Nothing unusual in this!
Historically, contestations over interpretations and practices lead to disagreements, violence, and wars. By the time of the fourth Caliph after Prophet Mohammad (May the Peace of Allah be Upon Him), disagreements led to assassination and the birth of the Shiites. Similar conflicts and threats in Christianity. If the Catholics made Peter the pillar of the Church, others disagreed.
So, accept the threat and move on.
Why not pray for spiritual elevation instead?
The ultimate does not lie in Ifa Titun but in the power to "save," the concept of deliverance and salvation.
TF
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovdepoju@gmail.com>
Date: Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 8:22 AM
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>, Yoruba Affairs <yorubaaffairs@googlegroups.com>, compcros@googlegroups.com <compcros@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Threat Against Me by Supposed Practitioners of Traditional Yoruba Spirituality
Threat Against Me by Supposed Practitioners of Traditional Yoruba Spirituality
Picture of me at Ouida Books, Lagos
Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju
Compcros
At about 3 pm, on the 16th of January 2025, I was woken from siesta by a phone call from a babalawo-adept in the estoretic knowledge of the Yoruba origin Ifa system of knowledge- Bamigbaye Sunday Onifade, known to me as a friend, and whom I have celebrated in various writings on social media, presenting what he described as a warning from the community of practitioners of traditional Yoruba spirituality, certainly from Nigeria, and most likely from the South-West, since I live in Lagos, that I should desist from my Facebook postings supporting Moyo Okediji's advocacy to stop animal sacrifice in Yoruba traditional religion, and that, if I persisted, they would collectively move against me.
I was first angry and later, sad and amused.
How can a person or group of people, in the 21st century, make such a threat?
Are they so uninformed about the inflammatory force of threats to fuel dissent?
Was the resistance of the Church not strategic to the success of Martin Luther's Protestant rebellion, the foundations of Protestantism?
Were those people threatening me with the much touted spiritual powers of traditional African spiritualities?
Are those powers absolute?
How effective have they been against the marginalization of traditional African spiritualities by Christianity, Islam and Western modernity?
Were they thinking of something physical?
Are they not aware that such threats are likely to escalate the vigour of those criticizing some traditional African spirituality practices, presenting the threat to the world as evidence of inhumanities in the tradition, inhumanities demonstrated by the desperation and short sightedness of some of its practitioners?
Are they not aware that they are putting the messenger in danger of suspicion of colluding with sinister activities they could be seen as planning?
Would they want to further stain the already demonized public image of a spiritual culture which is perhaps the greatest contribution of Yoruba civilization to the world, but is now better imaged in Nigerian public discourse by the most negative depictions?
So, someone or a group of people in their right minds concluded they needed to send a threat to a critic of animal sacrifice in their spirituality.
What could be motivating such immense short sightedness?
Is it ideological, a fear that the integrity of their tradition was in danger?
Is it a fear for the loss of revenue from reduced access to meat from people declining to participate in animal sacrifices mandated by traditional Yoruba spirituality priests as necessary to rites carried out on behalf of their clients?
So, such seismic consequences could be feared from Facebook posts of Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju, building on the traction created by Moyo Okediji's advocacy on the subject?
Is Toyin Adepoju so influential?
So, instead of countering Toyin Adepoju and Moyo Okediji through debate, as traditionalists like Ayobami Ogedengbe, Sena Voncujovi , Christopher Voncujovi, Adetokunbo Shittu and others are doing, you resort to threats?
Has our tradition fallen so low?
Are we so hungry?
The messenger also stated that those who sent him had also resolved to deal with Moyo Okediji for his anti-animal sacrifice stance in relation to traditional Yoruba spirituality.
Did these people really understand what they claim to be declaring, I wondered.
Someone has started a fire. You are insisting you want to put out the fire by pouring fuel on it.
I told the messenger that, in response to this threat, I would make sure I compile the Facebook debate on the subject into a book and place it on Amazon.
Also Published On
University of Ifa on Facebook
IFÁ TUNTUN: Contemporary Voice of Ọrúnmìlà on Facebook
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