An Ondo State pastor, Olabanjo Felix, has openly renounced Christianity after abandoning his church ministry to become an Ifa priest, citing deep-seated deceit, brainwashing, and biblical contradictions as his main reasons for leaving the faith.
The former cleric, who previously founded the Image of God Evangelical and Prophetic Ministries in the Ibaka area of Oka Akoko, declared his new path in a video that went viral. Transitioning into Isese traditional religion, he revealed his new spiritual identity as Ifawamiri Aworanolodumare, Babalawo of Ifá.
Why the Ex-Pastor Left Christianity for Isese Traditional Religion
Felix explained that his transition was not an overnight impulse, but the result of a two-year soul-searching journey. During this period, he became increasingly disturbed by commercialization in churches and systemic deception among leaders.
“I did that video to announce to the world that I’m no longer a pastor because people kept addressing me as pastor, but I cannot continue to accept that. I don’t support deceit, so people have to know that I’m now an Ifa adherent,” he said.
Before making his final exit, he attempted to address his doubts by consulting fellow clerics to examine his convictions.
“I became fed up of Christianity because there is no true pastor of the Bible in Nigeria aside from Pastor Gbile Akanni. I’m a Bible student and I understand the Bible very well, but I was arrested by Ifa. I did not just change my religion overnight,” Felix noted.
“I changed from Christianity to Ifa worshipping two years ago when I was on a soul-searching journey. I was very disturbed with the confusion in the Bible and the deceit in Christianity. Before taking my decision, I tried consulting with other pastors to check myself because I thought maybe I was not truly born again, but I still could not continue with Christianity even with their attempts to change my mind.”
From Biblical Study to Becoming an Ifa Priest
In his pursuit of spiritual clarity, Felix even briefly considered converting to Islam before finding his path in indigenous Yoruba tradition.
“I even tried converting to Islam because I consulted a cleric who advised me to go and study the Quran. I downloaded the Yoruba version of the Quran and I read, but I discovered that it is the same deceit. After this, I made up my mind to learn Ifa and become an Ifa priest and I started looking for genuine Ifa priests to mentor and lead me. My conviction was further rooted in the potency of herbs and roots,” Felix added.
He eventually connected with his mentor, the Araba of Isara-Remo, Olusegun Aifuwape, via Facebook. Expressing gratitude to Aifuwape and his spiritual sons, Felix dismissed common misconceptions surrounding indigenous practices, clarifying that his work focuses entirely on prayer, supplications, and natural medicine rather than fetishism.
“I found Araba of Isararemọ, Oluṣẹgun Latunji Aifuwapẹ on Facebook and I told him of my intention to learn Ifa. And since I joined him, I have never engaged in any fetish act. We have only been praying and doing supplications,” he affirmed, noting that international visitors regularly travel to the centre to study the tradition.
Clerics Secretly Seek Divination as Pastor Renounces Christianity
The new initiate further alleged that hypocrisy runs deep within the ecclesiastical establishment, claiming numerous Christian leaders secretly seek traditional spiritual consultation behind closed doors.
“There is too much deceit in Christianity. The so-called men of God have used the religion to brainwash a lot of people. I cannot count the number of pastors that contact us for Ifa divination,” he revealed.
“But I cannot do that, and that is why I came out openly to renounce Christianity and declared my allegiance to Ifa,” he added.
Ultimately, as this former pastor renounces Christianity, his public declaration stands as a firm refusal to maintain a double life, shedding light on his journey from the pulpit to indigenous Yoruba spirituality.
