African scholars What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." But in practical terms, there is a Christian Yes to African religiosity. 0000002505 00000 n 93 0 obj 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. 0000001019 00000 n In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. 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. degree at Harvard Divinity School. African Traditional Religion in the Context of Christian and Islamic 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. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 4 0 obj Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. 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"). OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. Black Americans who identify with a religion are most likely to say belief in God is essential to what their faith means to them (84%), while large majorities say the same about opposing racism (76%) and sexism (71%). 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. Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. 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. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? African religions and corresponding beliefs and practices What factors are responsible for it? Corrections? Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? Following a period of parish work in England, I went to teach at Makerere University, Uganda, where I remained for ten years until 1974. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. 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. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. Yet . It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. 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. stream xref In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. 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. 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For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas 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. 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. African Traditional Religion in the Context of increasing Christian and Islamic Encounter . 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. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice. 0000000676 00000 n This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. 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. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. This is not an empty coincidence. They proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. 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. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. 0 He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. The decisive word here is "only." Some people tried to involve Africa in the debate. In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. They include the work of missionaries (of whom there are about 40,000 today, without counting their family members); the work of African Christians in evangelism and pastoral care (their numbers are infinitely greater than those of overseas missionaries, and include men, women and children, both lay and ordained); the role of Christian schools; the translation and distribution of the Bible (which is now available in full or in part in nearly 600 of Africas 1,000 languages); and the ending of the colonial era during the decades 1960-1980. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ 0000001791 00000 n But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. Important lwa are celebrated on saints days (for example: Ogou on St. Jamess Day, July 25; Ezili Danto on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16; Danbala on St. Patricks Day, March 17; and the spirits of the ancestors on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, November 1 and November 2). Ifa is an indispensable treasure trove of knowledge that cant be duplicated elsewhere; much of its knowledge has been handed down from babalawo [Ifa priest/diviner] to babalawo for centuries. (PDF) Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The There is some regional difference in ritual practice across Haiti, and branches of the religion include Rada, Daome, Ibo, Nago, Dereal, Manding, Petwo, and Kongo. (back to text), 2 The World Religion Database estimates that roughly four-in-ten people in Guinea Bissau are Muslim and approximately one-in-ten are Christian, with the rest of the population associated with traditional African religions. Subscriptions are available to libraries and individuals who are not members of CASCA. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Reuben Kigame, the Kenyan Christian musician and apologist, has rightly suggested that considering the fact that Christianity existed in Africa for a good eighteen centuries before the. PDF African American Christianity - Harvard University We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. 1"7$X9Xyyyb GNpL!9I&mxo0++44cA@5c. Take em with a grain of salt. Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. 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. 0000000016 00000 n Faith in The One God in Christian and African Traditional Religions: a The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. 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]. Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> This is not a biblical distinction. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. Religious pluralism serves peace | D+C - Development + Cooperation Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. 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. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. 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 There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. African Christianity - African Studies - Oxford Bibliographies - obo While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. 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.