It is interesting how God will make Himself known to people even when there is no one to tell them about what God should and should not be. Take the example of the African tribes in Kenya before Christianity was introduced by Europeans. In the Agikuyu tribe, we had a single God called Ngai. He lived on top of Mount Kirinyaga, high above where any man had ever reached before. He was a Loving God who showered favors on His people by blessing them with abundant harvest from the farms, increased their domestic animals population, gave them many children and healthy families and enabled them to successfully fend off their enemies. Ngai could also be angry, especially when the people neglected to worship Him. In such situations, He would bring suffering through drought, disease, war and other natural and man made calamities. It is only through true repentance and numerous sacrifices that Ngai would be appeased. For this kind of work, the Agikuyu had religious figures who communicated with the spirits of the ancestors on behalf of the people. The spirits on the other hand communicated directly with Ngai.

The religious setup of the Agikuyu people was replicated by the various tribes not only in Kenya, but in other African countries. When the European missionary came into the country in the 19th century, he discredited our ways and managed to convince us that we were heathen. Of course this was possible with the backing of the gun from his brother the colonialist. Today, most African people will tell you that the African religious setup such as the Agikuyu’s was primitive and guaranteed one a place in the hottest spot in hell. That is not unexpected since we are also busy throwing our culture and tribal languages through the window at the expense of a foreigner’s. Of course there is nothing wrong with that since it is our choice to make.

The fact is that religious dominance did not start with the missionaries coming to Africa, and neither did it stop there. In history, every civilization that vanquished another inevitably inflicted its religion and ideas – or lack of ideas-about God on them. Today, the practice still continues. Despite the awesome size of God, various people are still insisting that God can only be found in the confines of their tiny churches on Sunday mornings only. But as it turns out, God does not disappoint them since they always have small memberships to match the small dose of God they have prescribed for themselves.

There is a man in my village who was so envious of his neighbor’s farming success that he dammed the tiny river that flowed through their land. The idea was to prevent water from flowing downstream and hence benefiting the neighbor. However, during the night, the dam filled up and water began overflowing sideways. As a result, it flooded the man’s farm and destroyed all his crops. In the morning, he had to remove the barrier in shame, and everybody else continued to enjoy the benefits of the water. I remembered this story since I recently saw the empty slots where the big loudspeakers were strategically placed outside a church to face another nearby church that does not have an electricity connection. These expensive looking gadgets attracted thieves who broke into the church and stole some valuables and drank all the wine before taking off into the night. Perhaps the thieves were sent to remind us that no one can dam God’s flow.

God is big. He is the creator of the universe. He is also to be found everywhere, and speaks to each person individually now, just as He has always done. A person only needs listen. One more thing; if everyone believes that their God is the true God, wouldn’t a simple supposition imply that there is only one true God?