Could there be such a thing as a One God of Africa?
The answer to this particular question is yes!
This term used throughout this website, pertaining to a One God of Africa, is a term to denote the One Supreme Universal Intelligence, otherwise known as God Almighty or the Creator. As he, him or even IT, has been revealed to African people and within African culture throughout the ages.
Under no circumstance however, do we claim that this God, is only the God of African people, but to the contrary, but that this God, is the self-same God of all humanity, all creation, the universe and everything that exists within or outside of it. We only maintain that this same God, is and has always been, seen, adored and worshipped by African people, in particular, Through the Spectacles of Ethiopia, uniquely, distinctly and differently. Somewhat peculiar, to the rest of humanity.
Therefore, the One God of Africa, is none other than the One God of all Creation, seen, adored and worshipped, by all tribes on earth, in all ages, in there own unique, distinct and peculiar way.
Identifying the One God of Africa?
However, it is not as simple as that, certainly not for most people, who cannot equate Africa, or African people, having only One God. Unless that African or part of Africa, adheres to one of the main monotheistic religions, such as Christianity, Judaism or Islam, or follow some other eastern religious system, introduced to them from outside that could give these Africans, an idea of One God.
For most, the concept, or even the very idea that a One God of Africa, could exist, is ludicrous. Notwithstanding that tradition has it, as well as popular modern notions that traditional African's follow multiple God's, even God's of wood, stone, tree's, animals, etc, etc, etc. So even make this claim, would seem an oxymoron.
Nevertheless, and contrary to popular beliefs, all Traditional African faith systems, believe in only One God, in the truest sense. In fact, it could be said that the One God principle, is fundamentally African, in origin and nature. This may seem hard to believe, after all we have been told about African so-called religions.
Nevertheless, any research into the religious systems of Africa, or even into the origins of the theory and concept of what is today known as monotheism, will find that this concept first developed in Africa and is not only fundamental to African belief systems, but also central to them.
In a nutshell, the African Cosmology and belief system is based upon an all knowing, all seeing, incomprehensible and universal creator, who is One and without a second. Who is manifested comprehensively, within and throughout creation, in unnumbered forms, which includes all we can see and all that we can't.
All African's have a name for this One Supreme God, which differs by language and region, some of these names include, Kalunga, Nyame, Mungu, Malungu, Bemba, En-Kai, Yala, to name but a few.
However, conceived in these diverse names, by these diverse African tribes and in multiple ways, nevertheless fundamentally remaining The One Supreme God, who is both above all, as well as, peculiarly to African spirituality. in all.
Where we get the phrase, "The One God of Africa", from?
This term 'The One God of Africa', however, although an authentic phenomena, which can be proven in the historical record, for thousands and even ten of thousand's of years, amongst African people, for us however was first popularised and coined by the Right Honourable & Most Excellent Marcus Moziah Garvey, which he also called the One God of Ethiopia, only in the 1920's.
This One God, was central to Garvey's message, mission and ministry and was the focus of his One God, One Aim & One Destiny slogan.
Whilst, Garvey done much to re-establish in the minds of African people, at the time, this One God of Africa, principle and idea, inline with ancient traditional African concepts. It seems today that this God or idea of God, has fell into total obscurity. Outside of possibly those who could be considered, African Traditionalist.
In fact the One God of Africa that Garvey taught, appealed to all factions and camps, in regards to religious expression, across the wide spectrum of religious thought amongst African people, at the time. Nevertheless, this One God of Africa, was accepted by all. Whether they were African Christians, Jews, Muslims or African Traditionalists, this idea of Garvey's One God of Africa, was easily absorbed, accepted and incorporated within this multiplicity of faith systems.
This was proven by the many different diverse religious factions that formed many chapters of the UNIA organisation. In addition to the many, testimonies of influential African Muslims, Christian's, Jews & Traditionalist at the time, who accredit, in their speeches and writings, Garvey as a messenger, specifically from this One God. This is also evident and evidence by the statement that the UNIA, One God slogan, is coined from, which also testifies, to not only the faith that the 10 million plus members of the UNIA, had in this One God of Africa, but also, who they perceived, to be his messenger, when the chanted in assembly,
One God, our firm endeavour, One Aim, most gloriously bent, One Destiny forever, God Bless our President.
The Foundations of "The One God of Africa"
However the most important, authentic and valuable proof, we have for this One God of Africa, idea, concept and principle, and its sacred place in the hearts of African people, over many thousands of years, can be found in our main Temple Creed, The Nile Valley Creed, which outlines in great detail, the essence, nature and unity of this One Supreme God of Africa, upon which the Temple of Yahshuah stands.
It is also very important to note that the modern concept of this One God principle, called today monotheism, is not only significantly different from the concept of the same One God, held by ancient people, but is purely and culturally a European invention, that is also quite alien, to the spirituality and even the concept of God, held by most other ethnic groups on earth.
Furthermore, and in clear proof of this, is the fact that even the word God, as we use it today, to describe the Deity, is a total misnomer. In fact, whilst people, usually attribute this One God, monotheist idea, to the Abrahamic religions and in particular, Judaism & Christianity, which these ethnic Europeans have been following and spread for centuries. The truth is this modern concept would be totally alien also to the original Hebrew people and possible even the early Jewish or eastern Christians.
This is evident in the fact that, throughout the Holy Bible, although the word God, denoting or inferring a single God, which is used thousands of times, is actually the word Elohim, meaning literally God's, plural, from which the English word, God is translated, directly. This means even the One God of the Holy Bible, is also a unity of multiple existences, but fundamentally conceived, adored and worshipped, in its Oneness, as Yahweh (Yahovayah).
To this end, and from this principle and perspective, we use declare and proclaim, the One God of African, whom can be called by a multiplicity of descriptions and titles.
However is often referred to, within this Temple website, in both the tradition of the Ancient Hebrews, as well as the Ancient African tradition as,