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. $70.00/$25.00. The Church is the Christian family, in which all are accompanied to one another through belief and baptism in Jesus Christ. Christians give a tenth of all their earnings to God. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. Second, Africans believe in a moral order given by God, stipulated by the ancestors in the past. Keywords: contextualization . In the Ewe thought they are called Vodou (Vodu or Vudu in Benin and Togo; also Vodon, Vodoun, Voudou, or other phonetically equivalent spellings. While both Christianity and African religion have a concept of a Supreme Being,Christians believe in a God who exists in three persons. Thus, for example, older persons not only possess a more powerful vital force but a greater responsibility in society and more intense mystical powers. a trans-moral suspension of retribution in the face of self-confessed and inescapable human wrongdoing. Green notes a similarity between this deep structure and that which has developed in Christian theology over centuries of effort at grounding human moral striving in the face of the experiential difficulties that assault moral idealism. In this Christian theological system, the idea of God as creator and sovereign expresses the moral requirements of impartial regard for all. Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). The religious traditions and beliefs of the African peoples have enough differences to merit a study of each in its own right. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. Total loading time: 0 2 0 obj An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? He is not only the covenant giver He gives the power to keep the covenant. % 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. 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. Both have religious leaders or priests whopresent the peoples requests to God. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Green points out that there is a rational basis to African Traditional Religion that shows, in Kantian terms, that there is a deep structure of universal moral and religious reason to it. The three requirements of reason at the heart of this structure are: first, a basic rule or procedure of moral choice; second, a metaphysic grounding the possibility of strict moral retribution; and third, . Human beings are the link between the heavens and the earth, between the visible and the invisible universe. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. There is also a mystical order of the universe. This order, established by God, guides the functioning of the universe, preventing it from falling into chaos; and it ensures the continuance of life and the universe itself. Some of these myths explain the origin of the universe, the nature of the relationship between creation (including humanity) and God, and the source and cause of the human predicament and of evil in general; they also provide a synopsis of the forces comprising the African moral conception of the universe. Religious rituals provide ameans by which the community seeks redress and repairs wrongs that have been committed and that call down calamities and afflictions from spiritual beingsall this to restore the status quo ante or even to maintain the existing good status quo that society or an individual may be enjoying., In the hierarchically ordered world of African Traditional Religion, God is the ancestor, par excellence. They consultedtraditional healers who used various herbs and charms to cure diverse illnesses. endobj It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. Hence, it cannot be avoided in the interaction between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. <> The commitment to theory, 2. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). Baptismis by being sprinkled on water or being dipped in water. Interrogating identity: Frantz Fanon and the postcolonial prerogative, 3. Their significance lies in the genealogical positions and the rights and duties which derive from them. Ancestors uphold right conduct by punishing moral violations, demanding respect and attention, and getting angry when not given due respect. 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. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. Christians pray toGod through Jesus Christ. 24 October 2016. Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. While the recourse to traditional healers may be motivated in part by economic reasons and an absence of health care alternatives, it may also be rooted in religious beliefs about the efficacy of this approach. GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. Whenever. Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. Christianity and Traditional African Heritage, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. ^xH&M'YZ7EDi%qN^K These act as a link between God and the human community. 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.. hand with the study of the people who practise the religion. 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. degree at Harvard Divinity School. 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. ), 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. You can download the paper by clicking the button above. TraditionalAfricans gave offerings but they did not give tithes. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? 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. For Christians itsa church. The Church also combines those who have died and those who still live. A Background to Religion and Magic in Western Thought Our modern usage of the term 'magic' derives from the Greek magike, Janson, Marloes endobj <>/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>> 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." 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. In the face of persistent human iniquity, God is believed to furnish means of atonement and forgiveness, thereby tempering justice with mercy., However, although Christianity and African Traditional Religion share some striking similarities, closer examination of African traditional beliefs reveals that the contrasts are far more striking than the similarities. 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. <> The ancestors are believed to be the most immediate link with the spiritual world, and they are thought to be constantly near, observing every thought and action of the living. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? 2 0 obj ufF'dXeA^l4a*0(1l HLtA@a2O>bOk)x6*. I am going to use the research reports of Opoky Onyinah , which he carried out among Ghanaian Christians between 1997 and 1999. The data also will include a survey he conducted in 1999 of 1201 participants across Ghana concerning the belief in the traditional spirit-world. 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. 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. These gods are generally perceived as intermediaries between the Supreme Being and society. 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. Their purpose is to summarize recent material produced by the relevant religious organizations and by some of the main academic interpreters to provide They do this by having Africans increasingly identify themselves as either Muslim or Christian, thus denying their unique African worldview that has always viewed as evidenced in their creation myths everything as unified and connected to the land, the place were ones clan, lineage, and people were cosmically birthed. Different fathers played a role in the development of this religion. Therefore, the universe has dimensions of order and power as follows: first of all, there is order in the laws of nature. Updates? Like Ronald Green, Magesa argues that African Traditional Religion is in the background of all African religiosity, both in Christianity and Islam, and supplies the basic attitude or worldview of most African Christians. Using Ghana as a case history, I shall evaluate this ministry to find out its positive and negative effects. They can also be the dead of the tribe, following the order of primogeniture. 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. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. Omissions? Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. So, basically, to speak of African tradition is to talk about African Traditional Religion. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. as a burnt offering. 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. 3 0 obj 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. 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. 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. ), 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? 3 0 obj Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Quantum computing simulation reveals possible wormhole-like dynamics. Derive from them, while others believe they are not if you suggestions! To cure diverse illnesses i also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my and. Out its positive and negative effects 201516 ) holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the! Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent uphold right conduct by punishing moral similarities between african traditional religion and christianity pdf, demanding respect and attention, getting. 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