We are all religious beings: A conversation with Joe Kobuthi

(Trigger alert: Discussion of religion)
The Shakahola massacre in Kenya raised a heated debate in Kenya about the role of Christianity in Kenyan life. The dominant narrative has been that since Christianity is a colonial religion, everyone who follows it has tragedy coming to them for being stupid and colonized enough to follow it. Joe Kobuthi walks us through a discussion of philosophy of religion and history to explain why Kenyans frequent such damaging religious spaces, but also why the narrative of foolish, colonized Kenyans is erroneous.

[@mbayoroji]

This discussion and channel is really a gift. Thank you Prof. Njoya and Joe Kobuthi for this platform and this conversation

[@FrankNandi]

Always a breath of fresh air listening to intellectuals dissect issues and knowledge, thanks doktaris

[@va2439]

Bravo! what a potent, refreshing and carthatic conversation. I wish every African, and citizen of the Global South would hear this. We have so much to uncover here. we have so much that starts to give us sense of the madness of 500 years, the experiences and habits of those who turned themselves our enemies did. The restlessness of the difficulty of conversations. Of course the West-Africa conversations have gone nowhere; we have people who spiritually and psychology believe themselves to be infallible because they believe that they ar like God, that they are God, and God's habits are incontestable! No wonder! Please offer us another session. Could Joe please present something on the meaning of rescinding the Doctrine of Discovery? what are the implications of this "exorcism" by Pope Francis? Can the acts removal be reiterated through exorcisms in our territories, to liberate our bound ancestors as well? Again, bravo! Bravo! More of this.

[@yveqeshy]

I would love to hear a part 2 of this conversation given where we are as a country today with the recent protesting specifically to hear both your opinions on whether you think there's new hope for working through the intellectual project. I also agree with the general idea that the current university education in Kenya that segregates the different schools from interacting example STEM students barely ever step foot in any humanities or arts classes and vice versa is part of what creates this system where we're churning graduates who lack a wholesome vies of the world and I say this as someone who has been affected by this system.

[@mwendwachuma6581]

This is EASILY the most profound conversation i have heard the privilege of listening to so far in my human journey...such pertinent issues discussed with reflection and love. Was drawn in almost immediately by the arguments and had several eureka moments during the back and forth...oh my goodness. Waaaandafu. Asanteni sana.

[@kuig]

This was good, appreciating that you went beyond the last 500years,bring more of these discussions. please.

[@danielndiritu6527]

Smart brains

[@sunrise2148]

Brother Kobuthi is well read and has the ability to consolidate and elucidate his vast wealth of knowledge.
I'm under the impression that spirituality encompasses religion, and Africa had its own spiritual systems prior to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc. Once your religion involves proselytization it's no longer a spiritual system but a political one.

[@MaishaKazini]

We're not interested in a Eurocentric genesis narrative of pure origins. We are also not in a competition for pure and supreme religions, which again, is a Eurocentric narrative. We were discussing religious/spiritual experience. If you're on a mission to prove that Africa had something equivalent to Europe's, or pure from European contact, or even more impossible, completely detached from politics, I'm sorry, that isn't the conversation we offer on this channel.

[@KimaniKibobiMethi]

Manifest destiny is a about God's promised land to his chosen people.