FAQ's | Chiism

Chiism is universal in outlook and not addressed only to the Igbo because its rationale is inherent in the traditional spirituality of humankind around the world before Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius and other heroes of present day religions were born. And if it is for all the world, it has to be presented in a term which can be easily understood by all races.

Its spiritual balance, lacking in all other religions which claim exclusive truth and proceed to hate and kill as heretics all others who do not see Chineke (God) through the eyes of their heroes, only to perjure their sermons of 'love your neighbors' and 'Thou shall not kill', and menace the world with religious strife here, there and yonder.

No, for on reflection, Iventa and Adam, Abraham and Moses, Joshua (Jesus) and Mohammed, Buddha, etc., were all Chiists, because when they lived and walked the Earth, they spoke to Chineke directly in their supplications like our African ancestors did. Thus Chiism was the first religious spirituality of all the ancestors of the human race and therefore a universal spirituality open to all races of humankind.

If you listen to the prayer or libation of an Igbo priest or any other African priest at the altar, you will observe that his incantation makes a direct appeal to Chineke by whatever ethnic name he calls God. He does not request the divinity of the shrine to convey the grace of Chineke that he seeks for him. It is at this point that African spirituality is widely misunderstood. (For details read the Nkomii).

It was from the lecture I delivered in 1962 at the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria on the invitation of Students Christian Movement under the Chairmanship of Dr. Akanu Ibiam, the then governor of Eastern Nigeria, at which I denounced mutual acrimony in the religious front and made debut of Chiism, that Dr. Ibiam began his campaign for a united church of Nigeria and set in motion the coming together of Christians in CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria). Also, the W.C.R.P (World Conference on Religion and Peace) which holds consultative relationship with the United Nations seeking world peace through religious insight, after listening to my lectures, had adopted the precepts inherent in Chiism.

To say that it is that distinct from other religions is to say that a rational abstraction from concepts is not inspired by intuitive perception which is as good as divine revelation. Upon this fact, say it in every conversation that Chiism is a revealed spiritual philosophy as other religions are.

The Gospel of Chiism is compressed into its creed. And the creed sets out the principles, teachings and instructions on which Chiists have to act. However, we do not ask people to accept them without reason or proof - which are the offence of dogmatism. Thus, Chiism is a spirituality of reason, a spiritual philosophy of the scientific age.

There are three prongs to a people's freedom. There is the political, the economic, and the religio-cultural prong. Chiism vibrates in the religio-cultural prong of human interactions and not in the political prong, though it must always insist that even in politics there must be morality, and so cannot stay indifferent to what goes on in the politics of its community.

Yes - but it all depends. Politics is the science of state management, and a state is an agglomeration of households. Thus, parents taking care of their children and running their households are, in that, contributing to the management of their state and performing political function at that level. The same is true of all religions which teach their adherents moral purity, love, truth, justice and fair play which are necessary spiritual attitude or disposition of the mind for social harmony and peaceful polity. Given this fact I can say "Yes"- that African spirituality like every other religion on earth have this amateur, and not professional measure of political function.

By presenting itself as a coordinating and harmonizing umbrella for all religions without prejudice to the independent existence of any of them, particularly as all religions have Chineke (God), around whom the philosophy of Chiism is wound, as a common denominator against whom none can raise cane on the ground of gender, ethnicity, nationality or race.

While it is true that all religions preach the same absolutes of love and harmony among humanity to share with Chiism the same concept of civilization, they perjure it with each claiming exclusive truth only to hate and kill those who are not their members. Therein lies the tragedy, when you consider the fact that the word civilization, threshed to its basic cob, means living in harmony with your fellow man and nature.

Osu caste system is not aboriginal in Igbo social tradition. It is an abrasion which came with the man hunt for slaves which Europeans began in the 16th century. It has nothing to do with our traditional spirituality. For how much longer will we bear the false propaganda of other races that osu caste system is an endemic tragedy in the tradition and social system of the Igbo people. Be assured it is the oath of Chiism to eradicate it. (For details, go to the web page dealing with the slavery Question and the foundation and scope of human dignity in Okebulani.)

Chiism holds that a human receives the reward for good or bad deeds here on earth even at re-incarnation. So that to us, heaven or hell is here on earth and in the mind of a human.

In the glossary of Chiism we have no word like idol and so could not reject what we don’t have. We have in place divine image. We should understand the difference between religion and the metaphysics which support, sustain and control traditional life in Okebulani (Africa) and in which Ofo, Amadioha and all occur.

In every society around the world are titular cults like Ozo or Ogboni that make the man. Chiism allows its members to take such titles in the communities it permeates. The cult holds their ceremonies on their own.