Patrick U. Nwosu — новинки

Okonko Society is one of the Traditional Societies in Igboland that functions as an authentic component of African Religion. While the social units of the family, the kindred, and the ethnic group, have protective values for individuals within them, Okonko operates as additional protection consolidated with religious and mystery rites. The mystery rites and secrecy associated with Okonko Society are unbelievable, and the Society has been surrounded with controversy since the advent of Christianity in Igboland. In order to create a platform of dialogue between African Religion and Christianity, a comparative analysis of Okonko and Christianity is undertaken within this context. The work examines the origin, nature, functions, and membership of Okonko Society in Igboland on the framework of Christian sacraments of Initiation. In all, Okonko Society and Christianity can coexist in Igboland for a balanced society.

There is a practical connection between conceptions of the sacred mysteries associated with ancestral societies and the imperative of secrecy with regard to those same mysteries and rites. The mysteries and rites are precisely that which is preserved and jealously guarded by silence from the ordinary but revealed to those properly initiated. Thus, secrecy is perhaps most associated with ancestral societies like Okonko and Ogboni in Africa. Okonko and Ogboni have esoteric rites, rituals, and ceremonies and access to certain knowledge is hierarchically ordered, making secrecy more than merely pragmatism. Therefore, in the context of contemporary anthropological and religious studies, the work examines the practice of secrecy as a strategy of continuity. It attempts to differentiate the ancestral societies and their mysteries from other exclusive societies drawn by the allure of access to secret knowledge. The work stressed the importance and significance of secrecy in traditional Africa.

In the context of shrinkage of time and space in 21st century, the Study of Religions has become a valuable tool for respect and peaceful coexistence. The myth of Religious superiority is no longer fashionable. Thus, there is now a general awareness that all Religions have a role to play in achieving World peace and sustainable progress. In this regard, the Study of Comparative Religion waxes strong. The diverse religious traditions practiced out there can no longer be suppressed or exterminated by the sword. The present work examines the intellectual status, values, and approaches in the Study of Comparative Religion. Using the methods of history and analysis, the work submits that in the thinking and activities of any people, one finds philosophy and religion at its root. The Study of Comparative Religion becomes the effort to project different religious traditions as worth studying, appreciating and respecting.