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

(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. 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. 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. 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. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that 0000014025 00000 n 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. hb```b``g`a`.ef@ aV68+ +$.0t9$r8A2Or}6=<4. African development. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. 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). 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. Religious pluralism serves peace. Omissions? Following a period of parish work in England, I went to teach at Makerere University, Uganda, where I remained for ten years until 1974. % 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. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. 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). 75 0 obj (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. w?0t7/Oa84P]T}T}?gHq.qsRnkc;]X*s1!E"l^~K_/|j p z|9~p uf:}[Mc|4!#"Zg!/vc _~|oyuQ'dX :?NmU)?oPSw?6#?[OUN@6oz{j;\e7nWsV~XyU4vMm4#f4c:[Wefkd&88XB|cMh6)mt<4M8}; *:7??+0:0$! mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? The unseen world is populated by lwa (spirits), myst (mysteries), anvizib (the invisibles), zanj (angels), and the spirits of ancestors and the recently deceased. GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? endobj 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. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. All these spirits are believed to live in a mythic land called Ginen, a cosmic Africa. The God of the Christian Bible is understood to be the creator of both the universe and the spirits; the spirits were made by God to help him govern humanity and the natural world. In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 Christians. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Corrections? Updates? The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. Religious beliefs among Black Americans | Pew Research Center Omissions? OLUPONA: Yes, its a mixed bag because in the African diaspora mostly due to the slave trade starting in the 15th century indigenous African religions have spread and taken root all over the world, including in the United States and Europe. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. 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. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. 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. PDF Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The postcolonial Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Abstract. I wish to apply "change of mind" here to mean theological growth, and not necessarily a rejection of or turnaround from ideas that I may have held ten years ago. No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. 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. How Africa Is Changing Faith Around the World 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. In the cities, local hierarchies of priestesses or priests (manbo and oungan), children of the spirits (ounsi), and ritual drummers (ountgi) comprise more formal societies or congregations (sosyete). Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. 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. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices, Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Next: Chapter 4: Interreligious Harmony and Tensions, Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, 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. 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"). 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. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. 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. 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 (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 Faith in The One God in Christian and African Traditional Religions: a Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. 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. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. 0000001791 00000 n 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. stream 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. 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. And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. 43. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. (PDF) Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. 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. What is African Traditional Religion? First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. A magisterial historical synthesis of the formative period of African Christianity written by one of its foremost scholars. For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. 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. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? 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. I have received much in a short period. This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. 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. There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. Some people tried to involve Africa in the debate. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. That finished the interview. 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. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. This massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? 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. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition of the region about 100 years ago, when, according to a Pew Forum analysis of historical information from the World Religion Database, less than a quarter of the population identified as either Christian or Muslim. They proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ. APUSH Content Quiz #2 Flashcards | Quizlet The decisive word here is "only." They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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 Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. Ancestors can offer advice and bestow good fortune and honor to their living dependents, but they can also make demands, such as insisting that their shrines be properly maintained and propitiated. 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. 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. One of Jacob Oluponas earliest memories in Massachusetts is of nearly freezing in his apartment as a graduate student at Boston University during the great snowstorm of 1978. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. Robinson, came out. 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. 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. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. 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. Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. 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. OLUPONA: One of the basic reasons is that indigenous African spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Instead, God brought them. And in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, the survey finds that 5% or less identify as Muslim. 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 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. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. Corrections? 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. 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 . It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. This is not a biblical distinction. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Currently I am about to complete a book on this question of the encounter between the biblical faith and African religion. They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. (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. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. During religious rites, believers sometimes enter a trancelike state in which the devotee may eat and drink, perform stylized dances, give supernaturally inspired advice to people, or perform medical cures or special physical feats; these acts exhibit the incarnate presence of the lwa within the entranced devotee. Yet . 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. Corrections? OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. 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. This is not an empty coincidence. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. 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. They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. 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. Subscriptions are available to libraries and individuals who are not members of CASCA. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. This statistical tilting of Christendom from the north to the south, after 2,000 years, holds tremendous prospects and challenges. So, "Lord, help Thou my unbelief!" When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. The spirituality of Africa - Harvard Gazette 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. x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. 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. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des Zariens sont soit catholiques, soit protestants; les Biras pour leur part sont principalement catholiques. PDF Traditional African Religion and Modern Christianity in Zaire - JSTOR In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. {PB,`s 0000002884 00000 n For six years I worked with the World Council of Churches in Geneva. 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 . Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. 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. 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. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. Its consequences for theological and ecclesiological developments are yet to be faced. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. AP US History Period 1, APUSH Period 1 Flashcards | Quizlet 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. Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. 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. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. 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]. 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. 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 of sins. 0000002264 00000 n But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. 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. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. 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. These impinge upon their daily life- and experience of the Christian faith. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main These statements await further exploration by African theologians. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. PDF African American Christianity - Harvard University In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). So the church which exists on the African scene bears the marks of its peoples backgrounds. The Story of Africa| BBC World Service - Logo of the BBC startxref in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.)