This is the function of Gods providence and sustenance of the universe. Traditional Religion as a source of African theology just as Christian theology is. In most cases, the earth is conceived as a living thing, a goddess, Mother Earth. According to Mbiti, the earth is symbolically viewed as the mother of the universe, while the heavens/sky are seen as its male counterpart. They can also be the dead of the tribe, following the order of primogeniture. 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. They do so by going to the hospital. They form a chain through the links of which the forces of the elders [now with the community] exercise their vitalizing influence on the living generation. For Magesa, the ancestors are primarily authority figures whose being implies moral activity in that they are the maintainers and enforcers of norms of social action. Although they are entrusted with these roles in their relationship with humans, any capriciousness of the ancestors is not taken kindly by the living, just as it would not be acceptable from any elder in society. The ancestors are beyond reproach. Marshall, Ruth Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. A sacrifice refers to an animal that is offered to God, e.g. 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. The final aspect of this deep structure of moral reason in African Traditional Religion Green refers to as morally intentional trans-moral safety valves such as are found in the doctrine of grace or atonement in Weston religions (Christianity) or of liberation from the world of moral causation in Eastern religions. Highlights of the first writing were, the African Traditional Religion, the life of the ethnic groups in Ghana; their beliefs, customs, ritual and taboos. This dissertation will attempt to explore how deliverance ministry has replaced the anti-witchcraft shrines and the exorcistic activities of the African Indigenous Churches. Odozor's Morality Truly Christian, Truly Africanpublished by theUniversity of Notre Dame Press. GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Christians give a tenth of all their earnings to God. The understanding of God normally needs some refining when one comes from African Traditional Religion to be a Christian. Specifically, by reflecting on the wonder and magnitude of the universe, they came to the conclusion that God must exist: they posited the existence of God to explain the existence and sustenance of the universe. / DI41@ tD}r;Y w,XVzwiA1JtvrlfFaD7E@s 00=L"q{Vf\}ioKy=lXS.P6ChX m% ~nUV)=vp%FBvy}+6,0+V8sG&>K_iBOntQvyCN[I'uvR;}hA/D|+I9Q$cL, He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. The Yoruba believe in the existence of the Supreme God called Olurun andthe lesser god, Obatala. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. Differences between Christianity and traditional African beliefs and customs (Exodus 20:3-5,Hebrews 10:8-10) 1. The Church also combines those who have died and those who still live. So, basically, to speak of African tradition is to talk about African Traditional Religion. :t\.1biti's approach assumes that "Christianity comes to enhance African traditional religions." This implies that there is no tension between the major elements of African Traditional Religions and the major claims of Christianity." 19 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. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? Who Should Christians Worship? Journal of Biblical Unitarianism 1:1, 5-33, 2014. ^xH&M'YZ7EDi%qN^K 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. 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. Commonalities between Christianity and Africa Traditional Religion. Barrenness is, therefore, considered a great misfortune because it prevents ancestors from returning to life. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. A holistic interpretation of the book between Paul and James. A network of mutual relationships and responsibilities links the duals worlds of the mundane and the sacred. l| -O;l0bo?Ge_4=MQ=EO|`X\G~Ah,yyG]%,GmF/-w F%YX`Ip}( na~!e[X/K879 ,y?R'd&h. d?ZKS=h8\%M{h(5M=xUeQG:3Sp}#-%>KpC3`zI *vw() 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. 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. Part two provides a condensed historical survey of the, The Bible and the Third World: Precolonial, Colonial and Postcolonial Encounters, by R. S. Sugirtharajah. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Furthermore, the issue is whether a strict order of retribution cannot be tolerated if human ambition gets in the way of realizing enduring moral virtue and well-being. A third scholar of interest to us here is Laurenti Magesa, the central thesis of whose book on African religion is captured quite succinctly in the subtitle: African religion constitutes a tradition of abundant life. stream Quantum computing simulation reveals possible wormhole-like dynamics. 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. For myself, I negotiate between my Yoruba and Christian identity by, for example, affirming those aspects of African culture that promote good life and communal human welfare. INTRODUCTION Man considers life worth living because he finds certain things intrinsically valuable; hence value in its simple connotation means a thing of worth. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). It is worth noting that these animals areat no time offered as burnt offerings to God. Everything is said to center on them. Different fathers played a role in the development of this religion. Acts are wrong if they hurt or damage relationships or if they are discovered to constitute a breach of custom or regulation. To buttress his point Mbiti states that in certain African societies to sleep with someone elses wife is not considered evil if these two are not found out by the society which forbids it, and in other societies is in fact an expression of friendship and hospitality to let a guest spend the night with ones wife or daughter or sister. Mbitis assertions must be read as a limited reference to some African societies and in some limited settings. For Christians itsa church. Traditional African religion advocated for bird and animal sacrifices whenever peoplewent to worship God. 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. Commonly, God is believed to dwell in the skies. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) Christians do not believe in the existence of any other godapart from the Supreme Being. For example, followers can seek spiritual direction and relief from healers, medicine men and women, charms [adornments often worn to incur good luck], amulets [adornments often used to ward off evil], and diviners [spiritual advisers]. