Personality and mission

In Africa, the Missioner (the person who sends the message), the Mission (the content of the message) and the Messenger require some degree of qualification. All the persons involved in a mission must be credible if the message is to be respected and accepted as authentic. At the community level, the King ordinarily sends the […]

In Africa, the Missioner (the person who sends the message), the Mission (the content of the message) and the Messenger require some degree of qualification. All the persons involved in a mission must be credible if the message is to be respected and accepted as authentic. At the community level, the King ordinarily sends the message but he is responsible to God to whom he gives account when he joins the ancestors. The contents of the message are often the concerns of the community. Among these concerns are the peaceful coexistence and happiness of the people in the community.  In many parts of Africa, this mission is expressed in proverbs such as: “Kill not the Messenger”; “A messenger who carries evil message pays with his life”; “Whoever kills a true Messenger kills the sender of the message”. The supreme Missioneris God Almighty. Therefore,the personality of the human carrier of God’s mission will attract more focus in this conversation. 
In some parts of Africa, kings are sacred and revered. The King is perceived as God’s representative hence in Etsako, Edo State of Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, the belief is that Kingship comes from God and it is God who anoints Kings. In some cultures of Africa, the king is an outward sign of the presence of God in the community. He is the mediator between God, the Deity and the Ancestors. The High Priests who serve as the mouth piece of God only work to help the King communicate the message of God to the people.  In the past Kings were not seen often except in sacred ceremonies. The king represents the transcendence who is the real owner of the message. In religion, prophets are called by God to give divine messages to the people. In the Old Testament of the Bible God was perceived as the King. He ruled the people through the Prophets. Here are some biblical signs of a true prophet which are also anthropological: he must accurately predict what will happen in the future; his prediction must come to pass; his message must not contradict the Scriptures; he must not give contradictory messages; his message must lead people to the true God and not away from him (Deuteronomy 18:20-22;13:1-3). Consequently, Israel practiced theocracy until the people demanded for a human king and Saul was missioned as the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 8). 
Human persons in spite of their limitations are called to the mission of God. The question of identifying who exactly is called by God or who called himself or herself to the mission calls for this enquiry. In history, some people who claimed divine calling into the mission as Prophets and the only voice of God had ruined their followers through indoctrination and manipulation. This may continue to happen if Prophets and Ministers of God are not subjected to critical experiment in the context of ethnology, physical, cultural and social anthropology. The assessment of religious leaders would go a long way to save the world from false prophets. Why anthropological and not psychological test? We use the former because anthropology is about the widest discipline in social sciences. It involves the study of a person and the world around him. Through the anthropological analysis of a person, the role of the spirit could be deduced from the actions and relational pattern of a person. We can understand  Saint John in this context: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Given again that by their fruits you shall know them (Matthew 7:16), those who claim to be true messengers of God could be x-rayed in Ethnology, Physical and Cultural anthropology.
Ethnology studies particular societies, distinct groups and differences in culture. A missionary working in a different cultural background can be accessed in the way and manner he relates to people in a different culture and how the people relate to one another. Does the missionary remain a prophet to the people or take over the social and political life of the people thereby making himself their king instead of serving them. Does he prey on them instead of praying for them? Assuming the Missionary is working in a multi-cultural region, does he promote inter-cultural dialogue to ensure the respect of human dignity irrespective of ethnic and cultural differences? In the context of ethnology, a true or false prophet could be identified. 
Physical anthropology studies the features of the human body, such as types of blood, the form and colour of hair, and the shape of the skull, which often show relationships between different groups of people or races. In Mission and Personality, there is need to enquire into the stuff the Prophet or founder of a religion was made of. How was he born? Who were his parents? What were his temperaments? What kind of mission did he present? How did he carry out this mission? Was he peaceful or violent? What were his legacies? Did he actually know who he was by way of intra-personal dialogue?  Did he request others to assist him to discover his true mission? Jesus Christ went through this kind of enquiry and interior castle (Mark 8:27-30). This study of a religious founder who existed long time ago is a gateway to understanding the followers in the present era. This is important because there are so many abnormal personalities today who claim to be imitating the founder of their religions whereas they are destroying humanity spiritually, morally and physically.
Cultural anthropology studies the life style of a people, human objects and tools. Here the culture under which the Prophet or Messenger lived is critically studied. Is it a culture that promotes human dignity or destroys human dignity? Is it a culture of hate, war or peace? A child’s first language is an involuntary inheritance. The environment contributes a lot to the behavioural pattern of a person. Sometimes, you can easily identify a person’s origin from the way the person speaks and behaves.The behaviour of some people could depend on what happened to them at birth and the consequent child trauma. There are some personality disorders that can appear in childhood. If these syndromes are not properly diagnosed and taken care of through debriefing and healing of memory, the child becomes an adult and could declare himself a prophet or minister of God with visions whereas the person is actually mentally unstable.
Social anthropology studies the way people live together in organized societies. Sometimes, some organized societies are disorganized by religious indoctrination that is passed from one generation to the other. Many people did not choose the particular religion they practice. Some people were born Christians and were told that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. The Christian could grow up with the belief that no one can reach God except through Jesus Christ. Acting on the belief that outside the Church, there is no salvation and that in the name of Jesus every knee must bow (Philippians 2:10); the Christian child could grow up with a sense of pity for whoever is not a Christian. He has been convinced that all non-Christians are going to hell. This could lead to antisocial behaviour if the child is not contextually trained to accept people of other religions. Same thing with followers of other religions. 
 With this awareness of our common humanity and social values, religion would cease to be perceived as a curse rather than a blessing.
Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria and a Consultor in the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims (CRRM), Vatican City ([email protected])