New major religion one 'of the hand'

As the population grows, professional sports leagues keep adding new teams.

Ditto for world religions.

For years, when it came to religion, people talked about the world's "Big Five": Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Now, according to author Stephen Prothero, that's changed. Today we have the "Big Eight."

Prothero adds Daoism (or Taoism), Confucianism and the Yoruba religion to the list.

Confucianism I know. I've been hearing the sayings of Confucius since I was a toddler. And I've studied Daoism.

But Yoruba religion?

Who? Where? Why? and When?

In his book "God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," Prothero calls Yoruba a religion of connection. It exists mainly in Africa, but over the years it has seeped West. It is now a major force in Brazil and also Cuba. In fact, when Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) used to sing "Babaloo" on the old "I Love Lucy" show, he was singing to the Yoruba deity Babaluye.

Marvel Comics recently brought out some issues based on Yoruba.

According to Prothero, there are about 100 million Yorubans in the world. Followers are often masked by other faiths, since Yoruba is a verbal religion that relies on stories for wisdom and insight.

People who practice Yoruba believe in reincarnation, but they also believe that before coming to Earth — or coming back to Earth — people get to choose their personalities, occupations and destiny. Writes Prothero: "But with birth comes forgetting. … so we wander through life veiled from our true purposes."

Fortunately there are special beings on earth who are here to help us understand our destiny. They are called "Orishas," and they help us by telling us ancient stories.

Today, Yoruba — like most religions — uses the Internet to get the word out. Special sites, such as Orishanet.org, pass along information and offer services.

Since Yoruba doesn't believe in drawing lines in the sand, many Catholics are Yorubans, as are members of other faiths.

People who follow Yoruba tend to be open for pretty much whatever's coming down the pike.

"Like Hinduism," writes Prothero, "Yoruba religion rests on practice more than faith."

It has been said Yoruba is a "religion of the hand" more than the head.

For Yoruba, the veil between this world and the spirit world is not only thin, it's practically transparent.

And the fact it has grown faster than a field of wild mushrooms shows many people today prefer a religion that gets things done to one that tells you what to think.

So, that's the latest addition to the dominant world religions.

Stay tuned.

Undoubtedly there will be more to come.

e-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com