Real reasons I left Christianity for Ifa – Ex-pastor

An Ondo State-based pastor, Olabanjo Felix, who renounced Christianity and embraced Isese, an indigenous Yoruba spiritual tradition, has explained that the “deceit in Christianity” prompted him to abandon the faith to become an Ifa priest. Felix, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, alleged that there was “no true pastor of the Bible in Nigeria”, adding that many pastors in the country had turned Christianity into personal and family businesses. He said he became fed up with Christianity and what he described as the brainwashing of Christians by some pastors. Felix, who previously founded the Image of God Evangelical and Prophetic Ministries in Ibaka, Oka Akoko area of the state, renounced Christianity and declared his allegiance to Isese in a video which went viral on Thursday.

Announcing his transition from Christian ministry to Ifá practice, the former cleric also revealed his new spiritual identity. “I’m now Ifawamiri Aworanolodumare, Babalawo of Ifá,” he declared in the video. Felix expressed gratitude to his new spiritual mentor, the Araba of Isara-Remo, Olusegun Aifuwape, and his spiritual sons for guiding him.

He maintained that he publicly announced his decision to stop people from continuing to address him as a pastor even after he had stopped practising Christianity. “I did that video to announce to the world that I’m no longer a pastor because people kept addressing me as pastor, but I cannot continue to accept that. I don’t support deceit, so people have to know that I’m now an Ifa adherent,” he said. Felix, who said he was a pastor for more than three years, noted that his decision followed a two-year “soul-searching journey” during which he became increasingly disturbed by what he described as contradictions in the Bible and deception among some Christian leaders. According to him, his decision was not sudden, noting that he consulted several pastors in an attempt to examine his convictions before eventually leaving Christianity. He said, “I became fed up of Christianity because there is no true pastor of the Bible in Nigeria aside from Pastor Gbile Akanni. I’m a Bible student and I understand the Bible very well, but I was arrested by Ifa. I did not just change my religion overnight. Related News Backlash, support as pastor quits Christianity for Isese practice in Ondo

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“I changed from Christianity to Ifa worshipping two years ago when I was on a soul-searching journey. I was very disturbed with the confusion in the Bible and the deceit in Christianity. Before taking my decision, I tried consulting with other pastors to check myself because I thought maybe I was not truly born again, but I still could not continue with Christianity even with their attempts to change my mind.” Felix also disclosed that he considered converting to Islam before eventually settling on Ifa.

“I even tried converting to Islam because I consulted a cleric who advised me to go and study the Quran. I downloaded the Yoruba version of the Quran and I read, but I discovered that it is the same deceit. “After this, I made up my mind to learn Ifa and become an Ifa priest and I started looking for genuine Ifa priests to mentor and lead me. My conviction was further rooted in the potency of herbs and roots,” Felix added. According to him, his conviction was strengthened by his experience with herbs and roots, which he said contributed to his decision to embrace traditional Yoruba practice. Felix said he eventually found the Araba of Isararemọ, Oluṣẹgun Latunji Aifuwapẹ, on Facebook and contacted him about his intention to learn Ifa. He dismissed the perception that traditional religion was fetish, insisting that his practice of Ifa was centred on prayers, supplications and the use of herbs and roots, rather than fetish activities. “I found Araba of Isararemọ, Oluṣẹgun Latunji Aifuwapẹ on Facebook and I told him of my intention to learn Ifa. And since I joined him, I have never engaged in any fetish act. We have only been praying and doing supplications,” he said. Felix added that foreigners from different parts of the world visit the centre to learn about Ifa.

The former pastor further alleged that some Christian clerics secretly consult Ifa practitioners for divination despite publicly condemning traditional religious practices. “There is too much deceit in Christianity. The so-called men of God have used the religion to brainwash a lot of people. I cannot count the number of pastors that contact us for Ifa divination. “But I cannot do that, and that is why I came out openly to renounce Christianity and declared my allegiance to Ifa,” he said.

Olufemi Adediran