Right, Wrong and Ifa, A Follow Up

I realized that my last post could cause confusion regarding Ifa and, say, morality. It would seem to the uninformed that Ifa has no rules at all. I want to make sure I clarify this for the reader.

One of the things about Ifa, and indeed about many non Christian, Islamic or Judaic or even Khemetic religions is that you won't find a set of "do not's". You wont find a stated rule outlawing killing because in practice killing can be the right thing to do depending on the situation. For example, killing to defend ones family would be considered justifiable in Ifa. Another example is that you will not find across the board prohibition against alcohol consumption. Rather through Odu and consultation with one's Ori (spiritual head), it may be determined that a particular person should not consume alcohol while another person will be free to do so. The person for whom alcohol is prohibited will not be upset or jealous about those who can because it is understood that such a situation is best for them and only them.
Thus when we hear people speak of a lack of dogmatism in Ifa, it is in this light that they say such things. The problem though, as stated in the earlier post, such an apparent flexible behavioral system can lead persons to have a "whatever is cool with you" attitude towards other people's actions. This is unfortunate since in many Odu you will find examples of behavior and actions that are consistently frowned upon (witchcraft for example).

When I was studying the religion of the Assante I came across a statement in which it was said that teaching children about God was not necessary because God's existence is self evident. Instead what we note in many African religions is a stress on how one communicates with God and one's ancestors. God is much like a family member you don't see but you are expected to call up every now and then. God is also like a very important family member to which proper deference is required. Thus, there is a huge amount of time spent by practicioners of ATR on ritual. Here in the US among African-Americans, who have largely been divorced from their ancestral cultures, are especially prone to this. I have been arguing for some time that there needs to be a greater emphasis on ATR philosophy and worldview in such a manner that those who do not wish to become priests (and it always seems that everybody want's to move up through the ranks of these religions) but rather be "lay persons" can still enjoy the benefits of the religion(s).

Anyway. I hope this clarifies the issue of right/wrong in regards to Ifa.

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