mixing of christianity and traditional african religions apush

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. Instead, God brought them. But, it has been a sorrowful, disappointment to me to experience the fact that some individuals who exercise great power in the council are not angels: they sometimes practice the exact contrary of those values and goals to which the council is committed. 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. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. PDF African American Christianity - Harvard University This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. He later earned both an M.A. AP US History Period 1, APUSH Period 1 Flashcards | Quizlet Alternate titles: Vaudou, Vodun, Voodoo, Voudou, vodon, Elizabeth McAlister Associate Professor of Religion, Weslyan University. 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. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. Their culture, history, world views and spiritual aspirations cannot be taken away from them. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Next: Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices, Chapter 4: Interreligious Harmony and Tensions, In the U.S. and Western Europe, people say they accept Muslims, but opinions are divided on Islam, In Western Europe, familiarity with Muslims is linked to positive views of Muslims and Islam, Q&A: Measuring attitudes toward Muslims and Jews in Western Europe, Europes Muslim population will continue to grow but how much depends on migration, The Growth of Germanys Muslim Population, Size & Demographic Characteristics of Religious Groups, Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Provider Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care, Gender pay gap in U.S. hasnt changed much in two decades. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) %PDF-1.3 Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. The unseen world is populated by lwa (spirits), myst (mysteries), anvizib (the invisibles), zanj (angels), and the spirits of ancestors and the recently deceased. Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. (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 /// Dans le nord-est du Zare, la communaut rurale Bira a t expose depuis plus de cinquante ans au message chrtien. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. It publishes a journal Anthropologica and has reclaimed the name of its former journal, Culture for its occasional online bulletin. 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. Jacob 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. African diaspora religions, also described as Afro-American religions, are a number of related beliefs that developed in the Americas in various nations of the Caribbean, Latin America and the Southern United States. My interpretation of Israels history demands a new look at the history of African peoples, among whom this same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has indeed been at work. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ 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. 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? Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . 43. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. 0000002026 00000 n 93 0 obj 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 The theological horizon continues to expand. He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. A conference of mainly African theologians, held in Ghana in December 1977, said in its final communiqu: "The God of history speaks to all peoples in particular ways. 0000001791 00000 n This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. Christianity: An African traditional religion - ghanaweb.com What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. % Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. These were not empty names. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. Its about getting tangible results. For example, in 14 of the 19 countries surveyed, more than three-in-ten people say they sometimes consult traditional healers when someone in their household is sick. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. Afro-American Religious Syncretism in Brazil and the United States: A A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. 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. They are not mutually exclusive. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. 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. Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. APUSH Content Quiz #2 Flashcards | Quizlet (See the glossary for more information on juju. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. Omissions? That finished the interview. 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. At many points I see intriguing parallels between the biblical record and African religiosity. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. 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. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> 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. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. 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. 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). Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. 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. So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. But the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. The decisive word here is "only." They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. 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. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. African Traditional Religion in the Context of Christian and Islamic The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. Omissions? Vodou represents a syncretism of the West African Vodun religion and Roman Catholicism by the descendants of the Dahomean, Kongo, Yoruba, and other ethnic groups who had been enslaved and transported to colonial Saint-Domingue (as Haiti was known then) and partly Christianized by Roman Catholic missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. Par contre, les croyances en la sorcellerie ont persist. (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. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. 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. Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. 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. Regardless of the variation, it is still true that Nigeria has both the largest number of Muslims and the largest number of Christians in the region. But today that is not the case due to more exclusive-minded types of Christianity and Islam that see patronizing indigenous African beliefs and practices as violating the integrity of their Christian or Muslim principles, but I believe that one can maintain ones religious integrity and also embrace an African worldview. This massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. One African theologian, Gabriel Setiloane, has even argued that the concept of God which the missionaries presented to the Sotho-Tswana peoples was a devaluation of the traditional currency of Modimo (God) among the Sotho-Tswana. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. While Islam and Christianity tend to . A subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. 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. GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost 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. 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. But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. 0000001198 00000 n 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. 75 19 Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. In four countries (Chad, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Tanzania), the number of Christians and Muslims is more equally divided, with a ratio of less than two-to-one in either direction.2 The other countries surveyed are predominantly Christian with Muslim minorities of varying sizes. The Yoruba diviners, for example, draw on this extensive indigenous knowledge every day by consulting Ifa, an extensive literary corpus of information covering science, medicine, cosmology, and metaphysics. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? 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. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. 0000000676 00000 n Take em with a grain of salt. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. A semi-annual journal, it publishes peer-reviewed articles in both French and English devoted to social and cultural issues whether they are pre-historic, historic, contemporary, biological, linguistic, applied or theoretical in orientation. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. 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. Religious pluralism serves peace | D+C - Development + Cooperation Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. 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. And in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, the survey finds that 5% or less identify as Muslim. 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. 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. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. Their history has a theological meaning. Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. 0000005714 00000 n Below is the article summary. 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. I have received much in a short period. 0000002505 00000 n It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. OLUPONA: I was raised in Africa during the 1960s, when the Yoruba community never asked you to chose between your personal faith and your collective African identity. The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. There is not space here to argue the case for the role played by African religion in the establishment of the Christian faith in Africa. degree at Harvard Divinity School. Amen. In the other case no such written record exists. 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. Robinson, came out. 0 Instances of religious syncretismas, for example, Gnosticism (a religious dualistic system that incorporated elements from the Oriental mystery religions), Judaism, Christianity, and Greek religious philosophical conceptswere particularly prevalent during the Hellenistic period (c. 300 bcec. I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. 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. The Encounter of Christian Faith and African Religion Corrections? It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). For starters, the word religion is problematic for many Africans, because it suggests that religion is separate from the other aspects of ones culture, society, or environment. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. Updates? Some people tried to involve Africa in the debate. He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. 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. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. trailer Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. 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. (PDF) Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The The Story of Africa| BBC World Service - Logo of the BBC This is not a biblical distinction. Since the Bible tells me that God is the Creator of all things, his activities in the world must clearly go beyond what is recorded in the Bible. 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. %PDF-1.7 % x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N Religious pluralism serves peace. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. African spirituality is truly holistic. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> 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.. I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. The WCCs very existence as a council of churches is a living hope. L'interdiction de pratiquer le culte des anctres est l'unique domaine dans lequel la mission chrtienne a triomph de la vie religieuse traditionnelle des Biras. So the church which exists on the African scene bears the marks of its peoples backgrounds. 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. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. I feel deeply the value of biblical studies in this exercise, and the contribution of biblical insights in this development. 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