THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE AMERICAN QUIMBANDA RELIGIOUS TRADITION

 

 

 

 

THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE AMERICAN QUIMBANDA RELIGIOUS TRADITION & AMERICAN QUIMBANDA SPIRITUAL PRACTITIONERS..

A picture showing "The Ascension of Nzambi Ntoto" (the God of Heaven who physically touched and walked the Earth). The Quimbanda religious tradition is monotheistic. Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one Supreme God. Religious initiates of the Quimbanda religion refer to Him as Nzambi or Nzambi Mpungu, "Almighty God of the Great Celestial Mysteries and the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth". In the Quimbanda religious tradition, God is also referred to as Nzambi Ntoto. In the religious context of our religious theology, the word Nzambi Ntoto means "God Who touched and walked the Earth". The religious initiates of Quimbanda also refer to God as Ndala Karitanga (God who created Himself) and Sa Kalunga (Lord Endless, Infinite and Supreme God), after having created the world and everything in it. Although many religious practitioners of Quimbanda would consider its religious philosophy as monotheistic, there are many elements of pantheism which have been incorporated within the confines of the belief of one true God. Pantheism is the view that the Universe (Nature) and God are identical and that the essence of God is found within the Cosmos as an all encompassing unity and the sacredness of Nature. There has been in recent years much debate and confusion about the Quimbanda religion as being polytheistic, but it is not. It is difficult to delineate from notions such as pantheism and monotheism. The confusion comes from the lack of understanding between the concepts of the term “worship” and the term “veneration.” Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed to one or more deities. Veneration is a special act of honoring a saint: a dead person who has been identified as singular in the traditions of the religion. In the world of Quimbanda, we worship God and venerate the deities or spirits (Nkisi). Catholics venerate the angelic spiritual beings called angels. Catholics also venerate the saints, (among them Mary), as human beings who had remarkable qualities, lived their faith in God to the extreme and are believed to be capable of interceding in the process of salvation for others; however, Catholics do not worship them as gods. There are other examples of monotheistic religions such as Christianity which embrace the concepts of a plurality of the divine; for example, the Trinity, in which God is one being in three eternal persons (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). Additionally, most Christian churches teach Jesus to be two natures (divine and human), each possessing the full attributes of that nature, without mixture or intermingling of those attributes. Although there can be found in the African continent as well as many other places of the world the belief in polytheistic religious beliefs and practices, the concept of monotheism in the ancient African continent has existed for over 8500 years and its concept is not new. The practice of monotheism in Africa predates the birth of Christianity. Most of the fear and misunderstanding about the Quimbanda and Candomble religious traditions come from individuals who have a lack of understanding about the religious philosophy of African cultures and their sacred traditions. Although we often define those spiritual entities venerated and associated with the Quimbanda religious tradition as deities or spirits, they are not. The word deity and the word spirit for those practicing traditional Quimbanda at the American Candomble Church simply means and refers to an elevated spiritual being (Holy One) which can be petitioned to intercede on our behalf directly to Nzambi (God) and assist us in the process of the spiritual elevation and the evolution of our soul. These deities or spirits are also referred to as angelic beings. The word “spiritual being” can be defined as an incorporeal being believed to have powers to affect the course of human events. The word incorporeal means “having no material body or form”. The word “angelic being” can be defined as a benevolent celestial being that acts as an intermediary between Heaven and Earth. This concept is the same as the veneration of the angels and the Saints by Roman Catholics. There is only one true God in the Quimbanda religious philosophy and we call him Nzambi, the "Father and Creator of the Heavens and the Earth", the "Creator of all that is “Seen” and “Unseen".

 The Afro-Brazilian religion of Quimbanda is a “mystery religion” or “gnostic religious tradition”. A mystery religion is any religion with an arcanum, or secret wisdom. In a mystery religion, an inner core of beliefs, practices, and the religion's true nature, are revealed only to those who have been initiated into its secrets.

For more information American Quimbanda Spiritual Practitioner religious educational program please contact Carlos De Bourbon-Montenegro at CarlosMontenegroBooks@gmail.com