Allah), fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage, jihad.	Community shrines, ancestral altars, sacred groves, ritual rites.	No man-made Temple or Church. Intimate relationship with the Father’s indwelling Holy Spirit via direct prayers, selfless service to humanity, ethical living; no animal sacrifice.
Community Identity	Chosen people (Israel) bound to YHWH by covenant.	Church as worldwide family of YHWH (Jehovah) united by creed.	Ummah — worldwide community of Muslims, united as slaves of YHWH (Allah).	Clan and tribe identity tied to ancestors, and rural deities.	A new community transcending creed, class, ethnic, tribal, or national lines.
Ethics	As dictated by YHWH’s long list of commandments, ordinances, and statutes in the Torah.	As dictated by precedents laid down by Church fathers through dogmas, doctrines, and moral standards, some shaped by Jesus’ teachings.	As dictated by YHWH (Allah’s) incitements in the Quran and Hadiths, jihadi spirit.	Morality tied to community customs, taboos, ancestral expectations.	Love, nonviolence, forgiveness, humility, mercy, and justice as exemplified by Jesus Christ himself.
Ultimate expectations	Achieve victory over all Jewish enemies, rebuild the Temple, enjoy peace and prosperity in the world, and then enter YHWH’s New Jerusalem expected to come.	Enjoy peace, financial breakthroughs, and prosperity in the world and then enter YHWH’s (Jehovah’s) New Jerusalem expected to come.	Become martyrs, Islamize the whole world, and enter YHWH’s (Allah’s) Garden of Eden underneath which rivers flow.	Remain in harmony with the forces of material nature, ancestor spirits, and tutelary deities.	Spiritual salvation, involving redemption and outright resurrection to true eternal life in the Father’s Heavenly Kingdom.

SO, WHAT DOES A RETURN TO AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS REALLY MEAN?

Let me first say to those advocating a return to the uncultured ritual practices of our ignorant ancestors, blindly aimed at appeasing obscure, unprogressive, bloodthirsty local deities that dwelled in unsavory bloodstained shrines, tree stumps, stagnant rivers, and evil forests—areas similar, by the way, to those associated with early Judaism and other rustic religions of the world—that what Africa needs most now is knowledge and not religion.

       Although returning to African Traditional Religions may offer some localized social benefits, it also involves customs and practices that can be physically and spiritually harmful. It generally includes:

·      A return to blind superstition: The reason Africans continue to cling to harmful cultural practices is always that “our great-grandfathers did it, and our fathers did it, so it must be okay for us to do it too.” It doesn’t matter whether certain rituals or practices are physically and spiritually uplifting or not. That’s why many African cultures struggle to eliminate practices and customs that have been proven to be physically and spiritually harmful to community members.

·      A return to animal and human blood sacrifice to obscure, bloodthirsty deities: African deities, like Jehovah, in early Judaism, officially demanded blood sacrifices of unblemished animals and humans to sustain their relationship with their uninformed followers. In both cases, blood is seen as the life-force or vital energy of the sacrificial animal or human.

According to Deuteronomy 32:8-9, Jehovah is simply the tutelary deity of the Jewish tribe. And as we already understand, he and the other rustic, petty gods of the human world are fallen, dead spirits. Living as organic beings on Earth means that the gods, just like humans, are not immortal. So, they strictly demand blood sacrifices of unblemished victims from their ignorant followers, as they possess the esoteric knowledge of how to absorb the sacrificial life-force to extend their own organic existence on Earth indefinitely.

There are several passages in the Torah where it explicitly states that certain parts of the sacrificial animal, such as the blood and the fat, belong to Jehovah and are not to be eaten by Israelites. In fact, Jehovah emphasizes blood and fat as his daily food in the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, stating:

• “And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food offered by fire for a pleasing odor. All fat is Jehovah’s. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.” [Leviticus 3:16-17]

  
  

• “If any man of the house of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life.” [Leviticus 17:10-11]

  
  

• “Jehovah said to Moses, ‘Command the people of Israel, and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my offerings by fire, my pleasing odor, you shall take heed to offer to me in its due season.’ And you shall say to them, This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to Jehovah: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a continual offering. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening.’” [Numbers 28:1-4]

  
  

• “Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.” [Leviticus 6:13]

The primary reason living organisms need food is to keep themselves alive. The same is true for Jehovah and the other dead human gods on Earth. They rely entirely on absorbing the life-force from victims of blood sacrifices, whose blood is violently spilled by their insane, bloodthirsty agents, to stay permanently energized. Without this, they will all die and fade away from the physical world of organic life on Earth.

It is quite evident in some African communities that many petty deities have long faded away because they no longer receive their regular supply of sacrificial blood. Christ-consciousness has brought enlightenment even to the most remote parts of Africa, causing people to move away from the roles of ‘dibias,’ native doctors, diviners, and priests in shrines.

