People Are Joining the Humanistic Temple of Alkebulan, Here's Why.
Updated: May 10
People are joining the Humanistic Temple of Alkebulan, here's why. To understand why people are joining this church, let's start from the very beginning.
SCIENCE AND RELIGION
From the very beginnings, humans have always tried to explain occurrences of nature, and answer complicated questions such as "where did we come from and how did we get here?", or "what happens after we die?" Unfortunately, before science, humans used supernatural explanations to explain occurrences in nature, both on Earth and the skies above. The answers to these questions were given supernatural explanations. For the time, reasonably so. Anything in the world that was perceived as bad, was either the result of an angry god, or malevolent supernatural power. Anything good was the result of a gracious and loving god. Celestial or astrological occurrences formed the basis of many religious beliefs. Today, humans use science, logic and intellect to answer these questions, explain celestial and astrological occurrences and dispel thousands of years of supernatural myths.
Can science and religion coexist? Of course, they can. For thousands of years different religions have coexisted in this world. Coexisting peaceably is another story. Wars have been fought over religious ideology, religious influence and control.
DISSATISFACTION
Today, people are fed up with the greed and corruption of narcissistic political and religious leaders. Hypocritical religious leaders live lavish lifestyles, rake in billions of dollars, spend recklessly on expensive luxury items, with earnings gained from followers, who are often poor and suffering. Some religious leaders promise miracle healing, abundant wealth, or other gains with their so-called mystical holy powers, if you give enough money to receive it. Religious leaders from around the world are simply becoming wealthy, exerting control and abusing authority in the name of God. The top seven wealthiest pastors in the world have an estimated net worth of over $800 Million USD, and 6 of the top 10 are from the African diaspora. These pastors include:
Kenneth Copeland ($300 million) of the United States
Bishop David Oyedepo ($200 million) of Nigeria
Bishop T.D Jakes ($147 million) of the United States
Pastor Chris Oyakkilome ($50 million) of Nigeria
Pastor Joel Osteen ($40 million) of United States
Pastor Enoch Adeboye ($39 million) of Nigeria
Pastor Creflo Dollar ($27 million) of United States
Evangelist Benny Hinn ($25 million) of United States
Pastor T.B. Joshua ($10 million) of Nigeria
Pastor Joseph Prince ($5 million) of Singapore
People are suffering and they want answers, and they want action. People are rejecting the responses of "leave it up to God", "put it in God's hands", or "it wasn't the will of God" will it comes to addressing their basic needs or suffering. They are finally realizing that relying on "thoughts and prayers" to solve problems simply do not solve problems or get them through difficult times. In fact, it leads to inaction, and reliance on supernatural intervention that may never come. People are starting to wonder why their prayers are not being answered, why they are the ones that suffer, or if there's a God, why is he allowing all of this to happen in the world.
With the advances of modern science and technology, information is more easily obtained by people from all over the world. With a few keystrokes on the computer, people from remote areas can access and deliver vast amounts of information, news, updates, stories, etc. in a matter of seconds. People are learning and discovering new things that would have never been available to them before, and can fact check the information. This means religious doctrines, texts, teachings, and origins can now be questioned, scrutinized, dispelled, or disproved. Along with this, inquiring minds are beginning to open their eyes and use logic, rational thinking and the various sciences to form or cement their beliefs on things such as the ancient stories of Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, and the birth and life of Jesus among others.
People are free to explore and attempt to answer questions such as "Why doesn't God talk to us anymore, like he did in Biblical days?", "If we are all God's children, why does he answer prayers for some, but not all?", or "If what they say is true in the Bible, or other religious texts, why does science prove otherwise?" One thing people cannot definitively answer is whether God exists, and if so, who is he, she or it?
Stephen Hawking, once considered the most brilliant man in the world, was a renowned scientist, theoretical physicist and author. When asked about the future of religion, he stated,
"Religion was an early attempt to answer the questions we all ask: why are we here? Where did we come from? Nowadays, science provides better and consistent answers, but people will always cling to religion because it gives comfort, and they do not trust or understand science."
The Humanistic Temple of Alkebulan church was founded out of necessity. I believed that much of human suffering in the world, particularly from the African nations and the African diaspora, was due to the reliance on religion, superstition, the misunderstanding of science and the truths that it provides. In addition to this, humans were not living a virtuous existence which leads to the prevalence of greed, and a lack of compassion, and respect for humans and the environment. These things compounded with natural and man-made disasters, poor leadership, corruption, and exploitation by former colonial powers leave Africa and most of its people in shambles.
The Humanistic Temple of Alkebulan church was created as an Afrocentric religious institution, that focused on truth, spiritual awareness while resolving human problems in a humanistic way, using logic, rational thinking, and the sciences. The ultimate goal is to relieve human suffering. Prospective members are shocked when they are made aware of religious and historical discrepancies, and falsehoods. Although it comes as a shock to most, some prefer the comfort of religion over truth and awareness. For some prospective members, the feeling of freedom and relief is felt when presented with scientific and historical truth. With the freedom to think logically and rationally, it gives them a sense of comfort knowing that there is a clear solution to begin the processes of ending the suffering of humans and making this world a better place to live. To make that happen, members pledge to abide by a set of 20 virtues, or code of conduct.
The Humanistic Temple of Alkebulan church is much different than other churches. Currently operating mostly virtually, members are mostly from various African nations and the United States. Although living by the code isn't easy, members consistently lend emotional support and encourage each other to live by the 20 virtues of the Temple Code and build on the various skills and perspectives of the members. Members are not required to tithe. No money is required or asked of the members. Operations will be funded through donations, special project donations, fundraising, investments, and hopefully private and government grant funding.
Membership in the Humanistic Temple of Alkebulan church is growing in number and continue to expand in other nations. TEven though the Humanistic Temple of Alkebulan is primarily focused on the African diaspora, the church makes it clear that any person who want to take the pledge is welcome, regardless of race or ethnicity, age, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. These are just a few reasons why people are joining the Humanistic Temple of Alkebulan church.
Feel free to comment on this article. Donations can be made online at www.humanistictemple.org. Please subscribe and share. If you are interested in joining our FREE membership, click here.