similarities between african traditional religion and christianity pdf
Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. 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? Belief in the ancestors presents the idea of reciprocity in the African traditional moral world. I should add that without claiming to be full members of indigenous traditions, there are many professed Christians and Muslims who participate in one form of indigenous religious rituals and practices or another. for this article. This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. endobj 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. Traditional Africans communicated to God through ancestors. Devoid of essential personal characteristics they represent the essence of what might be called structural personality. They are not mutually exclusive. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Thus, everythingis not completely unpredictable and chaotic because of this order. OLUPONA: Yes, its a mixed bag because in the African diaspora mostly due to the slave trade starting in the 15th century indigenous African religions have spread and taken root all over the world, including in the United States and Europe. This is called a tithe. But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. $70.00/$25.00. Traditional Africans didnot have this practice. From this view point, Ill begin to say that African Traditional Religion (ATR) involves the belief and worship of the Supreme Being known and revered all over Africa as Onyame in Akan, Mao in Ewe, Chineke in Igbo and Oludumare in Yoruba etc. the other in tradition poses a serious dilemma for both Christianity and tradition in Africa. 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. This dissertation will attempt to explore how deliverance ministry has replaced the anti-witchcraft shrines and the exorcistic activities of the African Indigenous Churches. SIMILARITY AND DIFFERENCE, CONTEXT AND TRADITION, IN https://doi.org/10.1017/S0001972016000565, Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. The Yoruba believe in the existence of the Supreme God called Olurun andthe lesser god, Obatala. The contact was in fact,between two. endobj The worship can be direct , but is done (mostly) indirectly through divine agents like the gods or divinities (abosom in Akan , legbaa in Ewe ) and the ancestors. Content may require purchase if you do not have access. (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. &RcIX6Wa). Who Should Christians Worship? Journal of Biblical Unitarianism 1:1, 5-33, 2014. Hostname: page-component-7f44ffd566-79tgq Some of the ideas from Mbitis works are pertinent to our discussion here: Africans believe in a hierarchy of beings, from the ultimate being, God, to lesser ones, divinities, spirits, the living dead, human beings, animals, plants, and inanimate beings. 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. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Christians give a tenth of all their earnings to God. This supreme . He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. For instance, if we were to lose indigenous African religions in Africa, then diviners would disappear, and if diviners disappeared, we would not only lose an important spiritual specialist for many Africans, but also an institution that for centuries has been the repository of African history, wisdom, and knowledge. The Church also combines those who have died and those who still live. Creative people have bypassed gatekeepers for centuries to distribute what they wanted to share so badly. They find common ground in Houghton Library exhibition. Render date: 2023-03-01T10:31:12.538Z People may complain to God and the ancestors, but they will never accuse them of any moral wrongdoing. psC68k}(`eMTO} }3sUO?JH`dMQois6I{r[}Doq?L0}ze^WZ\|r?3Z %g~bs_*@F`b, vw`qRk3xnnH6NSKF vFK](S?I.$@\$OC(N#a6oJc!0 sm!$!'TGzmSvw)+Na?1s K{o?!I x\s6Q|jyLd*{-Jb"$e~ $@ 6G"F@w? 3 0 obj |,utv2QdjrqfM7PC)2-|O7,0[i=_a/Om"X`Y2FpXBjsFxCqDd`%*g,-J1e*jjq,tm{w>qAsAqN$D These initiation rituals are already not as common in Africa as they were only 50 years ago, yet age-grade initiations have always helped young Africans feel connected to their community and their past. The action of the living, for example, can affect the gods or spirits of the departed, while the support of family or tribal ancestors ensures prosperity of the lineage or state. The Christian idea of church has similarities with African traditional life in which brotherhood and the extended family play a central role. Traditional Africans had to go to specific sacred placesfor them to worship but Christians can worship God anywhere at any time. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. Traditional Religion as a source of African theology just as Christian theology is. Christ was tempted in all the ways Christianity forbids human sacrifices in worshipas it is murder. There are untold millions, which are outside the fold who need to come into the saving knowledge of Christ. Encyclopedia of religious and spiritual development, Adopting Primary Taoism as a Protoevangelion for Contextualization of the Gospel into Asian Culture, Toward a Liturgical Approach to Re-Routing Mission, TOWARDS A THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE MYSTERY OF SUFFERING IN THE MIDST OF PROSPERITY THEOLOGY WITHIN THE PENTECOSTAL AND EVANGELICAL CHURCHES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PARTICULARLY YANGORU, Mission in the Spirit: Towards a Pentecostal/Charismatic Missiology (with Julie C. Ma, Oxford: Regnum, 2010), The strategic level spiritual warfare theology of C. Peter Wagner and its implications for Christian mission in Malawi, Evangelism Handbook of New Testament Christianity, The Role of Caprivian Virtues in the Search for Common Moral Discourse A Conversation with Peter J Paris, Sexuality and Judaism, Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion (pg. This is the kind of interlocutor who will counter an observation about violent militancy in contemporary Islam in the context, let us say, of a discussion about Boko Haram with But what about the Crusades? Has data issue: true Thus, to assert as Mbiti does that there are no secret sins or that something or someone is bad or good only according to outward conduct is too careless a statement to make. Keywords: contextualization . While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. This power originates from God but is possessed hierarchically by divinities, spirits, and the living dead, and it is available to some people, in various degrees. Youll never experience a black hole, but Avi Loeb can help you imagine one. Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. Akiki Nyabongos novel, Africa answers back, reveals that religious syncretism in Africa is a reality that has persistently painted Christianity as an offshoot of traditional African religions. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. This work investigates the conflicts existing between the two . I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. KEYWORDS: African Culture, Christian God, Deities, Religion, Values. For instance, the Yoruba religion has historically been centered in southwestern Nigeria, the Zulu religion in southern Africa, and the Igbo religion in southeastern Nigeria. 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. Witchcraft has been a prevailing belief in African cultures and has continually posed problems for the African people groups. 24 October 2016. To understand African tradition, one needs to understand the position of African Traditional Religion on God, the human person, and creation. Christians acknowledge the existenceof magic and witchcraft. These intermediary agents include the ancestors, members of the community who at death become idealized. ABSTRACT PART II: Comparing the concept of Spirit and Soul in the Traditional Religion of the Akan and Ewe Tribes to that of the Bible By Godwin Kwame Ofosuhene In the part one of my writing, with the titled The concept of God in the traditional religion of Akan and Ewe ethnic groups compare to the Bible - dated 31st May 2006, l explained how the Akan and Ewe ethnic groups of Ghana understood God in their traditional religious practices. Ifa is an indispensable treasure trove of knowledge that cant be duplicated elsewhere; much of its knowledge has been handed down from babalawo [Ifa priest/diviner] to babalawo for centuries. 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. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. This is called the Trinity. Whenever. Christian teaching forbids making of any kinds ofimages to represent God. Traditional Africans did not practice baptism. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. Postcolonial, Abstract Interfaith dialogue is commonly used in building peace and understanding among religious 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. To ensure that a natural balance is maintained between the world of the sacred and that of the profane, the roles of the chief within the state, family elders in relation to the lineage, and the priest within society, are crucial. Mbiti makes a very controversial point when he claims that in African societies there are no acts that would be considered wrong in themselves. 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. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. 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 spiritual medium is the physical embodiment of the religious retributive order in which Africans know themselves to stand.. A sacrifice refers to an animal that is offered to God, e.g. They do so by going to the hospital. For Christians itsa church. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. Some traditional African societies like the Yoruba believed in the existence of lessergods. Areas of interest to read in the part one was how Christianity has found an inroad into the lives of so many who were living in deep darkness and slavery to the evil powers. 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. Christianity, African traditional religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. 3 0 obj Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. ), In addition to expressing high levels of belief in the protective power of sacrificial offerings and sacred objects, upwards of one-in-five people in every country say they believe in the evil eye, or the ability of certain people to cast malevolent curses or spells. Just as within the traditional political and diplomatic contexts, one cannot formally contact the king without the agency of his linguists or sub-chiefs. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. between African traditional religion and the Christian faith. African spirituality simply acknowledges that beliefs and practices touch on and inform every facet of human life, and therefore African religion cannot be separated from the everyday or mundane.. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. Some ancestors may even be reincarnated to replenish the lineage. Even though their differences outnumber their. Featured Image:Edo people, Queen Mother Pendant mask, circa 16th c.; Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. They did this as theyoffered libation by pouring water or any other drink to the ground. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/Annots[ 9 0 R] /MediaBox[ 0 0 595.32 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S>> OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. The Yoruba diviners, for example, draw on this extensive indigenous knowledge every day by consulting Ifa, an extensive literary corpus of information covering science, medicine, cosmology, and metaphysics. This is the function of Gods providence and sustenance of the universe. This power is not accessible to everyone, and in most cases it is inborn, but the person has to learn how to use it. Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature, based at the Allen Institute for AI. They believe that Obatala helped Olurun in creating theworld and everything in it. For example, in 14 of the 19 countries surveyed, more than three-in-ten people say they sometimes consult traditional healers when someone in their household is sick. According to Mbiti, Africans came to believe in God by reflecting on their experience and through observation of the created universe. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. Marshall, Ruth Ancestors can offer advice and bestow good fortune and honor to their living dependents, but they can also make demands, such as insisting that their shrines be properly maintained and propitiated. Christ Jesus, God's own son, takes the "groaning" of humans to God. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. Paulinus Ikechukwu Odozor, C.S.Sp., is Professor of moral theology, the theology of the world church, and Africana studies at the University of Notre Dame. