mixing of christianity and traditional african religions apush

The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). Religious beliefs among Black Americans | Pew Research Center Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. Updates? Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. Abstract. 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. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . (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. On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title. In the end, I believe that Africans can make room for a plurality of religious points of view without one religious point of view excluding or compromising the other. 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. 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. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. 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. 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. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. GAZETTE: But yet you said its a mixed bag? Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. 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]. 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. This is not an empty coincidence. Corrections? A subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). 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). These impinge upon their daily life- and experience of the Christian faith. That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. 0000001791 00000 n 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 massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. 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. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. 0000014207 00000 n My research into and teaching of African religion has led to another important area of development. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. African spirituality is truly holistic. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. APUSH Unit 1 Flashcards | Quizlet For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. 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. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. They are not mutually exclusive. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . In the 17th century a movement led by the German Protestant theologian George Calixtus aimed at reconciling the differences between the Protestants in Germany, but his efforts were disparaged by orthodox Christian leaders as syncretistic. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. But in practical terms, there is a Christian Yes to African religiosity. In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 Christians. Afro-American Religious Syncretism in Brazil and the United States: A This chapter includes information on: Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB) Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis Eating pattern tied to 24% reduction in cardiovascular, cancer mortality in people diagnosed with the chronic condition, HMS/Brigham study shows most advertised medicines little better than other treatment options. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. 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. Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Omissions? GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? Dr. Mbiti is on the staff of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland. OLUPONA: One of the basic reasons is that indigenous African spiritual beliefs are not bound by a written text, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. 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. Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. The suppression of ancestor worship is the only area where mission Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. Nigeria, the most populous country in all of Africa, has the largest number of Muslims as well as the largest number of Christians in the region.3. While Islam and Christianity tend to . African religions and corresponding beliefs and practices Take em with a grain of salt. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. 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. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. And in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, the survey finds that 5% or less identify as Muslim. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." "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. 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. Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. 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. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict. 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. Religious pluralism serves peace. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. 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). 0000003217 00000 n 93 0 obj There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. APUSH Content Quiz #2 Flashcards | Quizlet 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. In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. 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. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. Updates? And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. 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. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. 0 But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. 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. After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. 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. 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 . trailer 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. 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. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. 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. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. 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. 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. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. 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. 4 0 obj African diaspora religions - Wikipedia <>stream Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. Ethiopia's Christian population, at 6 million in 1900, will grow to a projected 100 million in 2050. Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? 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.. 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. 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. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. For six years I worked with the World Council of Churches in Geneva. 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. That finished the interview. Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. 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. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. 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. 75 0 obj In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. 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. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. Corrections? While the recourse to traditional healers may be motivated in part by economic reasons and an absence of health care alternatives, it may also be rooted in religious beliefs about the efficacy of this approach. Below is the article summary. 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. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. 0000005714 00000 n Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. 0000001019 00000 n African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. 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 Church in Africa, 1450-1950. The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. 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. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. In the other case no such written record exists. Then was he not there in other times and in such places as Mount Fuji and Mount Kenya, as well as Mount Sinai? Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. Awolawu and Depamu (1979) 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. GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. 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. % GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. ancient Rome: Religious and cultural life in the 3rd century, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/religious-syncretism, Academia - Religious Syncretism as a Syncretistic Concept: The Inadequacy of the " World Religions " Paradigm in Cross-Cultural Encounter. Currently I am about to complete a book on this question of the encounter between the biblical faith and African religion. PDF Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The postcolonial The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> 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%). Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. So the church which exists on the African scene bears the marks of its peoples backgrounds. This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? 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.

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