I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. Marshall, Ruth African Spirituality, Politics, and Knowledge Systems - Toyin Falola 2022-03-10 Focusing on the three leading religious traditions in Africa (African Traditional Religion, Islam, and Christianity), this book shows how belief in the supremacy of sacred words compels actions and influences practices in contemporary Africa. [D@dIS(P]y`ne]y:fjGZ3yEAVOI QFY- Mystical power is found in all of them, in diminishing degrees. The . Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. However, the reasons for the growth of Christianity in Africa significantly include the way the Africans have attempted to deal with their threatening fears, especially witchcraft. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. Most African communities offered animals and not humans as sacrifices. Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. Therefore, the universe has dimensions of order and power as follows: first of all, there is order in the laws of nature. An important preoccupation of Mbitis work has been to show that knowledge of God and the worship of God have been staples of African life from the earliest times on the continent. This is called the Trinity. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. It is the religion which resulted from the sustaining faith held by the forebears of the present Africans, and which is being practised today in various forms and various shades and intensities by a very large number . It is worth noting that these animals areat no time offered as burnt offerings to God. 2 0 obj It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. Has data issue: true Postcolonial, Abstract Interfaith dialogue is commonly used in building peace and understanding among religious groups. Mbiti makes this point too when he stresses that the majority of African peoples believe that God punishes in this life. Although God is concerned with humanitys moral life and upholds the moral law, there is no belief that a person is punished in the hereafter for his or her wrongdoing in this life. (I myself have consulted with several diviners for my research on specific academic topics regarding African culture and history; consequently, if we were to lose Africas diviners, we would also lose one of Africas best keepers and sources of African history and culture. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious . 2 0 obj While both Christianity and African religion have a concept of a Supreme Being,Christians believe in a God who exists in three persons. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. This chapter includes information on: Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB) Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis For starters, the word religion is problematic for many Africans, because it suggests that religion is separate from the other aspects of ones culture, society, or environment. Just like in Christianity, traditional Africanreligion has organised practices. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. They believe that Obatala helped Olurun in creating theworld and everything in it. With regard to the issue of offering ones wife in generosity, this practice, as Laurenti Magesa has shown, applied to a very limited number of African ethnic groups, such as the Masai, and in very tightly controlled situations among friends within the same age group fraternity and on very limited occasions. It was believed that the animals blood appeased God. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. 1xxp~I7m#MWjxAqN,PT2^]R6C3Y'K~Bwv4-xwE@;5 There is also a mystical order of the universe. OLUPONA: If we lose traditional African religions, we would also lose or continue to seriously undermine the African practice of rites of passage such as the much cherished age-grade initiations, which have for so long integrated and bought Africans together under a common understanding, or worldview. 4 0 obj But as we learnt in Unit One, Christians can also worship Him attheir homes or other places. <> Thus, for example, older persons not only possess a more powerful vital force but a greater responsibility in society and more intense mystical powers. The position I critique in this paper is really a complex of closely overlapping positions, some more theoretically sophisticated or better grounded empirically than others.1 Their central thrust is to emphasize the similarities rather than the differences between current movements in the world religions, particularly Christianity and Islam, but also to a lesser extent in Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. However, Christians can offer animals to the church where they canbe sold or reared to give the church income. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential. They take the communion to remember thedeath and resurrection of Jesus. Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). There are also the lesser gods that take residency in streams, rivers, trees and mountains. University of Notre Dame, McGrath Institute for Church Life These gods are generally perceived as intermediaries between the Supreme Being and society. |,utv2QdjrqfM7PC)2-|O7,0[i=_a/Om"X`Y2FpXBjsFxCqDd`%*g,-J1e*jjq,tm{w>qAsAqN$D Hence, it cannot be avoided in the interaction between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. Therefore we speak of African Traditional Religion thinking of those common things. Christians give a tenth of all their earnings to God. Authoring or editing more than half a dozen books on religion and African culture (including the recent African Religions: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press), Olupona has researched topics ranging from the indigenous religions of Africa to the religious practices of Africans who have settled in America. endobj These differences, I will argue, have significant impact not just on the way people conceive of the moral world or with regard to moral intentions, but also on moral practices. The data also will include a survey he conducted in 1999 of 1201 participants across Ghana concerning the belief in the traditional spirit-world. ABSTRACT The concept of God in the traditional religion of Akan and Ewe ethnic groups compare to the Bible By Godwin Kwame Ofosuhene I am going to focus this writing, on how the Akan and Ewe ethnic groups of Ghana, understood God in their traditional religious practices and after that compare or discuss these beliefs in the light of the Holy Scriptures. The vibrancy of African Traditional Religion in these two aspectstheological and moralcreates a unique opportunity for Christianity in Africa, one that, as Bediako points out has been lost to Christian theology in the West, "for a serious and creative theological encounter between the Christian and primal traditions." African religions behavior is centered mainly on the human person and his or her life in this world, with the consequence that religion is clearly functional, or a means to serve people to acquire earthly goods (life, health, fecundity, wealth, power and the like) and to maintain social cohesion and order.. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. Creative people have bypassed gatekeepers for centuries to distribute what they wanted to share so badly. They find common ground in Houghton Library exhibition. According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. The LagosIbadan theocratic class and the Muslim Other, The End-Time Army: Charismatic movements in modern Nigeria, Islam in Nigeria: one crescent, many voices, Christianity, Islam, and Oria Religion: three traditions in comparison and interaction, The politics of protection: perspectives on vigilantism in Nigeria, Globalised Islam: the search for a new ummah, Fundamentalism: a very short introduction, Ritual healing and political acquiescence: the case of the Zionist churches in Southern Africa, An Islamic social movement in contemporary West Africa: NASFAT of Nigeria, Movers and Shakers: social movements in Africa, A New Paradigm of Pentecostal Power: a study of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/16/nick-cohen-islam-film-censorship. Africans believe in the existence of a mystical, invisible, hidden, spiritual power in the universe. This dissertation will attempt to explore how deliverance ministry has replaced the anti-witchcraft shrines and the exorcistic activities of the African Indigenous Churches. African traditional religion cannot be discussed without mentioning that it is the way of life of the people of Africa and so cannot be differentiated from the politics, education, and socialisation, etc. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. Some scholars have rightly observed that the centre of gravity of Christianity is shifting from the West to the two-thirds world, that is Asia, South America and Africa. For example, sickness in the indigenous African worldview is not only an imbalance of the body, but also an imbalance in ones social life, which can be linked to a breakdown in ones kinship and family relations or even to ones relationship with ones ancestors. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. Pp. All rights reserved. GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? Traditional Africans communicated to God through ancestors. Both believe that God is the creator ofhumankind. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. &RcIX6Wa). Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. When they pray they maykneel down, bow their heads or lift their hands up. The Yoruba, however, do have a concept of a supreme being, called Olorun or Olodumare, and this creator god of the universe is empowered by the various orisa [deities] to create the earth and carry out all its related functions, including receiving the prayers and supplications of the Yoruba people. ;;m]mB"DTSUD[j*3l D{k7@tB0cg]Er+e)skf6cRUiu,WdmlA#OLs81/#qs v(a6lA`O/HvX*3SME_qv&oMm?