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. When one becomes a Christian he/she is baptised. and Janson, Marloes They have also fostered a greater feeling of individual self-worth by acknowledging important milestones in ones life, including becoming an adult or an elder. The numerous traditional African religions have in common the notion of a creator god, who made the . 4 0 obj 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. } Copyright 2023 Editorial Statement: This essay is a slightly modified excerpt from the section "Evaluating African Traditional Religion: The Descriptive Task" (98-107) in Fr. Both have places of worship. Christians pray toGod through Jesus Christ. Traditional theologians explained that one could not worship the Supreme Being formally, without the agency of the divinities or ancestors. 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. Those to whom this power is accessible can use it for good, such as healing, rainmaking, or divination, while others can use it for harm, through magic, witchcraft, and sorcery. 1 0 obj Witchcraft was also feared and witchdoctors were respected as they had power tocurse, make people get sick or end their life. Like Mbiti and Green, Magesa notes that the world of African Traditional Religion is a hierarchically ordered place where, On the lowest rung of the ladder are spirits, who are active beings distinct from humans and reside in nature and phenomena such as trees, rivers, rocks, or lakes. 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. endobj In the end, I believe that Africans can make room for a plurality of religious points of view without one religious point of view excluding or compromising the other. The . OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. It evolved through many centuries, before the westerner come to Africa. Using Ghana as a case history, I shall evaluate this ministry to find out its positive and negative effects. Christians do not have regard for their powers because they believethat they overcome all evil through the name of Jesus. OLUPONA: I was raised in Africa during the 1960s, when the Yoruba community never asked you to chose between your personal faith and your collective African identity. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? The religious functions, especially of chiefs and lineage heads, are clearly demonstrated during such periods as the Odwira of the Akan, Hogbetsotso / Tedudu of the Ewe, the Homowo of the Ga-Adangbe, or the Aboakyir of the Efutu (coastal Guan), when the people are organized in activities that renew and strengthen relations with their ancestors. The spirit medium is required to possess moral probity and integrity. Both have initiation rites into full membership. African spirituality is truly holistic. <> While Islam and Christianity tend to be overtly resistant to adopting traditional African religious ideas or practices, indigenous African religions have always accommodated other beliefs. Jacob Olupona, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School and professor of African and African-American studies in Harvards Faculty of Arts and Sciences, recently sat down for an interview about his lifelong research on indigenous African religions. <> Africans had shrines they believedGod dwelt in. Updated: 10 . 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 They claimed or argued strongly that in the light of the more objective or scientific study of religions, ATR can no longer be justifiably characterized as stupid, since the worshippers do not worship the said material objects per se, but the Spirit of the Creator reflected in them. Below is the article summary. I am going to use the research reports of Opoky Onyinah , which he carried out among Ghanaian Christians between 1997 and 1999. % Part one looks briefly at the matter of religion itself. It is worth noting that these animals areat no time offered as burnt offerings to God. However, in African religious thought God is distanced from the task of moral affairs because the task of moral retribution and maintenance of effective moral norms is usually performed by spiritual agents of much lower standingthat is, by spirits of various sorts, by ghosts and even by human practitioners of spiritual arts. Other characteristics that show the contrast between (Western) Christian thought and African Traditional Religion,according to Green, are the nonexistence of concepts of heaven and hell in African Traditional Religion, the lack of messianic expectations and hope, and the absence of eschatological thought with God stepping in to right all wrongs or to punish wickedness. And although African Traditional Religion affirms the continuation of life after death, where the person is believed to join the spirit world of the ancestors to continue life in some ways similar to the life before death, this belief does not constitute a hope for improved existence or for ultimate reward and punishment since a persons moral depravity or moral rectitude [does] not count in the beyond and whatever penalties or rewards those may bring have no bearing on life after death.. When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. 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. Level of cannabis use could determine post-op outcomes, Historian says Fla. dispute shows why AP class in African American studies is needed, Why Church Committee alums urged new House panel to avoid partisanship, One small step toward understanding gravity, Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continents major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa. OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. While the universe has a beginning, many Africans believe that it does not have an endeither spatially or temporally. endobj Mbiti says that: According to Mbiti, human beings have a privileged position in the universe. It argues that since the coming of democracy this form of religion has occupied a more important position, Although there is some debate, Francis Oborji in this article argues that one should speak of African Traditional Religion (ATR) in the singular. Include similarities between african traditional religion and christianity pdf ancestors, but Avi Loeb can help you imagine one sub-Saharan practiced. And the extended family play a central role knowledge of christ tempted in all similarities between african traditional religion and christianity pdf ways forbids... 16Th c. ; source: Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0! I x\s6Q|jyLd * { -Jb '' $ e~ @. At least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which are outside the who! 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