Humanists call for African age of "Enlightenment'

[theworldismine13]

Humanists call for African age of Enlightenment | Reuters

(Reuters) - African Humanists -- atheists, secularists and freethinkers -- gather next week in Ghana, one of the world's most religious countries, to look at ways to promote an "Enlightenment" they argue is vital to bring their continent into the modern age.

But despite stirrings of dissent over the power of preachers and imams, they recognize they have an uphill battle to convince ordinary people to question faiths -- Christianity and Islam -- brought to Africa by missionaries and conquerors.
Just as difficult, they say, is the fight against traditional African beliefs often supported by new "churches" like sorcery which lead to the killings of children and albinos accused of being witches.
"At a time when the dark and destructive forces of religious fundamentalism and superstition are ravaging the continent, the Ghana conference is a sign of light, hope and renewal," said prominent Nigerian humanist campaigner Leo Igwe.
Ghana's newly formed Humanist Association, host of the three-day gathering in Accra from November 23-25, said that just the announcement that it is being held has encouraged closet atheists to "come out" and sign up.
"We do not wish to eradicate religion from our culture but to show there are alternative ways of viewing the world and that asking questions and following the evidence is essential if we are to develop as a nation," an association statement said.
What is needed, Igwe told Reuters, is a process like the 18th century Enlightenment in Europe which loosened the grip of religion and churches on the popular mind and eventually all but removed their power to dictate to governments.
With its overwhelming religiosity and adherence to superstition like witchcraft, he notes, Africa also figures at the tail-end of United Nations indexes on development and heads those on poverty and early death.
Roy Brown, chief delegate to the United Nations in Geneva of the global humanist grouping IHEU, said a recent international survey by a Swiss-based network on religious belief showed just what free-thinkers in Africa are up against.
Africa, it found, was the most devout region with 89 percent of people surveyed saying they were religious, against only 59 percent in the world at large. In Ghana, the total was 96 percent, and in Nigeria 93 percent.
In heavily urbanized South Africa the rate has dropped, from 85 percent in 2005 to 64 percent this year, the survey indicated. But in West Africa -- where wealthy, U.S.-based evangelical churches have made strong inroads -- the rate was rising.
MEMORY OF NKRUMAH
These churches, with "hell-fire" preachers, have all but eliminated the memory of secular African independence leaders of the 1960s, like Ghana's own Kwame Nkrumah who once said humanist principles defined "the African personality."
"Fear created the gods, and fear preserves them," declared Nkrumah, ousted in a 1966 coup after six years in power.
The Ghanaian association has itself set out its own concept of what humanists -- whose worldview is based on human cooperation, reason and rationalism, and rejects belief in deities and the supernatural -- are up against.
"Believing in the existence of a god is inculcated from childhood through family, community, church and school," it said. Questioning the truth of religion was discouraged by fear of social ostracism and other consequences.
"It can mean difficulty finding work, developing one's business, making friends and finding romantic relationships," the association said. People who refused to go to church or mosque were often cast out by their families.
"The common perception is that if you do not believe in the existence of a god you must either be worshipping the devil or be an immoral person, not to be trusted," it said.
Igwe says that in large parts of the continent, the media are hostile and often pillory freethinkers, especially when they argue for the human rights of marginalized groups like gays and lesbians, also excoriated by religious and government leaders.
"So often, people who break away from blind faith believe they are alone," he told Reuters. "That is one reason why we have to organize and speak out loudly and let people know there are many others who think like

 

[Blackking]

I don't necessarily disagree with the motivations behind this...

However, is religion what's causing the disease, dis-unity, and lack of economic growth in African nations? So, following the ideological path that Europeans took 3 centuries ago is going to bring an entire continent into the modern age?

I believe it's possible to have economic growth with most members in your nation having religious beliefs... For example the some of the most powerful nations in history, including the US.

I also feel that it's an uphill battle to grow in a world economy when the world only sees you as a place to exploit. Not impossible, just uphill.

 

[acri1]

I don't necessarily disagree with the motivations behind this...

However, is religion what's causing the disease, dis-unity, and lack of economic growth in African nations? So, following the ideological path that Europeans took 3 centuries ago is going to bring an entire continent into the modern age?

I believe it's possible to have economic growth with most members in your nation having religious beliefs... For example the some of the most powerful nations in history, including the US.

I also feel that it's an uphill battle to grow in a world economy when the world only sees you as a place to exploit. Not impossible, just uphill.

I'm not one of those that thinks religion is the cause of everything bad, but it does lead to a lot of tribalism and unnecessary conflict and unnecessary fighting, especially religious fundamentalism.

Kind of hard to get much done economically when you have Christians and Muslims fighting each other and shyt.

 

[Slaimon Khan Shah]

I hope they dun't ruin the people in Africa (The Muslims out there).

 

[Blackking]

I'm not one of those that thinks religion is the cause of everything bad, but it does lead to a lot of tribalism and unnecessary conflict and unnecessary fighting, especially religious fundamentalism.

Kind of hard to get much done economically when you have Christians and Muslims fighting each other and shyt.

yeah...

but outsiders have always dictated what Africa needs. The same people who gave them a messed up form of so-called Christianity are now the same people telling them they need to be gay accepting atheist. Nothing against those enlightened people, but the way Africa was divided up, colonized, etc, I wouldn't trust any agenda not coming from an Africa leader (who isn't a puppet).

 

[Mr. Somebody]

Demons are seeing that Africa is on the rise economically so they want to indoctrinate them to the culture of the devil so they can appreciate the demonic principles of lying, betrayal, greed, gluttony, murder, selfishness and gay.

Its so demonic, friends.

 

[TrueEpic08]

Well, this is certainly a complex mess.

On one side, we have the fundamentalist mythologizers who still resolve the elements of the world through a reified conception of virtue in man, alienated from ourselves to act and direct us.

On the other side, we still have the propagation of the modernist Heart of Darkness myth, and some galling Eurocentrist thought in needing a "new Enlightenment," not recognizing that the values of the old Enlightenment (especially everything related to the rights of man) are what led to the rationalization of scientific racism that was a key factor in Eurpoean powers dividing up Africa and making a mess of its populace distribution.

Yes, the reconciliation of the fantastic elements of the world through reified myth needs to be recognized for what it is, but I don't feel like a lot of thought could be put into a solution that so ribaldly invokes Enlightenment ideals (even for all the good they have done us). Intellectual colonialism survives I guess, as material colonialism moves to affective, structural hegemony.

You can take from those ideas, but a solution suitable for both an African cultural context and the passional qualities of the individuals living within those contexts is needed. I'm not quite sure this is it, it seems to one-note for something quite complex. We'll see how it goes, though.

 

[Dr. Fauci]

They need to get on the American religious belief system


Pray to God when things go wrong...but havent been to church since Easter