{{n GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). KEYWORDS: African Culture, Christian God, Deities, Religion, Values. This leads him into the whole area of theology of religions, in which the relationship between Christianity and other religions is currently the focus of lively debate. Before you discuss on how somebody is doing something, it is also good to look at the reason why the person is doing that thing, so that you can be in a better position to educate the person properly. ), Heritage of Faith: a history of Christianity in Nigeria, The carpenter's revolt: youth, violence and the reinvention of culture in Nigeria, Yoruba Elites and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria: Obafemi and corporate agency, The Clash of Fundamentalisms: crusades, jihads and modernity, False Prophets: the clash of civilizations and the global war on terror, Christianity, Modernity and Development in Africa, Social mobilization and collective violence: vigilantes and militias in the lowlands of Plateau State, Central Nigeria, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Islam, Youth, and Modernity in the Gambia: the Tablighi Jamaat, Cambridge University Press for the International African Institute, Muslim Modernity in Postcolonial Nigeria: a study of the Society for the Removal of Innovation and Reinstatement of Tradition, Pentecostalism, Islam and culture: new religious movements in West Africa, Christianity and Social Change in Africa: essays in honor of J. D. Y. Peel, The search for security in Northern Nigeria, Islamic Reform and Political Change in Northern Nigeria, Political Spiritualities: the Pentecostal revolution in Nigeria, Sects and Social Disorder: Muslim identities and conflict in Northern Nigeria, Ethnic vigilantes and the state: the Odua People's Congress in south-western Nigeria, Pentecostal presidency? Content may require purchase if you do not have access. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) Christians pray toGod through Jesus Christ. Some African diasporans are returning to the continent to reconnect with their ancestral traditions, and they are encouraging and organizing the local African communities to reclaim this heritage. endobj The Yoruba believe in the existence of the Supreme God called Olurun andthe lesser god, Obatala. This happened in the past, and these codes were stipulated, considered sacred and binding, by the community leaders: The moral and religious order in the universe is articulated and expressed in a variety of taboos and customs that prohibit specific actions contravening such order. Religion is part and parcel of daily life. February 21, 2019. Total loading time: 0 GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? Christ was tempted in all the ways Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. I answered two, The paper discusses the state of traditional African religion in post-apartheid South Africa. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax The traditional theologians also emphasized that as in all religious traditions, the belief and worship of the Supreme Being in ATR does not just mean the strict performance of certain rituals. They are thus moral agents. It is the ancestors, however, the custodians of tradition, who determine the way these agents act, and it is tradition that supplies the moral code and indicates what the people must do to live ethically. African traditions carry out their role as ethical guides in many ways, including myths and rituals. endobj In the Akan and Ewe ethnic groups the above phenomenological conception of ATR called for education in the light of the scriptures. This supreme . They did this as theyoffered libation by pouring water or any other drink to the ground. Traditional theologians explained that one could not worship the Supreme Being formally, without the agency of the divinities or ancestors. The Spirit medium is in many ways a subordinate agency within the layer of retributive order. The voice and action of the spirit medium connect the community with these moral and spiritual entities who help shape human destiny. degree at Harvard Divinity School. x\s6Q|jyLd*{-Jb"$e~ $@ 6G"F@w? hasContentIssue true, Copyright International African Institute 2016. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. Because many diseases are believed to have spiritual causes, traditional priests sometimes act as doctors or herbalists. <> Traditional Africans believed in the power of magic and medicinemen. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. hand with the study of the people who practise the religion. A sacrifice refers to an animal that is offered to God, e.g. These spirit do not carry the desires of humans to the Creator God. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? In addition, roughly a quarter or more of the population in 11 countries say they believe in the protective power of juju (charms or amulets), shrines and other sacred objects. Some ancestors may even be reincarnated to replenish the lineage. Odozor's Morality Truly Christian, Truly Africanpublished by theUniversity of Notre Dame Press. For instance, in a few years time, I pray that I will be participating in an age-grade festival for men around 70 years of age called Ero in my native Nigerian community in Ute, in Ondo state. L_}mB)b7h; uZ4 QI,^ID-*Rj" xx>@9lCQr [GE1Hz:Aj3>^5T-FPD5|. Commonly, God is believed to dwell in the skies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Just as within the traditional political and diplomatic contexts, one cannot formally contact the king without the agency of his linguists or sub-chiefs. There are untold millions, which are outside the fold who need to come into the saving knowledge of Christ. Christianity, African traditional religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Witchcraft was also feared and witchdoctors were respected as they had power tocurse, make people get sick or end their life. (See the glossary for more information on juju. Despite the presence of Christianity, traditional religions in Ghana have retained their influence because of their intimate relation to family loyalties and local mores. A belief in ancestors also testifies to the inclusive nature of traditional African spirituality by positing that deceased progenitors still play a role in the lives of their living descendants. These act as a link between God and the human community. Different fathers played a role in the development of this religion. May the Lord assist us to know the truth and walk in it. The bottom line then is that Africans who still wholly practice African indigenous religions are only about 10 percent of the African population, a fraction of what it used to be only a century ago, when indigenous religions dominated most of the continent. The Church also combines those who have died and those who still live. $70.00/$25.00. Belief in the ancestors presents the idea of reciprocity in the African traditional moral world. The recipient of many prestigious academic honors and research fellowships, Olupona also received the 20152016 Reimar Lust Award for International and Cultural Exchange, considered one of Germanys most prestigious academic honors. The numerous traditional African religions have in common the notion of a creator god, who made the world and then withdrew, remaining remote from the concerns of human life. Whilst interacting with the local African indigenous communities, and observing, The contact between African Traditional Religion (ATR) and Christianity is inextricably linkedto European economic activities that culminated into colonialism. 1630-1633), HEBREWS' CHRISTOLOGY AND ITS CONTEMPORARY APPREHENSION IN AFRICA 1, New Mind, New Heart, New Strength (A Paradigm on the New Man), Dissertation ETD Libermann and EA in Dialogue Dec 2013, Pentecostalism and Shamanism in Asia and Beyond: An Inter-disciplinary Analysis. OLUPONA: We would lose a worldview that has collectively sustained, enriched, and given meaning to a continent and numerous other societies for centuries through its epistemology, metaphysics, history, and practices. He then reflects on five "essential aspects" of. A network of mutual relationships and responsibilities links the duals worlds of the mundane and the sacred. ufF'dXeA^l4a*0(1l HLtA@a2O>bOk)x6*. O?+dOw\eOoHc_o~ Q:c qeM1ehb/j|-Xyy#=g vnxX,o"\4/I+{U40f_dX!y2#i.7Xi0}zi*_Qk({_8D2M"09E%kR`O"}Ec#O3+lwP/z[r=]jPh!eC6Ci{FKnW4 (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Mbiti says that: According to Mbiti, human beings have a privileged position in the universe. This work investigates the conflicts existing between the two . OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. Palmi, Stephan Everywhere he went in southwestern Nigeria, he never opposed or spoke out against African culture including initiation rites, festivals, and traditional Yoruba dress as long as it didnt directly conflict with Christianity. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. Veneration of departed ancestors is a major characteristic of all traditional religions. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Black Americans, Side by side with their high levels of commitment to Christianity and Islam, many people in the countries surveyed retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. (Hebrews 1:1,Matthew 5:17,Exodus 34:10-28). explore the things that fall in between"adiaphora", which the proponents of contextual Christianity may have overlooked with regard to the African cultural and religious heritage. The writing of this paper is another opportunity given to me so that l would use my talents given by the Holy Spirit to help our relatives still under the worldview of Satan to see and come into the Light of Life. However, to them, the entire universe is filled with spirit such as trees, rocks, and rivers. <> He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. Eternal Rest of the Soul. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. Feature Flags: { This power is not accessible to everyone, and in most cases it is inborn, but the person has to learn how to use it. They can also be the dead of the tribe, following the order of primogeniture. Religion is closely bound up with the traditional way of African life; therefore, religion has shaped the lives of Africans, at the same time life has shaped religion as well. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. by Richard Chowning [ ATR Topics Page | Africa Missions Research and Strategy Page | Africa Missions Main Page | Help ] [ QuickStart ] Creator God The supreme being in most African Traditional Religions is seen as the creator of humans and all other living things. Learn more about the similarities and differences of the religious systems of Africa, including indigenous religions, Abrahamic, Islamic, and Christian beliefs of people in the region. Acknowledgements, Introduction: Locations of culture, 1. