Review of Religion: What If...
Posted: 24 Mar 2025, 13:49
[Following is a volunteer review of "Religion: What If..." by Dele Owolowo.]
Book – Religion: What if... Ours had won?
Author – Dele Owolowo
Are you religious?
Do you have faith in the teachings and practices of your religion?
Can your faith withstand the harsh questions raised by the author?
Once upon a time, Nigeria had three major religions at different periods. Glorious and prosperous, with their own 'Supreme Being'. But they are now forgotten by history and their descendants because, unlike the now-reigning religions, their worshippers didn't think of conquering and spreading their practices outside their borders.
This book is more than a simple trip to Nigeria's spiritual history; it is about how the people of Nigeria are spiritually enslaved to those very foreign religions that once despiritualised and then respiritualised them.
It might be a harsh pill to swallow for some. The author had some very snarky and sarcastic comments and remarks in regard to some major religions and their teachings/practices, which might raise some eyebrows at the least or some machetes at the extreme. It all depends on your tolerance and open-mindedness. Proceed with caution. You've been warned.
That aside, it is interesting to know how merciless history has been to losers. Once a giant and prosperous religion can be thrown so out of the way that even the aborigines begin to question their existence. While some others manage to leave some remnants amidst the current world, it is nowhere near the glory it once enjoyed.
One of my favourite sentences in the book says, 'The other peoples/nations also had
their own gods… or maybe a different Supreme Being,
We do not know, just that they lost the wars and
without even being honoured by the footnotes of
history, we never got to hear their own side of the story.'
As seen in the links provided by the author, the people of Nigeria themselves are unaware of its glorious religious history. Even the suppression and exclusion faced by the remnants of those aboriginal religions have already made global headlines.
Isn't this why the author sighs with pity every time? He wishes to somehow travel back in time to the days of their glory, then convince them to conquer and spread out in all directions before being crushed by internal and external forces.
There is more to it than just being spiritually enslaved by the very religions that condemned and conquered those of their skin; it is about the ongoing economic drainage of what little they have in their country. The author is upset at how his country is more focused on religious debates and yearly state-sponsored trips to the "holy land" than actually improving the quality of life for the people.
It might seem an exaggeration to many, but the author proves his every point by providing proofs and links to his source of material throughout the book. His response to the book called 'What is wrong with being Black?' is the latest addition in this edition of the book. The author is flabbergasted at how this book seeks to justify and assert that being Black is the reason they are condemned for life, and saving themselves requires them to prostrate to the same God that has originally condemned them.
What I loved the most in the book were the witty remarks made by the author every so often in the middle of his ongoing rants. I also loved how the author didn't just talk about the problems but also discussed how to make them better and solve those issues. But do make sure to keep a dictionary or an open Google page nearby to keep up with the author's vast vocabulary.
It was hard for me to keep up with the extremely long sentences, unfamiliar history/knowledge and high-level vocabulary. I often needed to take breaks from the book to digest everything I read. It sure was not a one-seating read.
I would rate this a solid 4 out of 5. Given the complex topic, the author has made great efforts to compile and comb through history to legitimise every claim he made. Even for those non-religious, this might be some history and current affairs lesson.
This book is for sure not my usual cup of tea, but it has been a great reading experience. Fabulous work, author.
******
Religion: What If...
View: on Bookshelves
Book – Religion: What if... Ours had won?
Author – Dele Owolowo
Are you religious?
Do you have faith in the teachings and practices of your religion?
Can your faith withstand the harsh questions raised by the author?
Once upon a time, Nigeria had three major religions at different periods. Glorious and prosperous, with their own 'Supreme Being'. But they are now forgotten by history and their descendants because, unlike the now-reigning religions, their worshippers didn't think of conquering and spreading their practices outside their borders.
This book is more than a simple trip to Nigeria's spiritual history; it is about how the people of Nigeria are spiritually enslaved to those very foreign religions that once despiritualised and then respiritualised them.
It might be a harsh pill to swallow for some. The author had some very snarky and sarcastic comments and remarks in regard to some major religions and their teachings/practices, which might raise some eyebrows at the least or some machetes at the extreme. It all depends on your tolerance and open-mindedness. Proceed with caution. You've been warned.
That aside, it is interesting to know how merciless history has been to losers. Once a giant and prosperous religion can be thrown so out of the way that even the aborigines begin to question their existence. While some others manage to leave some remnants amidst the current world, it is nowhere near the glory it once enjoyed.
One of my favourite sentences in the book says, 'The other peoples/nations also had
their own gods… or maybe a different Supreme Being,
We do not know, just that they lost the wars and
without even being honoured by the footnotes of
history, we never got to hear their own side of the story.'
As seen in the links provided by the author, the people of Nigeria themselves are unaware of its glorious religious history. Even the suppression and exclusion faced by the remnants of those aboriginal religions have already made global headlines.
Isn't this why the author sighs with pity every time? He wishes to somehow travel back in time to the days of their glory, then convince them to conquer and spread out in all directions before being crushed by internal and external forces.
There is more to it than just being spiritually enslaved by the very religions that condemned and conquered those of their skin; it is about the ongoing economic drainage of what little they have in their country. The author is upset at how his country is more focused on religious debates and yearly state-sponsored trips to the "holy land" than actually improving the quality of life for the people.
It might seem an exaggeration to many, but the author proves his every point by providing proofs and links to his source of material throughout the book. His response to the book called 'What is wrong with being Black?' is the latest addition in this edition of the book. The author is flabbergasted at how this book seeks to justify and assert that being Black is the reason they are condemned for life, and saving themselves requires them to prostrate to the same God that has originally condemned them.
What I loved the most in the book were the witty remarks made by the author every so often in the middle of his ongoing rants. I also loved how the author didn't just talk about the problems but also discussed how to make them better and solve those issues. But do make sure to keep a dictionary or an open Google page nearby to keep up with the author's vast vocabulary.
It was hard for me to keep up with the extremely long sentences, unfamiliar history/knowledge and high-level vocabulary. I often needed to take breaks from the book to digest everything I read. It sure was not a one-seating read.
I would rate this a solid 4 out of 5. Given the complex topic, the author has made great efforts to compile and comb through history to legitimise every claim he made. Even for those non-religious, this might be some history and current affairs lesson.
This book is for sure not my usual cup of tea, but it has been a great reading experience. Fabulous work, author.
******
Religion: What If...
View: on Bookshelves