OlOrisa_Olurun,
This is why I say that it has to be an semantics argument. If I see those of ATR who believe that 'evil spirits' are bothering them and have various things and ceremonies to get rid of 'evil spirits'. Those 'evil spirits' are not the 'devil' per se, as we believe it?
no "evil spirits" as you call (but understand that's YOUR language, not ours) are not the same as the devil. they are SPECIFIC categories of energy, spirits - some totally composed of spirit,some formerly human that have not spiritual evolved or exist to test the spiritual resolve of humans. they are not cast outs of "Heaven", they have no conflicted relationship with God nor Man, they do not seek a day when they will reign over Earth, they do not nor will they ever rule Earth. They are simply one part of Yin and Yang, Hot & Cold, Up and Down, Expansion and Contraction, Black and White, Light and Dark - evil exists purely to provide a background for spiritual conditioning. Afrikans say "we wouldnt know a good day, unless there was a bad one."
Do not, I repeat -do not -seek to draw similiarities between traditional Afrikan spirituality and christianity - there are almost none. Even our definition of success, good, ethical, and right/wrong is different. Afrikan spirituality is a science. Christianity is a dogma. They are opposites, not kindred ideas.
This is not an issue of semantics. There is NO Devil. In the Orisa tradition we expressly teach this idea to one another. There is NO Devil. No singular or chief engineer of Evil. No Lucifer. Etc.
Remember you are in the INDIGENOUS spirituality forum. Mainstream religious philosophy is discussed elsewhere.
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