mixing of christianity and traditional african religions apush

The spirituality of Africa - Harvard Gazette I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. 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 Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. (PDF) Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. The Pew Forums survey finds a similar number of people in Guinea Bissau identifying themselves as Muslim (38%) but a much higher percentage identifying themselves as Christian (62%) and very few describing themselves mainly as practitioners of traditional African faiths. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 0000001586 00000 n AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY PDF Traditional African Religion and Modern Christianity in Zaire - JSTOR Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. OLUPONA: One of the basic reasons is that indigenous African spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. 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. In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. In its place there emerged the word "also." According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. This number has since grown rapidly, to the point that in 1980 there are estimated to be 200 million Christians (or about 45 per cent of the population). Instead, God brought them, for the God described in the Bible is none other than the God who was already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. 0000002505 00000 n Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. Subscriptions are available to libraries and individuals who are not members of CASCA. Omissions? (back to text), 2 The World Religion Database estimates that roughly four-in-ten people in Guinea Bissau are Muslim and approximately one-in-ten are Christian, with the rest of the population associated with traditional African religions. Below is the article summary. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. In Kenya I grew up in home, school and church milieus which held that the African religious and cultural background was demonic and anti-Christian. Abstract. w?0t7/Oa84P]T}T}?gHq.qsRnkc;]X*s1!E"l^~K_/|j p z|9~p uf:}[Mc|4!#"Zg!/vc _~|oyuQ'dX :?NmU)?oPSw?6#?[OUN@6oz{j;\e7nWsV~XyU4vMm4#f4c:[Wefkd&88XB|cMh6)mt<4M8}; *:7??+0:0$! Religious pluralism serves peace. But the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. 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. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. At many points I see intriguing parallels between the biblical record and African religiosity. The unseen world is populated by lwa (spirits), myst (mysteries), anvizib (the invisibles), zanj (angels), and the spirits of ancestors and the recently deceased. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. 0000001519 00000 n 0000005005 00000 n He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Indigenous African practices tend to be strongest in the central states of Africa, but some form of their practices and beliefs can be found almost anywhere in Africa. 0000005714 00000 n Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . What is African Traditional Religion? African spirituality has always been able to adapt to change and allow itself to absorb the wisdom and views of other religions, much more than, for example, Christianity and Islam. 93 0 obj 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. But I have discovered that there is also the fundamental factor of African religion, without which this phenomenal expansion of Christianity would not be a reality. 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. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. One important task, then, is to see the nature, the method and the implications of Gods revelation among African peoples, in the light of the biblical record of the same revelation. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. There is some regional difference in ritual practice across Haiti, and branches of the religion include Rada, Daome, Ibo, Nago, Dereal, Manding, Petwo, and Kongo. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. APUSH Unit 1 Flashcards | Quizlet Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. Important lwa are celebrated on saints days (for example: Ogou on St. Jamess Day, July 25; Ezili Danto on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16; Danbala on St. Patricks Day, March 17; and the spirits of the ancestors on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, November 1 and November 2). It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. 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. 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 . 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. Reuben Kigame, the Kenyan Christian musician and apologist, has rightly suggested that considering the fact that Christianity existed in Africa for a good eighteen centuries before the. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. 0000015705 00000 n 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 This chapter includes information on: Download chapter 1 in full (6-page PDF, <1MB), 1 The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in the easternmost part of North East Africa, on the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice. Eating pattern tied to 24% reduction in cardiovascular, cancer mortality in people diagnosed with the chronic condition, HMS/Brigham study shows most advertised medicines little better than other treatment options. I have met here the church not only in its geographical outreach but also in its historical roots -- seeing, for example, the rich traditions of the Orthodox Church, the universality of the Roman Catholic Church (even though it is based in the Vatican), the reconciling positioning of the Anglican Communion, the dynamic vitality of African independent churches, and so on. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. 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.. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. Religious syncretism - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica The decisive word here is "only." Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. My findings were used in teaching, but eventually I put them together in a book, Concepts of God in Africa, published by the British publisher SPCK (1970). That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. This is not an empty coincidence. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. In most of the 19 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public Life, 90% or more of the respondents say they belong to one of these faiths. 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]. 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. God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. % In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. 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 (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. Take em with a grain of salt. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? 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. 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. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. It is the southern two-thirds of Africa (including Madagascar) which we can rightly call Christian Africa, as the northern one-third is Muslim Africa. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. 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. <> Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. AP US History Period 1, APUSH Period 1 Flashcards | Quizlet As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the other case no such written record exists. A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. Updates? I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. 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. Corrections? 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. The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. 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. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. 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. This statistical tilting of Christendom from the north to the south, after 2,000 years, holds tremendous prospects and challenges. Nigeria, the most populous country in all of Africa, has the largest number of Muslims as well as the largest number of Christians in the region.3. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. Religious pluralism serves peace | D+C - Development + Cooperation 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. There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax 300 ce). Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. 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. And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa are the only countries surveyed where a significant number of people (roughly one-in-ten) describe their religion as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular. In all the other countries, the figure is closer to zero. Instead, God brought them. African immigrants and slaves worked to maintain traditional religious and social practices in their new surroundings. x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . Corrections? The theological horizon continues to expand. All these spirits are believed to live in a mythic land called Ginen, a cosmic Africa. The God of the Christian Bible is understood to be the creator of both the universe and the spirits; the spirits were made by God to help him govern humanity and the natural world. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. 0000001198 00000 n He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. In the cities, local hierarchies of priestesses or priests (manbo and oungan), children of the spirits (ounsi), and ritual drummers (ountgi) comprise more formal societies or congregations (sosyete). 0000002026 00000 n 4 0 obj Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. 75 19 Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. He later earned both an M.A. 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. God was not a stranger to African peoples. OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. There is even a community deep in the American Bible Belt in Beaufort County, S.C., called Oyotunji Village that practices a type of African indigenous religion, which is a mixture of Yoruba and Ewe-Fon spiritual practices. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. Many other familial feasts (for the sacred children, for the poor, for particular ancestors) as well as initiations and funerary rituals occur throughout the year. This re-ligion is found in almost all the activities of the African man. Dr. Mbiti is on the staff of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland. One of Jacob Oluponas earliest memories in Massachusetts is of nearly freezing in his apartment as a graduate student at Boston University during the great snowstorm of 1978. 0000014025 00000 n %PDF-1.7 % But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. Afro-American Religious Syncretism in Brazil and the United States: A The primary goal and activity of Vodou is to sevi lwa (serve the spirits)to offer prayers and perform various devotional rites directed at God and particular spirits in return for health, protection, and favour. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. Corrections? The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. When we identify the God of the Bible as the same God who is known through African religion (whatever its limitations), we must also take it that God has had a historical relationship with African peoples. %PDF-1.3 I had it. Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. 0000000016 00000 n PDF Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The postcolonial 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. 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. ancient Rome: Religious and cultural life in the 3rd century, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/religious-syncretism, Academia - Religious Syncretism as a Syncretistic Concept: The Inadequacy of the " World Religions " Paradigm in Cross-Cultural Encounter. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? 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. stream The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. Then was he not there in other times and in such places as Mount Fuji and Mount Kenya, as well as Mount Sinai? Faith in The One God in Christian and African Traditional Religions: a Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender, 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. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. 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. African spirituality has always been able to adapt to change and allow itself to absorb the wisdom and views of other religions, much more than, for example, Christianity and Islam. Since I myself had never heard any lectures on African religion, I set out to do research on the subject in order to teach the course adequately. Their culture, history, world views and spiritual aspirations cannot be taken away from them. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. 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. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. 0 Syncretistic movements in the Orient, such as Manichaeism (a dualistic religion founded by the 3rd-century-ce Iranian prophet Mani, who combined elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism) and Sikhism (a religion founded by the 15th16th-century Indian reformer Guru Nnak, who combined elements of Islam and Hinduism), also met with resistance from the prevailing religions of their respective areas. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continent's major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa. startxref Indigenous African religions are by nature plural, varied, and usually informed by ones ethnic identity, where ones family came from in Africa. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Vodou's role in Haitian mental health, Learn Religions - An Introduction to the Basic Beliefs of the Vodou (Voodoo) Religion, Ancient Origins - The Origins of Voodoo, the Misunderstood Religion, LiveScience - Voodoo: Facts About Misunderstood Religion, Vodou - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Vodou - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 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. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects.

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