(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 Robinson, came out. 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. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society 4 0 obj PDF Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The postcolonial 0000005005 00000 n GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Their culture, history, world views and spiritual aspirations cannot be taken away from them. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. A magisterial historical synthesis of the formative period of African Christianity written by one of its foremost scholars. Religious syncretism - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation | Pew Research Center Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. As the map in the preface to this report shows, sub-Saharan Africa is much more religiously mixed than northern Africa, where the population is overwhelmingly Muslim. 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. 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. Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. 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 . startxref African diaspora religions - Wikipedia 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. Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. 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. The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). 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. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. The Encounter of Christian Faith and African Religion Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. 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. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. 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. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? 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. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). 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. Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. (back to text), 3 Nigerias 2006 census did not ask about religious affiliation, and recent estimates of the numbers of Muslims and Christians in the country vary. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Much of Oluponas work is an attempt to provide a fuller understanding of the complexity and richness of African indigenous thought and practice by viewing it not as a foil or as a useful comparative to better understand Western religions, but as a system of thought and belief that should be valued and understood for its own ideas and contribution to global religions. God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. (PDF) Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The 0000005714 00000 n Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. 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. First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. Religious pluralism serves peace. In the other case no such written record exists. 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 He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. 0000015705 00000 n OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. 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. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. 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. AP US History Period 1, APUSH Period 1 Flashcards | Quizlet "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. 75 0 obj degree at Harvard Divinity School. (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. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. 0000000016 00000 n GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? 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. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). This re-ligion is found in almost all the activities of the African man. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas (See the glossary for more information on juju. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. 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. The theological horizon continues to expand. Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. 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. OLUPONA: We would lose a worldview that has collectively sustained, enriched, and given meaning to a continent and numerous other societies for centuries through its epistemology, metaphysics, history, and practices. 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. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. 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. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . 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. 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. 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). X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9 ?ce%9EG`N: &U0EHC$p4=$'=DlX6M_7,--" 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. 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. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. Omissions? Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. Instead, God brought them. 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. No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Its aim is to develop an extensive library of resources, representing many different points of view, but all written from the perspective of sound scholarship. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? 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. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. African Traditional Religion in the Context of Christian and Islamic Abstract. 0000008365 00000 n Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. 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. They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 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.
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