Amen. In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. 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. What factors are responsible for it? Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. Omissions? %%EOF The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. It is in this complex of religiosity that the preaching of the gospel makes sense; it is this preparedness that has undergirded the spreading of the gospel like wildfire among African societies which had hitherto followed and practiced traditional religion. OLUPONA: One of the basic reasons is that indigenous African spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. 0000015705 00000 n Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. Dr. Mbiti is on the staff of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. Their culture, history, world views and spiritual aspirations cannot be taken away from them. 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. Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . Yet . The spirituality of Africa - Harvard Gazette No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. 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 defining line between deities and ancestors is often contested, but overall, ancestors are believed to occupy a higher level of existence than living human beings and are believed to be able to bestow either blessings or illness upon their living descendants. The editor of The Christian Century has given me an undeserved privilege in asking me to contribute some reflections on "How My Mind Has Changed" in the course of the past decade. Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . During religious rites, believers sometimes enter a trancelike state in which the devotee may eat and drink, perform stylized dances, give supernaturally inspired advice to people, or perform medical cures or special physical feats; these acts exhibit the incarnate presence of the lwa within the entranced devotee. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. The statistical expansion of the Christian faith in Africa in this century is one of the considerations that led me back to the issue of its relation with African religion. 0000002264 00000 n Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. 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. For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. 0000014207 00000 n It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. This is not an empty coincidence. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Focuses on the influences of Africans and African ideas on the mission enterprise, conversion, religious innovation, and church life, but it neglects to cover the . interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. That finished the interview. In the 17th century a movement led by the German Protestant theologian George Calixtus aimed at reconciling the differences between the Protestants in Germany, but his efforts were disparaged by orthodox Christian leaders as syncretistic. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) trailer Its consequences for theological and ecclesiological developments are yet to be faced. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. Anthropologica, journal of the Canadian Anthropology Society (CASCA) was created from the merger of the Society's former journal, Culture, with Canada's oldest anthropology journal, Anthropologica. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? These were not empty names. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. I have seen the quest more sharply. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. They depended on the labor of enslaved Africans who often constituted the majority of the population in these areas and developed their own forms of cultural and religious autonomy Examples: plantation agriculture, the Carolinas (rice), Barbados (sugar), tobacco Colonial government The church is composed largely of people who come out of the African religious background. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. Religious pluralism serves peace | D+C - Development + Cooperation The statistical expansion of the Christian faith in Africa in this century is one of the considerations that led me back to the issue of its relation with African religion. I have received much in a short period. Faith in The One God in Christian and African Traditional Religions: a The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). Traditional African religions and practices were brought to the Western hemisphere through the African diaspora and the slave trade, often resulting in a syncretic blending with Christianity. 1996 Canadian Anthropology 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. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. Supreme Court may halt health care guarantees for inmates, Why police resist reforms to militarization, Historian says Fla. dispute shows why AP class in African American studies is needed, Low-carb diet can help manage progression of Type 2 diabetes, Those breezy TV drug ads? A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. OLUPONA: No, this type of binary thinking is simplistic. Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. (back to text), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the World Council of Churches is a great witness of the Christian response to the prayer of our Lord that we may all be one. My research into and teaching of African religion has led to another important area of development. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. I wish to apply "change of mind" here to mean theological growth, and not necessarily a rejection of or turnaround from ideas that I may have held ten years ago. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. African religions and corresponding beliefs and practices hb```b``g`a`.ef@ aV68+ +$.0t9$r8A2Or}6=<4. African diaspora religions - Wikipedia
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