mixing of christianity and traditional african religions apush mixing of christianity and traditional african religions apush

But they used the names of the God who was and is already known by African peoples -- such as Mungu, Mulungu, Katonda, Ngai, Olodumare, Asis, Ruwa, Ruhanga, Jok, Modimo, Unkulunkulu and thousands more. En ce qui concerne la croyance en Dieu, il semblerait que les Biras se soient servis de la chrtient pour rendre leur dieu traditionnel Mbali plus accessible et plus comprhensif, un changement qui a rendu le Dieu des chrtiens plus compatissant et indulgent vis vis du pch. At many points I see intriguing parallels between the biblical record and African religiosity. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. 0000002264 00000 n 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. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. 0000003217 00000 n This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. Outline of the Curricular Framework: Anglicanization Atlantic slave trade "Atlantic World" Barbados (sugar) British-American system of slavery the Carolinas (rice) Caste system cereal crops Colonial resistance Dominion of New England Enlightenment Furs Great Awakening Indentured Servants Mercantilism Metis Models of colonization Molasses Act This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their god. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. Updates? 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. It is here that I have discovered the church in Burma, in the Pacific islands, the house church in China, the basic Christian communities in Latin America, the struggling church in South Africa, plus countless other endeavors of Christians all over the world. This massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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 Religion (AIR) in Africa. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. And in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, the survey finds that 5% or less identify as Muslim. 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. 0000000676 00000 n 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. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? 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. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. The fusion of cultures that was effected by the conquest of Alexander the Great (4th century bce), his successors, and the Roman Empire tended to bring together a variety of religious and philosophical views that resulted in a strong tendency toward religious syncretism. Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. 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. 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. That book was followed by a flurry of literature on the so-called "death of God" theology (if "theology" it was, for I would call it "atheology"). In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. /// Dans le nord-est du Zare, la communaut rurale Bira a t expose depuis plus de cinquante ans au message chrtien. OLUPONA: No, this type of binary thinking is simplistic. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. 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. Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. 0000003641 00000 n Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? Corrections? These impinge upon their daily life- and experience of the Christian faith. I have received much in a short period. But whatever the shortcomings of these and my other publications, the materials that went into these two have raised extremely important issues for me that have continued to engage my reflection. 0000001019 00000 n In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. 93 0 obj My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. 0000001519 00000 n It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. 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. 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. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. 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. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. 0000008365 00000 n A magisterial historical synthesis of the formative period of African Christianity written by one of its foremost scholars. %PDF-1.7 % (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. 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. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. 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? OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. (See the glossary for more information on juju. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. 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. The suppression of ancestor worship is the only area where mission Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. 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. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. So, "Lord, help Thou my unbelief!" Wendy Sherman, who was the lead U.S. negotiator in the nuclear deal with Iran, was welcomed by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? He later earned both an M.A. Their history has a theological meaning. 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. I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. In its place there emerged the word "also." The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Vodou ritual activity (e.g., prayer, song, dance, and gesture) is aimed at refining and restoring balance and energy in relationships between people and between people and the spirits of the unseen world. 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. (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. Currently I am about to complete a book on this question of the encounter between the biblical faith and African religion. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title. In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. (a) The Structures of African Traditional Religions: Sometimes it is a difficult task among scholars to choose a unanimous name for the religious traditions and beliefs of the African people. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. 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.. One read Honest to God and a variety of other works in an effort to understand the hot debate then raging in Europe and America. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. 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. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. 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. {PB,`s As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). (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. For instance, if we were to lose indigenous African religions in Africa, then diviners would disappear, and if diviners disappeared, we would not only lose an important spiritual specialist for many Africans, but also an institution that for centuries has been the repository of African history, wisdom, and knowledge. No doubt there still remain much research and reflection to be done in order to work out a consistent theological understanding of the issues entailed here. "For us in Africa, God is not dead" -- and that applies whether or not there is a written record of his relations with and concern for people. Instead, God brought them. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. 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. 0000005714 00000 n GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? Muslim populations are especially concentrated in a large geographic belt running west to east from Senegal to the Horn of Africa.1 Southern Africa is predominantly Christian. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. Par contre, les croyances en la sorcellerie ont persist. I am very excited, for example, by the estimate that in 1987 there will be a statistical balance of Christian population between the north (Europe, Soviet Union and America) and the south (Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania). I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. 817-820. 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. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. 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. Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. In most of the 19 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, 90% or more of the respondents say they belong to one of these faiths. 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). 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. Spiritual activities like prayer, thanksgiving, and the making of sacrifices were well-established facts of life for the existence and continuation of the community. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . 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. "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. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . 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. Omissions? 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. I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. Later, my theological studies in America and England did not challenge this position, since that was not a living issue for my professors and fellow students. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? Yet . 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. What factors are responsible for it? in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) 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]. The previous year I had published African Religions and Philosophy (Doubleday, 1969). 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. He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. 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. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main As discussed elsewhere in this report, many Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. 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. But upon my return to work in Africa, and upon careful study of the religious background of our people, there emerged gradually the demand to examine this issue and to form my own judgment. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. 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. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. 300 ce). Amen. <>stream Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. According to the 2003 Demographic and Health Survey, for example, Muslims constituted 50% of the population, while the 2008 DHS figure is 45% and the Nigerian Ministry of Healths 2008 estimate is 50%. 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. As for the belief in God, it appears that the Bira have utilized Christianity to make their traditional God Mbali less remote and more caring, a change which has also made the Christian God more compassionate and forgiving . But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. God was not a stranger to African peoples. No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there.