Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. 75 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). That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. Dr. Mbiti is on the staff of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland. 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. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. The decisive word here is "only." 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. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. 0000005714 00000 n 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. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. Anthropologica is published for CASCA by University of Toronto Press. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. They will certainly be overwhelming, and I feel very excited about them. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice. 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 . Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. God was not a stranger to African peoples. 0000001586 00000 n This is not a biblical distinction. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. 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. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. 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. {PB,`s The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. Corrections? 43. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Religious pluralism serves peace. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. 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.. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 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. In the other case no such written record exists. Its about getting tangible results. OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. Robinson, came out. 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. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. 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. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. Their history has a theological meaning. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. 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$! 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. 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. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. 0000001519 00000 n Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. Alternate titles: Vaudou, Vodun, Voodoo, Voudou, vodon, Elizabeth McAlister Associate Professor of Religion, Weslyan University. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. 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. 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. Some African diasporans are returning to the continent to reconnect with their ancestral traditions, and they are encouraging and organizing the local African communities to reclaim this heritage. The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. In February 1974 a group of 120 anthropologists launched the Canadian Ethnology Society/socit canadienne d'ethnologie (CESCE), because they felt there was room for an association of anthropologists separate from the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association (CSAA) which was dominated by sociologists. 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. 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 God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. The previous year I had published African Religions and Philosophy (Doubleday, 1969). That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. Par contre, les croyances en la sorcellerie ont persist. One read Honest to God and a variety of other works in an effort to understand the hot debate then raging in Europe and America. 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. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. That finished the interview. 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. We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. These were not empty names. