Why I Pray With My Eyes Open
Especially when blessing my food.
Ihave developed a terrible distrust for the last two of the three Abrahamic religions — Christianity and Islam.
Especially so for their political undertones and imperialistic motivations.
But terribly so for their practice in Africa and Nigeria in particular.
Immediately I see you with a Bible or covered in a Hijab, my precursory trust in you, which is normally substantial for any other human that I'm coming across for the first time, drops to a minus zero (-0).
This isn’t a prejudice, trust me — I simply cannot immediately trust a man who sees the need to walk around brandishing religious paraphernalia.
I always wear a Longines watch piece on my wrist and it's not that I'm so time-sensitive but I have long hands and I think it fits. Some birds even tell me they like me for it.
***Even if I'm blushing, you can't tell; I'm black. Haha!
Also, I like a pair of Nike with my blue jeans because with it I make a fashion statement. A quiet one, as I prefer.
Then again, while no whole group of people has ever taken arms against another for simply wearing a pair of Nike, the most brutal, the most gruesome of atrocities have been (and still are) occasioned by religion. So, forgive me if I look at you warily, good fellow, I'm human after all.
And don’t give me that BS about how peaceful and loving Islam and Christianity are — you just need to show kindness towards your fellow man, why do you need a book or a particular style of fabric worn in a particular manner to prove that?
"So many religions, so many ideologies, when all the world needs is a kind heart and a big bowl of bush meat and pounded yam on a fine Sunday evening like this" — KX, around 2 am one night when he couldn’t sleep.
Also, my distrust for these religions stems from a lack of my ancestors's historical and cultural relevance to some of their rituals which makes it all the more difficult to relate.
Look at the Jewish marriage ritual of "Bedeken" for example;
Bedeken: During the ketubah signing, the groom approaches the bride for the bedeken, or veiling. He looks at her and then veils her face. This signifies that his love for her is for her inner beauty, and also that the two are distinct individuals even after marriage. It also is a tradition stemming from the Bible wherein Jacob was tricked into marrying the sister of the woman he loved because the sister was veiled. If the groom does the veiling himself, such trickery can never happen.
You see the clear logic why contrary to Western marriage tradition, the groom veils the bride himself before a Jewish wedding to which any Jew can relate, right?
Our experiences and learning continuously shape our culture which then influences our religious practices.
Contrary to what is preached here in Africa, religion is supposed to make us wise not stupid.
"What we believe is (and should be) the sum of our experiences and discernment." — that’s me again, seated under a mango tree.
So, they said my ancestors should close their eyes to pray and when they opened, they were chained and shipped to a land far away to pull carts like Cows.
The Catechism said the logic to close our eyes was so all distractions would be avoided during prayers. And that's reasonable.
But I just can't. Especially when blessing my food.
What if I open my eyes and my plate is gone?
What if someone sprinkles poison in it? All our eyes are closed, who'd see the enemy?
Religion should make people wise, not stupid — I keep my eyes wide open like a child seeing the world for the first time.
Published and enjoyed by Annelise Lords.