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. African Traditional Religion appears to be a self-sufficient system, both from atheological point of view, in that it provides answers to questions of ultimate reality and meaning, at least to its adherents; and from the point of view of morality, in that it provides the moral rules, norms, and instruction in virtues by which human beings can live upright moral lives. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. In some communities masks were used to representcertain gods or ancestral spirits. African communities at the time but was also poised to become a site of religious and cultural conflict both within and between different communities in postcolonial South Africa. All life, power, and existence flow from God, and by right of their primogeniture and proximity to God by death God has granted the ancestors a qualitatively more powerful life force over their descendants. Who constitutes the world of the ancestors? Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. In lieu of these traditional African ways of defining oneself, Christianity and Islam are gradually creating a social identity in Africa that cuts across these indigenous African religious and social identities. African Traditional Religion and Concepts of Development: A Background Paper 1 . . But it is also the strict commitment, to the observance of certain (written or unwritten) divinely inspired moral prescriptions or codes of ethics, promulgated by the religious authorities and enforced by sanctions. For this reason, l am writing on the topic, which says, Comparing the concept of Spirit and Soul in the Traditional Religion of the Akan and Ewe Tribes to that of the Bible. endobj Highlights of the first writing were, the African Traditional Religion, the life of the ethnic groups in Ghana; their beliefs, customs, ritual and taboos. They do not offer any libation. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. Much of Oluponas work is an attempt to provide a fuller understanding of the complexity and richness of African indigenous thought and practice by viewing it not as a foil or as a useful comparative to better understand Western religions, but as a system of thought and belief that should be valued and understood for its own ideas and contribution to global religions. Adebanwi, Wale Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. The African Traditional Religion, which is still in place today, can be compared to Christianity through their similarities and differences. Witchcraft has been a prevailing belief in African cultures and has continually posed problems for the African people groups. In this paper, I interrogated the Gabola church in terms of its origins, purpose and its distinctiveness as a postcolonial manifestation of freedom of religion in South Africa. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. Some traditional African societies like the Yoruba believed in the existence of lessergods. This should make it clear why some African intellectuals would question the relevance of Christianity on the continent. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. According to Mbiti, Africans came to believe in God by reflecting on their experience and through observation of the created universe. The reasons for this shift are varied and complex. Omissions? These facts, however, does not necessary suggest that the educated Ghanaian has totally abandoned tradition; some educated and mission trained individuals do consult traditional oracles in times of crises. of the people which are all together. By Greens own admission, and as we shall see later, there are as many divergences on the architectonic hinge of these deep structuresGod, the human person, and the materialworldas there are similarities. For this reason, they can come to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the teaching of the Word of God because it is home going time. OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. Ronald M. Green of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, a non-African scholar of African religion, has also written about African Traditional Religion and about religion and morality in Africa. One scholar who has written extensively on African Traditional Religion is John Mbiti, a Kenyan whom many consider the dean of living African theologians. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? As a universal religion, Christianity has to find an, This article engages with the notion of Ndembu traditional eco-masculinities which was conceptualised in a framework of sacrifice as ground for manliness. Quantum computing simulation reveals possible wormhole-like dynamics. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. Priests undergo vigorous training in the arts of medicine, divination and other related disciplines and are, therefore, consulted on a more regular basis by the public. Magesa discusses the African tradition in its various manifestations: its understanding of the human person and of life in general; aesthetics, politics, ethics, and of course religion, which he shows to be the architectonic basis of these other expressions or manifestations of African tradition.
Terry Hall Obituary Oklahoma,
Wreck In Erlanger, Ky Today,
Kyle Cooke Net Worth 2021,
Monticello Estates Adairsville, Ga,
Articles S