Is Olódùmarè the same as the Christian God?

There is a desire to proclaim that Yorùbá culture is monotheistic and to say that Olódùmarè (or any other praise name) is the same as the Christian God in order to be deemed acceptable by outsiders.

In my opinion, Olódùmarè it's NOT the same as the Christian God for many reasons.

The concept of a "creator" is found in many cultures throughout the world, but each of these creators has its own name, characteristics, stories, etc.

Here are some differences between

Olódùmarè and the Christian God:

1. Olódùmarè is genderless, whereas the Christian God is generally thought to be a man, i.e., he is referred to as the father

2. Christians build temples and focus most of their worship on their God. We don't build temples or shrines to Olódùmarè or give offerings directly to Olódùmarè. In our cosmology, Olódùmarè tasked the Irúnmolẹ̀ (primordial spirits such as Ọbàtálá, Ògún, Ọ̀ṣun, etc.) with addressing the needs of humans.

3. Olódùmarè never said, "let there be light," and it didn't create the first human beings in a garden like Adam and Eve. In fact, many of the things that the bible says God did, were done by the Irúnmolẹ̀ from our viewpoint. In the bible, God created human beings, land, bodies of water, etc., whereas, to us, the Irúnmolẹ̀ handled many of these responsibilities. For example, Ọbàtálá is the one who molds our bodies. We have our own creation stories, which are radically different.

4. We don't view Olódùmarè through the diametric lens of good vs. evil. Olódùmarè is not in conflict with anyone or anything that resembles the Devil. Olódùmarè is neither "good" nor "bad." Olódùmarè is not vengeful towards human beings, and there is no concept of sin Olódùmarè has imposed upon us.

We need to accept African spiritual traditions as they are. They need no comparison. African traditions can and should stand on their own 💯.

In the words of Jacob Carruthers,

"African champions must break the chain that links African ideas to European ideas and speak with our ancestors without interpreters."