What factors are responsible for it? And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. (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. 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. Corrections? PDF Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The postcolonial While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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 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. In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. 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. 0000001519 00000 n APUSH Content Quiz #2 Flashcards | Quizlet Robinson, came out. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. 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%. Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. Its aims were to encourage formal and informal dissemination of knowledge through an annual conference and publications; promote relations with other academic and professional associations, aboriginal groups, and governments; and publicize ethnological research and activities to further understanding of ethnological practices. 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. 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. I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society 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. 300 ce). The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). 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. Par contre, les croyances en la sorcellerie ont persist. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? /// Dans le nord-est du Zare, la communaut rurale Bira a t expose depuis plus de cinquante ans au message chrtien. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). This is not an empty coincidence. PDF African American Christianity - Harvard University Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. 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. On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title. 0 For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. This is not a biblical distinction. The book comprised ideas that I had gathered from 300 African peoples ("tribes" -- a term that today is sometimes used in derogatory ways). Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. 0000001586 00000 n Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. It publishes a journal Anthropologica and has reclaimed the name of its former journal, Culture for its occasional online bulletin. Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. 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. 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. First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. African spirituality is truly holistic. My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. Updates? 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. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. 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. 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. 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. 4 0 obj 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. 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. Their history has a theological meaning. While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. 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). African Christianity - African Studies - Oxford Bibliographies - obo www.ej-theology.org Christianity and Indigenisation in Africa Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. 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. He later earned both an M.A. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. 75 0 obj I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. These impinge upon their daily life- and experience of the Christian faith. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. 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. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? 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 to expressing high levels of belief in the protective power of sacrificial offerings and sacred objects, upwards of one-in-five people in every country say they believe in the evil eye, or the ability of certain people to cast malevolent curses or spells. 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. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). 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. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. Omissions? 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. 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. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. 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.
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