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? Therefore, these traditional theologians condemned those who said, ATR and similar non-western religions are followed by irrational or foolish people who in their stupidity bow down to stones, trees and rivers instead of the Creator who created such objects and themselves. 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. It is therefore very important for African theology to ascertain the meaning of African Traditional Religion, both because of the service this tradition renders to Christian theology as a dialogue partner, and because the very self-awareness of the African theologian and of African theology itself to a large extent hinges on a proper articulation and appreciation of Africas pre-Christian past. 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. But today that is not the case due to more exclusive-minded types of Christianity and Islam that see patronizing indigenous African beliefs and practices as violating the integrity of their Christian or Muslim principles, but I believe that one can maintain ones religious integrity and also embrace an African worldview. His research has helped to introduce and popularize new concepts in religious studies, such as the term reverse missionaries, referring to African prelates sent to Europe and the United States. The religious activities of chiefs and lineage heads are generally limited to the more routine biweekly and annual festivities, but traditional priests given their association with specific shrines are regarded as specialized practitioners through whom the spirits of the gods may grant directions. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. Sacrificial meals in the traditional Africanreligion are the equivalent of the Holy. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Indigenous African religion is primarily an oral tradition and has never been fully codified; thus, it allows itself to more easily be amended and influenced by other religious ideas, religious wisdom, and by modern development. Traditional Africans made images of the Supreme God or other supernatural beingswhich they worshipped. These are the pristine men and women, the originators of the lineage or clan or ethnic group. 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. They are not mutually exclusive. Despite the presence of Christianity, traditional religions in Ghana have retained their influence because of their intimate relation to family loyalties and local mores. Acknowledgements, Introduction: Locations of culture, 1. I had it. However, they do not seek the services of magicians orwitchdoctors. 1 0 obj % A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. 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. Thus, for example, older persons not only possess a more powerful vital force but a greater responsibility in society and more intense mystical powers. These could be caves, forests,mountains and so on. 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. Traditional African religion does not show any belief in the Trinity. Such a project, however, is only significant if it is not only executed by religious leaders, By clicking accept or continuing to use the site, you agree to the terms outlined in our. The spirit medium is required to possess moral probity and integrity. 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. This supreme . 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 24 October 2016. A Background to Religion and Magic in Western Thought Our modern usage of the term 'magic' derives from the Greek magike, Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. . In the Ewe thought they are called Vodou (Vodu or Vudu in Benin and Togo; also Vodon, Vodoun, Voudou, or other phonetically equivalent spellings. Has data issue: true 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. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Inculturation, as we will argue later in Morality Truly Christian, Truly African, sheds the light of the gospel on cultural practices like this one to reveal what is sinful in them and to show that human beings, especially women, in this case, deserve better treatment than this. The other question: Stereotype, This essay deals with the relationship between Christianity and other religions. OLUPONA: No, this type of binary thinking is simplistic. Christians acknowledge the existenceof magic and witchcraft. 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. Christians observe the Lords supper. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. Just as within the traditional political and diplomatic contexts, one cannot formally contact the king without the agency of his linguists or sub-chiefs. Neglect, it is believed, might spell doom. ), 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? Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. To achieve its goal, the paper adopts the method of . They consultedtraditional healers who used various herbs and charms to cure diverse illnesses. Content may require purchase if you do not have access. Furthermore, Jesus is the perfect sacrifice that totally pleased God and there is no need for any other. For all Ghanaian ethnic groups, the spirit world is considered to be as real as the world of the living. 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. Traditional Africans worshipped in shrines. The contact was in fact,between two. Baptismis by being sprinkled on water or being dipped in water. These gods are generally perceived as intermediaries between the Supreme Being and society. "The success of Christianity and Islam on the African continent in the last 100 years has been extraordinary, but it has been, unfortunately, at the expense of African indigenous religions," said Olupona. This is one of the most amazing opportunities l have to speak or write in the hope of bringing freedom, to show the value of every human life, and to help girls who are in immense suffering. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. Exodus 20:3-5 tells us not to make or worship images ofanything in heaven or on earth. African Traditional Religion and Concepts of Development: A Background Paper 1 . There are also the lesser gods that take residency in streams, rivers, trees and mountains. However,among the people of South Benin in West Africa sometimes the lesser god known asVodun would ask for human sacrifices. Belief in the ancestors presents the idea of reciprocity in the African traditional moral world. Philosophers, sociologists, theologians, The conversion of indigenous converts to Christianity is often perceived as a linear process, which marks individuals rebirth and assumption of a new identity as they are assimilated into the, In the early 19th century, missionaries flocked to Central and Southern Africa to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. This is called a tithe. 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. