Official Review: Religion: What If... by Dele Owolowo

[InStoree]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Religion: What If..." by Dele Owolowo.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Religion: What if... ours had won? is a historical fiction book written by 'Dele Owolowo. The author has spent a good part of his life in the teaching profession, and has visited several different countries all over the world. The book mainly focuses on how Nigerians have been affected in terms of their spirituality; it analyses the psycho-spiritual consequences that came about as a result of the religious victory that was achieved by modern-day religions over the traditional African system of beliefs. The author has deployed the use of fictional history to achieve a descriptive illustration of the long-established African religions of Nigeria.

This detailed work has a total of eight chapters. 'Dele Owolowo has ingeniously structured four of the chapters in question form to engage the reader's mind in spiritual critical thinking. The book is based on the question, “What if…?”, in which the author tries to picture how different things would have been for the people of Nigeria had one of their traditional divinities won the great war of religions. In his book, the author also hints at how quickly Africans, in general, were able to drop their original faith and adopt the Western religions, simply because they wanted to feel spiritually equal to the Caucasoid race.

The book highlights the author's inquisitive nature, giving it the ability to engage you in some serious spiritual soul-searching, especially if you're related to the African's land. It is a novel designed for those with a detached attitude, and those open to new spiritual ideas. It prompts questions on several Biblical accounts, and also on present-day religions. I would recommend it to any person who loves to leaf through the influence that this dogma had on social-economic society. Although the theme is fictional, it might be a disturbing read for Christians, Muslims, or Hebrews, as the out-of-the-box Bible and Quran's analysis is somewhat controversial. It is also quite rich in historical knowledge, and therefore, it can be selected by history students, theologians, and even professors.

The author has done an impressive job with this challenging book; I am specifically amazed by how he was able to integrate the Nigerian style of language with the formal English language, and still achieve flow in his words. The paragraphs are well organized, and there is also the use of distinctive fonts. I was able to clearly differentiate the subject paragraphs from the other fictional diction paragraphs. One sure thing about the book is that it is quite educational, both in the historical and spiritual contexts. I have learned a very important lesson in one of his chapters in which he said that when we borrow from another culture, we should try our best not to only adopt their religious beliefs, instead, we should borrow their civilization as well.

In my reading, I did not encounter any profane words; the author delivered his message in a formal and friendly tone. The editorial team also did an amazing job; they surely deserve a standing ovation for making the book error-free, despite it having two different styles of English. For its educational nature and ability to engage reader's in constructive critical thinking, I am giving this book a 4 out of 4.

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Religion: What If...
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[BookPower9]

I might be amateur in terms reading the Bible. But it is my basis in building my relationship to God. There are many different religions originated from Western countries. No wonder if one day majority of us converted into this one. Maybe it's not really how Big is the religion, and the importance of it, but it's the Transformation of one person's life from the dark side to a very meaningful life. Keeping one's belief or a tradition may not be as bad as it is. But keeping it, and in many ways it does not contribute to a person's growth, spiritually and morally, then I think it is no use. For some it's worth fighting for, but still transformation is worth dying for.

[kandscreeley]

I'm not sure it's about any religion "winning." It seems like the author has done much research, but this isn't a book I'd enjoy. I'm not sure I'd agree with the author either. Thanks for the review, though.

[InStoree]

I might be amateur in terms reading the Bible. But it is my basis in building my relationship to God. There are many different religions originated from Western countries. No wonder if one day majority of us converted into this one. Maybe it's not really how Big is the religion, and the importance of it, but it's the Transformation of one person's life from the dark side to a very meaningful life. Keeping one's belief or a tradition may not be as bad as it is. But keeping it, and in many ways it does not contribute to a person's growth, spiritually and morally, then I think it is no use. For some it's worth fighting for, but still transformation is worth dying for.

I agree that staying true to your faith cannot be a bad thing, as long as that faith is pure and with good intentions. At the same time, the transition to another religion, or the adoption of new principles, can be part of the spiritual evolution of man. I believe that each of us discovers God/Allah/Creator in his own way, taking into account his background and understanding. However, this book has a message for African people, namely, not to forget about their roots and traditions in their Westernasing process. And I do believe that we are deeply connected to our roots, like the foundation of a building. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

I'm not sure it's about any religion "winning." It seems like the author has done much research, but this isn't a book I'd enjoy. I'm not sure I'd agree with the author either. Thanks for the review, though.

It's just a fictional theory, mostly based on the religions' history, of what effects would have been if other beliefs (not so known) would have won the religions war. In this case, what if the African tradition would have been one of the well-known religion, and the Western would have convert to the Nigerian beliefs, same as the vice-versa happened? That was quite interesting, but I totally understand your doubts. At first, I also hesitated, as I had the wrong impression that this sounds a bit arrogant. But it was only an appearance. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and for your comment, kandscreeley!

[GalmOne]

I'm not sure it's about any religion "winning." It seems like the author has done much research, but this isn't a book I'd enjoy. I'm not sure I'd agree with the author either. Thanks for the review, though.

Eh, I'd say that the evolution of religion in history IS about winning. Spain would be a Muslim country if the Saracens hadn't been beaten by the European countries, the Serbs, Croats and Bosnians would be one single people if not for the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman conquests, Africa would never have heard anything about Jesus if not for the European colonisation... More often than not, the fact that country X follows religion Y is due to the fact that it was invaded by country Z that brought religion Y along with them.

[Yin Jiang]

This sounds like a very interesting book that would challenge believers of traditional religions. I might give this a shot!