between African traditional religion and the Christian faith. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. Who Should Christians Worship? Journal of Biblical Unitarianism 1:1, 5-33, 2014. 24 October 2016. February 21, 2019. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. For Christians itsa church. He contends that although African Traditional Religion generally refers to God as creator and sustainer of the universe, morally good, omniscient, and caring toward humans, yet even where this is held to be true, the high god in Africa is very often regarded as distanced from human affairs. And even when he is considered benign, the high God is morally otiose, having little direct retributive relationship with humankind. In some situations, the high God is cast in unfavorable terms as one who creates and who kills. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. 1"7$X9Xyyyb GNpL!9I&mxo0++44cA@5c. A Background to Religion and Magic in Western Thought Our modern usage of the term 'magic' derives from the Greek magike, For instance, in a few years time, I pray that I will be participating in an age-grade festival for men around 70 years of age called Ero in my native Nigerian community in Ute, in Ondo state. 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. 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. An important area Green points to has to do with the role of God in these two systems of thought. 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 Pratten, David But as we learnt in Unit One, Christians can also worship Him attheir homes or other places. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. Both have initiation rites into full membership. And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. 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. } Christians do not believe in the existence of any other godapart from the Supreme Being. 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. They do so by going to the hospital. 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. 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]. 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. 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 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. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. . 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. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. There are also the lesser gods that take residency in streams, rivers, trees and mountains. One scholar who has written extensively on African Traditional Religion is John Mbiti, a Kenyan whom many consider the dean of living African theologians. Christians practice baptism. 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. However, to them, the entire universe is filled with spirit such as trees, rocks, and rivers. 2 0 obj Using Ghana as a case history, I shall evaluate this ministry to find out its positive and negative effects. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. 3 0 obj GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? 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 Pp. 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. 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. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). Marshall, Ruth (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Some traditional African societies like the Yoruba believed in the existence of lessergods. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential. |,utv2QdjrqfM7PC)2-|O7,0[i=_a/Om"X`Y2FpXBjsFxCqDd`%*g,-J1e*jjq,tm{w>qAsAqN$D 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. People may complain to God and the ancestors, but they will never accuse them of any moral wrongdoing. 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. 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. It was believed that Vodun was a representativeof the Supreme God known as Mawu. This is because Jesusalready shed His blood on the cross and He was the perfect sacrifice that totally satisfied God. 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. It evolved through many centuries, before the westerner come to Africa. Witchcraft was also feared and witchdoctors were respected as they had power tocurse, make people get sick or end their life. x + 306. 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. stream The . Adebanwi, Wale Traditional Africans believed in the power of magic and medicinemen. 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. Christians pray toGod through Jesus Christ. 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. Therefore we speak of African Traditional Religion thinking of those common things. They do not offer any libation. Africans believe in the existence of a mystical, invisible, hidden, spiritual power in the universe. One is also sometimes givena new name after baptism. Copyright 2023 <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Commonalities between Christianity and Africa Traditional Religion. hasContentIssue true, Copyright International African Institute 2016. The Church is the Christian family, in which all are accompanied to one another through belief and baptism in Jesus Christ. 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). 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. 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. 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. Whenever. Traditional Africans made images of the Supreme God or other supernatural beingswhich they worshipped. View all Google Scholar citations 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. TraditionalAfricans gave offerings but they did not give tithes. 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. Human beings maintain active and real relationshipswith the spiritual world, especially with the living dead, through offerings, sacrifices, and prayers. endobj These images could be of a lion or another animal carvedfrom a tree to represent a god. hand with the study of the people who practise the religion. The data also will include a survey he conducted in 1999 of 1201 participants across Ghana concerning the belief in the traditional spirit-world. 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.. 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. When Christians are sickthey do not go to magicians or traditional healers. <> When they pray they maykneel down, bow their heads or lift their hands up. The position I critique in this paper is really a complex of closely overlapping positions, some more theoretically sophisticated or better grounded empirically than others. This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. 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. :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 In most cases, the earth is conceived as a living thing, a goddess, Mother Earth. 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