Image via Wikipedia
According to the Yoruba people, Obàtálá is
the creator of human bodies, which are
then brought to life by the breath of Olorun.
Obàtálá owns
all ori or heads. Any orisha (a spirit or deity
that reflects one of the manifestations of God) in the Yoruba religious system can
claim an individual, but until the person is initiated into the priesthood of
that orisha, Obàtálá continues to own that head. In this religious system, the soul is believed to reside in the head.
It's an interesting
point that variations of this African religion now exist in many parts of the
globe and it's estimated there may be as many as 100 million adherents to the
various cults and sects involved. But I'm willing to bet that most people
reading this have never heard of the god or his religion. It's just another
element in my search for the reasons why religion has such a hold over many
people. If an individual knows only about the god they were brought up to believe
in, how can they be sure that their god is the 'one', when they remain ignorant
of all the others that exist with equal potency for those worshippers? Just a
thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment