Across families
Umbanda and Yoruba Ifá
Different families with 12 axes in close agreement — the sort of pairing a quiz weighting only the divine axes would never surface. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.13 (0 would be identical).
A Brazilian synthesis of Yoruba orixás, Kardecist reincarnation and Catholic saints, in which spirits work through mediums to do practical good. Charity is the point, syncretism is the method, and no existing quiz can return it.
A vast memorised divination corpus, a remote supreme being, hundreds of orisha, and a personal destiny chosen before birth that can be renegotiated. The source tradition for most of the Afro-diasporic religions in this matrix.
Where they agree
A1 Divine reality
Both sit at a divine reality certainly exists — a gap of 0.00.
A3 Plurality
Both sit at many powers and spirits — a gap of 0.00.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Both sit at essential and prescribed — a gap of 0.00.
D3 The body
Both sit at between to be disciplined and to be celebrated — a gap of 0.00.
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good
Both sit at between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight and leaning achieved by effort or insight respectively — a gap of 0.03.
E4 Standing of nature
Both sit at animate and itself sacred — a gap of 0.03.
A4 Locus
Both sit at fully present within it — a gap of 0.04.
E2 Origin of the cosmos
Both sit at leaning an intentional act — a gap of 0.05.
C1 Survival of the self
Both sit at continues in some form — a gap of 0.06.
C2 Shape of time
Both sit at cyclical return and leaning cyclical return respectively — a gap of 0.06.
C3 The human condition
Both sit at leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound — a gap of 0.08.
B3 Institutional authority
Both sit at leaning clergy and tradition decide — a gap of 0.10.
Where they part company
B2 Reading of sacred text
Umbanda: metaphorical, or no text at all. Yoruba Ifá: leaning literal and binding. A gap of 0.50 on an axis running from “literal and binding” to “metaphorical, or no text at all”.
E3 Locus of belonging
Umbanda: between a people, inherited and an individual choice. Yoruba Ifá: leaning a people, inherited. A gap of 0.40 on an axis running from “a people, inherited” to “an individual choice”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Umbanda | Yoruba Ifá | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | a divine reality certainly exists | a divine reality certainly exists | 0.00 |
| A2 Personhood | leaning a personal being one can address | between impersonal principle or order and a personal being one can address | 0.23 |
| A3 Plurality | many powers and spirits | many powers and spirits | 0.00 |
| A4 Locus | fully present within it | fully present within it | 0.04 |
| B1 Source of truth | leaning reason and direct experience | between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experience | 0.34 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | metaphorical, or no text at all | leaning literal and binding | 0.50 |
| B3 Institutional authority | leaning clergy and tradition decide | leaning clergy and tradition decide | 0.10 |
| C1 Survival of the self | continues in some form | continues in some form | 0.06 |
| C2 Shape of time | cyclical return | leaning cyclical return | 0.06 |
| C3 The human condition | leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound | leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.08 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | leaning achieved by effort or insight | 0.03 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | essential and prescribed | essential and prescribed | 0.00 |
| D3 The body | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | 0.00 |
| E1 Exclusivity | many valid paths | leaning many valid paths | 0.22 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | leaning an intentional act | leaning an intentional act | 0.05 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | between a people, inherited and an individual choice | leaning a people, inherited | 0.40 |
| E4 Standing of nature | animate and itself sacred | animate and itself sacred | 0.03 |
Positions for Umbanda rest principally on Umbanda terreiro practice and Ortiz, A Morte Branca do Feiticeiro Negro; for Yoruba Ifá, on Odu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship. Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.
The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.