Christianity vs. the old gods of Nigeria

[Timothy_486]

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070904/ap_on_re_af/new_religion_vs_old_gods

"ACHINA, Nigeria - Born to a family of traditional priests, Ibe Nwigwe converted to Christianity as a boy. Under the sway of born-again fervor as a man, he gathered the paraphernalia of ancestral worship — a centuries-old stool, a metal staff with a wooden handle and the carved figure of a god — and burned them as his pastor watched. “I had experienced a series of misfortunes and my pastor told me it was because I had not completely broken the covenant with my ancestral idols,” the 52-year-old Nwigwe said of the bonfire three years ago. “Now that I have done that, I hope I will be truly liberated.”

Generations ago, European colonists and Christian missionaries looted Africa’s ancient treasures. Now, Pentecostal Christian evangelists — most of them Africans — are helping wipe out remaining traces of how Africans once worked, played and prayed."

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Thats what I like about more traditional branches of Christians like our Catholic church… for the most part they won’t go around destroying everything in sight, the Vatican even has one of the largest collections of Pagan artifacts and art in the world. The article even says:

“Where the older Catholic and Anglican denominations are more tolerant, the Pentecostals reflect more strictly the idea of a jealous God that would brook no rival,” said Uzoatu."

I am still peeved though that so many ancient Greek and Roman works of art were demolished by Christian fanatics… I mean just look at what we have in museums today and just imagine the ones that were lost!!

 

[latin_rite]

I have a friend at work who is from a small village in Papua New Guinea. And he was telling that on one of his visits back to his village, a missionary had conviced his father to do the same thing. But this was things such as Ceremonial mask etc. All he could save was a 500 yr old Ceremonial bowl. He said he ran the missionry out. and that if he saw him back in his village he would kill him. Knowing the people of that country and the look of hurt and anger in his eyes of losing so much of his heritage it was no idle threat. Can’t say i blame him really. He is a practing catholic btw. (I don’t know if thats important or not)

 

[Timothy_486]

I have a friend at work who is from a small village in Papua New Guinea. And he was telling that on one of his visits back to his village, a missionary had conviced his father to do the same thing. But this was things such as Ceremonial mask etc. All he could save was a 500 yr old Ceremonial bowl. He said he ran the missionry out. and that if he saw him back in his village he would kill him. Knowing the people of that country and the look of hurt and anger in his eyes of losing so much of his heritage it was no idle threat. Can’t say i blame him really. He is a practing catholic btw. (I don’t know if thats important or not)

When converting to Christianity, I see no reason why one cannot simply keep one’s old artifacts as mementos or art pieces or donate them to museums. Matter of fact notice how often we Christian American’s keep Pagan items all over our houses. Almost everyone I can bet you has some kind of Classical, Buddhist, or Pre-Columbian “ornament” or art piece of some kind on their dresser or display case, yet we use these simply as decorations.

 

[hillariouslov]

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070904/ap_on_re_af/new_religion_vs_old_gods

"ACHINA, Nigeria - Born to a family of traditional priests, Ibe Nwigwe converted to Christianity as a boy. Under the sway of born-again fervor as a man, he gathered the paraphernalia of ancestral worship — a centuries-old stool, a metal staff with a wooden handle and the carved figure of a god — and burned them as his pastor watched. “I had experienced a series of misfortunes and my pastor told me it was because I had not completely broken the covenant with my ancestral idols,” the 52-year-old Nwigwe said of the bonfire three years ago. “Now that I have done that, I hope I will be truly liberated.”

Generations ago, European colonists and Christian missionaries looted Africa’s ancient treasures. Now, Pentecostal Christian evangelists — most of them Africans — are helping wipe out remaining traces of how Africans once worked, played and prayed."

---

Thats what I like about more traditional branches of Christians like our Catholic church… for the most part they won’t go around destroying everything in sight, the Vatican even has one of the largest collections of Pagan artifacts and art in the world. The article even says:

“Where the older Catholic and Anglican denominations are more tolerant, the Pentecostals reflect more strictly the idea of a jealous God that would brook no rival,” said Uzoatu."

I am still peeved though that so many ancient Greek and Roman works of art were demolished by Christian fanatics… I mean just look at what we have in museums today and just imagine the ones that were lost!!

ON SOME CASES WHEN REPENTANCE TAKES PLACE IT IS GOOD THAT ALL THIS THINGS USED FOR WORSHIPING IDOLS ARE BURNT, BECAUSE THEY COULD POSSES SOME FORMS OF EVIL SPIRIT IN IT, IF U SAY U DO NOT BELIEVE IN WITCHCRAFT THERE WHERE EVER YOU ARE, I MUST LET YOU KNOW THAT IT IS IN AFRICA AND I KNOW IT IS EVERYWHERE, THESE CASES DEPENDS IN WHAT THE SITUATION IS AND WHAT KIND OF gods THAT WAS FORMAERLY WORSHIPPED

BUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS THE REPENTANCE OF THE
SOUL.

LAGOS, NIGERIA.