Jehovah/Allah would have also ceased to exist after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple in 70 AD by the Roman army, led by Titus. The event ended Temple worship in Israel, along with the statutory blood sacrifice to Jehovah in Judaism. This forced him to find other ways of offering blood sacrifices to himself. It was a matter of life and death. Hence, he began inciting endless wars and bloodshed, claiming that any day of war is a day he offers blood sacrifice to himself. He says:

• “That day is the day of Jehovah of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated, and drink its fill of their blood. For Jehovah of hosts holds a sacrifice” on such a day. [Jeremiah 46:10]

• And “Cursed is he who does the work of Jehovah with slackness; and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.” [Jeremiah 48:10]

·      A return to ancestor worship: In traditional Christianity, especially within the Roman Catholic Church, churchgoers often mistakenly pray to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and to so-called saints, believing they can intercede on their behalf before God. Similarly, followers of African Traditional Religions also venerate and offer blood sacrifices to their ancestors, trusting they can protect and mediate between them and the “Chi uku,” the supreme deity. While there is nothing wrong with honoring the Virgin Mary or the memories of our departed ancestors, the dead do not influence a person’s choice between good and evil or how one relates to his Heavenly Father. Spiritual salvation is strictly a personal affair.

·      A return to some indigenous rituals and customs, some of which are physically and spiritually harmful: Certain practices rooted in African traditional religious beliefs are damaging both physically and spiritually. Many of these customs originated in pre-scientific societies due to a lack of knowledge, where native healers interpreted illnesses, misfortunes, and natural events as caused by spiritual forces. These include the killing of twins, female genital mutilation, ritual discrimination (the ‘Osu’ outcaste system in Igboland), albinophobia, dangerous initiation rites, risky exorcisms or ritual healing, dedication to ritual servitude, witchcraft accusations, and punishment rituals.

COMPARISON OF JESUS CHRIST'S HEAVENLY WAY AND AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RITUALS

African words of wisdom say that:

·      “Iga’nihu bu ndu; inaghachi azu bu onwu,” meaning “Moving forward is life, whereas moving backward is death.”

·      “Mmadu anaghi ahu’chaa uzo si ohia,” meaning “No sane human sees the proper road and takes to the bush.”

·      And “Anaghi ahapu ebe ana’echi ozo, gaba ebe ana’aru agwu,” meaning “One does not abandon a meritorious party for a miserable one.”

The key question for those advocating a return to the primitive ritual practices of our unenlightened ancestors is, “What did Africa ever gain from its many gods during the thousands of years of its primitive rituals and the rivers of blood poured out to them on shrines and household ‘Ofos’ (sacred staffs)?” Isn’t it evident that African tribal deities are not only petty-minded and powerless but also uncaring and unprogressive?

       Examine other continents on Earth, and you’ll see how their indigenous deities promote social, scientific, and spiritual progress. However, Africa, despite its vast human and mineral resources, has continuously remained in social, scientific, mental, and spiritual stagnation, plagued by foolish, visionless, and ineffective leaders, corruption, ethnic bigotry, religious intolerance, and sheer primitiveness.

       Well, another Igbo proverb says:

·      “Ihopu nkita akpi, I’gosi ya n’anya!” This means, “If you remove a tick from a dog, you show it to it.” This way, the dog will realize you didn’t just pinch it but actually did it a favor.

This is what I am doing here. Therefore, I encourage those advocating a return to African Traditional Religions to compare the features and benefits of Christ’s Heavenly Way with those of the African Traditional Religions, as shown in the chart below:

THEME	THE HEAVENLY WAY OF JESUS CHRIST	AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS (ATRS)
Relationship with the Father / Supreme Nature	Direct relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ; no intermediaries needed.	Communication with Gods only through ancestors, spirits, or priests.
Sacrifice	Jesus sacrificed his heavenly life to reach out and save us in our realm of eternal death, demonstrating the uselessness of all savage blood sacrifices by worldly religions.	Animal or other sacrifices offered regularly to deities/spirits/ancestors, not for outright spiritual rebirth and freedom but for mundane earthly needs.
Forgiveness	Free forgiveness and grace from the Father; emphasis on mercy and personal repentance.	Regular appeasement rituals to remove guilt or misfortune; forgiveness mediated by priests or rituals.
Spiritual Authority	Jesus Christ himself is the Good Shepherd with full authority to save our spirits from eternal spiritual damnation.	Authority of priests, diviners, and elders central to religious practice.
Fear vs. Love	The Father’s love drives out fear, and Jesus embodies that love. His true disciples live confidently in peace of mind, hope and divine assurance.	Constant fear of curses, spirits, or taboos often influences religious behavior.
Salvation & Eternal Life	Eternal life is offered by the Father through the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ.	Focus often on communal well-being, fertility, and continuity of lineage rather than eternal life.
Healing & Protection	Faith in the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, naturally brings healing and protection.	Ritual healing using charms, herbs, and invocation of ancestors or spirits, which are never guaranteed.
Identity & Community	All true disciples of Jesus Christ are equal in him, transcending class, clan, caste, or ethnicity.	Strong clan-based identity; sometimes outcaste systems or inherited ritual status present barriers.