THE GODS ARE ANGRY

THE GODS ARE ANGRY

THE GODS ARE ANGRY

I am at loss as to why the gods have for ages been deemed to be an angry lot. Long time ago, possibly before Christ, our ancestors believed that nothing seemed to please the gods, not the numerous sacrifices that were rendered to them, nor the constant praises given to them by men. But why were these medieval gods always invariably angry? Long before the days of antiquity, the possibility of gratifying these ancient gods was close to none, yet these ancient gods were supposed to be a source of great help and protection. Is it not ironic that these deities were supposed to be divine, yet anger was their best-known emotion? Moreover, if the gods are known to be eternally angry, then what are we mortals supposed to do about it? Ever since I was a child, learning about my spiritual heritage, all I ever heard about these immortals, was their constant need to be appeased.

What’s more, these primeval gods often spoke through their oracles, who were also the high priests, commanding my ancestors to make major sacrifices, each and every single waking moment, to which I would have strongly objected to, had I been in existence at the time, to witness their tyrannical demands. Anyway, the gods would send a forlorn diviner, out the blue sky, and into the village square, with a sombre look, and a disturbing message at hand, which read something like this, "Our land has not received rain for close to a year, because the gods are angry at us. So therefore, let us quench their wrath, by giving them our newborns." My people, please forgive me for being too forward, but I do not understand what the correlation is, between ritual sacrifice and gratification of these pantheon of gods. I mean, must mortals forever lose their souls, in order for these amoral gods to be content?

You see, this is why I am also angry at these perennial spirits too, for their burdening requests for appeasement are outrageous. It could be true that the cultural gods helped us to overcome the desert sand storm, which devastated our harvest two hundred years ago. Therefore, must we always self-sacrifice, because the gods performed a righteous cause on our behalf? Moreover, are we obligated to pay through our noses, in order for the gods to help prosper our lives? At this rate, we humans might as well leave it to fate, to guide us wherever the wind blows, or is fate another one of these incautious gods? As a result, I made a point of consulting our resident oracle, one who is the mouthpiece for the gods, as to the reason why these deities were ever angry, because all I ever witnessed the stoic seer declare, were the laws of the gods, by which our tribal community was founded. Nonetheless, and by far, it is the inhumane taboos which annoyed me the most, but I digress.

In any case, this is the reason why the oracle does not like my rebellious nature, of questioning the status quo, with regards to the ways of the gods. This mystic seer once rebuked me for being overly inquisitive, and warned me that, “You do not know the forces you are messing with, by trying to defy the dictates of the gods. If you keep going against the set rules, the gods will unleash their wrath upon you.”, hissed the irate seer, to yours truly. Just like the oracle, the gods too were angry with me, for questioning their wisdom, but what is new? Whether I speak my mind or not, will their anger ever subside? According to the seer, I was authorized to offer a white hen, as a cleansing sacrifice, before I could purify myself down by the village pool, with special soap, in order that the indignation of the gods against me would diminish. Look my people, I did not mean to be rude to the seer, yet I felt the need to tell him off politely, because what he was suggesting for me to do, smelled like extortion.

Nevertheless, what do the gods need a white hen for anyway? Do they know just how much a hen costs, in these dire economic times? On the contrary, had they asked me to apologize for being oddly inquisitive, I would have gladly complied. However, for them to demand for an offering, because of my blatant curiosity, is a tad bit covetous. What’s more, do not also forget the unique soap for my supposed cleansing ritual costs money, and therefore, I would rather buy the hen to consume it, and the soap to wash my body with, rather than waste these precious items on some spiritual quest for an energy cleanse. Needless to say, I took chances with my new age opinions, stood my Christian ground, and let the moral chips fall where they did. Sometimes, I do envy the white man, particularly the one who considers himself an atheist, because unlike me, he does not care much for tradition or spirituality.

Further, the reason as to why I reference a white man, is because it is on a very rare occasion that you will ever encounter an African who publicly proclaimed themselves to be an atheist. Nevertheless, if you have met an atheist African, then best believe that he is an Alien breed. Anyhow, as a matter of fact, the white atheist does not believe in the traditional gods of this world, hence he does not care for any religious philosophies, which he deems them to be outdated, and therefore inconsequential to his budding life. In actuality, he is free to be who he wants to be, and choose to live as per his will. To most of us who have lived all our lives inside a religious bubble, know just how hard it is to spread our wings, and fly outside of the religious mindset we are bound to. Even if one should be so benevolent, as to emancipate us from this religious mental slavery, and then what? Are we then supposed to pray to ourselves? Should we then consider ourselves as gods? If so, then that would be outright a terrible abomination or sacrilege, at most. Even the thought of it, is somewhat unnerving. 

Either way, what we mortals need are devoted gods who will show a little compassion to the human race, for we already live in a cruel world, full of pain and sorrow. Thus, what good will it do to us, to have unsympathetic gods who are quick to punish us for every little thing? Needless to say, we humans are not perfect, and as a result, are prone to making mistakes. Hence, we need affectionate gods who will step in to help us, and not castigate us every chance they get. Ultimately, we do not need gods who are indifferent to the human race, but we need gods who are benevolent.