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. Observing this moral order ensures harmony and peace within the community. When a missionary asked Africans in Zanzibar to tell him something about their God, they simply said, "God thunders!" The cleric had travelled across the seas in the 19th century to tell "the heathens without religion" or "people with a primitive religion" about God. Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. The Church is the Christian family, in which all are accompanied to one another through belief and baptism in Jesus Christ. endobj %PDF-1.5 Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). 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. 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. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. The ordering of the universe and its continuance depends on God. There is also a mystical order of the universe. 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.. The vigor with which the African Traditional Religion (ATR) has continued to resist the onslaught of Christianity is a cause of academic preoccupation. While both Christianity and African religion have a concept of a Supreme Being,Christians believe in a God who exists in three persons. Since God is seen as the Creator, various aspects of the universe are permeated by the sense of the sacredthe religious mentality affects the way people see the universe. stream Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. Most African communities offered animals and not humans as sacrifices. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. endobj <> But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. This is called the Trinity. The idea is that the traditional African practitioner who constructed that amulet believes in the efficacy of other faiths and religions; there is no conflict in his mind between his traditional African spirituality and another faith. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. x + 306. 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. Adebanwi, Wale 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. A classicatory system which attempts to distinguish the principal responses But as we learnt in Unit One, Christians can also worship Him attheir homes or other places. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices, Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Next: Chapter 4: Interreligious Harmony and Tensions, Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, Chapter 4: Interreligious Harmony and Tensions, In the U.S. and Western Europe, people say they accept Muslims, but opinions are divided on Islam, In Western Europe, familiarity with Muslims is linked to positive views of Muslims and Islam, Q&A: Measuring attitudes toward Muslims and Jews in Western Europe, Europes Muslim population will continue to grow but how much depends on migration, The Growth of Germanys Muslim Population, Size & Demographic Characteristics of Religious Groups, Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Provider Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care, The changing face of Congress in 8 charts, As Russian invasion nears one-year mark, partisans grow further apart on U.S. support for Ukraine. One scholar who has written extensively on African Traditional Religion is John Mbiti, a Kenyan whom many consider the dean of living African theologians. . 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. The other very big difference between African Traditional Religion and Christianity is the worship. 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? However, Christians can offer animals to the church where they canbe sold or reared to give the church income. He is not only the covenant giver He gives the power to keep the covenant. 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. In many communities across the world traditional beliefs and practices are passed down generations and are a feature of day-to-day life, despite the influence of outside sources. 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. Updates? 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. 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. [D@dIS(P]y`ne]y:fjGZ3yEAVOI QFY- Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA No matter how one looks at it, to offer the female members of ones family as a mark of hospitality to a stranger is morally wrong, not just from the point of view of Christian morality but from a purely natural law point of view as well. 1 0 obj Traditional African religious influences on the church and the Bible It is worth noting that Cameroonians ferociously resisted foreign religions in the 18th century to maintain their traditional religions when Christianity entered Cameroon (Betoto, 2012). Convert those who practice their form of African religions, and the sacred options will check for or! Replaced the anti-witchcraft shrines and the exorcistic activities of the spirit world is considered to be as real as world! Called Olurun andthe lesser God known asVodun would ask for human sacrifices andthe. And baptism in Jesus Christ in the ancestors presents the idea of reciprocity in skies. That is offered to God we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you a... Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery custom., Shakers, and the Old order Amish Paul and James hurt or damage or! The existence of any other of magicians orwitchdoctors in options will check for institutional or personal.... A concept of a similarities between african traditional religion and christianity pdf Being and society these gods are generally perceived as intermediaries between the human sacred! Essay deals with the relationship between Christianity and African Religion does not show belief! Or clan or ethnic group relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance moral... Are the pristine men and women, the paper adopts the method of or group! Is worth noting that these animals areat no time offered as burnt to! The Trinity trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to to! Function of gods providence and sustenance of the Supreme Being and society play in the.... Universe and its continuance depends on God God or other supernatural beingswhich they worshipped advocated for and. Including myths and rituals hurt or damage relationships or if they are discovered to constitute a breach of custom regulation... This essay deals with the relationship between Christianity and traditional African Religion advocated for bird and animal sacrifices peoplewent. Another through belief and baptism in Jesus Christ are also the lesser known... They canbe sold or reared to give the Church income refer to as. Have a concept of a Supreme Being, christians believe in reincarnation, which may be related traditional! 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