Here at the RA we hear regularly from humanist organisations from all over the world, and it's always interesting to learn about the work humanists are doing in the developing world, where non-believers face very different challenges to those experienced by atheists in the secular West.
With that in mind, we thought we'd share something we received by email today. It's from Marcel Iweajunwa of the New Nigeria Youth Organization, and describes the recent funeral of a well-known Nigerian humanist Eze Ebisike, who was a former Roman Catholic priest. We found it fascinating, and thought you might too.
Lessons from a Humanist Funeral
On Saturday 2 March 2013 Humanists, friends, family members and other well wishers gathered at Okponkume Mpam Mbaise (Imo State - Nigeria) to pay last respects to a fallen humanist and who - true to to his belief - lived for humanity. As a person, I never met Eze Ebisike [above]. I only read his articles on the Hummay Groups and was shocked by his deep knowledge and thoughts about life.
Eze Ebisike was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest on the 19th April 1970 and thereafter occupied several important positions in the Catholic mission. He had a remarkable Priesthood as attested to by his former colleagues and friends who knew him well. However, during the 1975 National Nigerian Pilgrimage to Rome, Israel, Lourdes and Fatima, Ebisike had a reason to re-examine his belief. This was the after effect of what he saw and experienced in the Holy Land. According to the family records, Ebisike was shocked at the superstition, deceit, and money-mania that surrounded the Vatican, the Holy Land, and the shrines at Lourdes, Fatima, the church, and the governments of these countries. Ebisike told his close associates and family members that the Pilgrimage was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Eze Ebisike right there in Jerusalem decided to resign from priesthood and disassociated himself from every religion in the world.
However, of great importance is what happened during the funeral.
As the corpse arrived at the family house, family members were united in support of his life stance. Together, they received the corpse and after the traditional ceremonies performed by the community leaders, the corpse was taken to a village hall built by his in-law Chief John Ekere Etim in his memory. As people stood wondering what will happen since there was no reverend priest to 'bless' the corpse, the past Chairman of the Nigerian Humanist Movement, His Royal Highness Eze Enyeribe Onuoha (also a former Catholic priest) took over proceedings at the hall.
One by one people filed out to acknowledge that Ebisike was a great source of hope and inspiration to them.He supported many he did not know and directly offered assistance to many young people from his community to achieve university education. Several people, many from outside Imo State, came and testified that Ebisike was instrumental to what they achieved in life. As friends filled past his motion less body, His Royal Highness Enyeribe Onuoha used the opportunity to inform mourners what humanism means and what they believe. Using the local language, in a form of poem but very novel and creative, Onuoha presented a question and answer session in which he told mourners that Humanists do not belief in Creation, God, Devil, Soul, Spirit, Angels, Heaven, Hell, Witches and Wizards. Before he could continue, the whole hall erupted in laughter and disbelief. Not done, he said Humanists do not believe because they have never seen these things. When they see, they will believe.
At this point, there was a surge. People standing outside struggled towards the hall to catch a glimpse of where what they were hearing was coming from. In their lives, they had never seen anyone saying openly and boldly that God, Devil, Heaven, Hell, Angels are mere stories like tales out of moonlight. Contrary to expectations the actual internment was witnessed by more people after the news had spread that something unusual was going on in the community. At the grave side other Humanists sang songs as Eze Ebisike's body was covered with sand.
