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"All this was at a time when the only religion your Anglo-Saxon ancestors were acquainted with comprised painting their faces blue and howling at the moon......... There is nothing disturbing about Africans embracing Christianity, unless you presume to know what is good for Africans and what is not."
Okay, I admit I've got an obsessive fascination with pre-colonial non-Christian non-Muslim Africa. Of course it's up to Africans to embrace whatever religion they want. But like I said, I've got a bit of a chip on my shoulder about the way the "Abrahamic" faiths have eclipsed other religions and cultures in so many parts of the world. I just don't like it.
By the way, it was the Celts who painted themselves blue, not the Anglo-Saxons. The indigenous religion of the Anglo-Saxons was basically the same as that of the Germans and Scandinavians. It included a number of gods, the chief or which was Woden. In fact, the Scandinavian name for this god, "Odin", sounds similar to the West African Yoruba god Ogun.
Anyway, what's wrong with painting oneself blue and howling at the moon? It sounds fun to me!
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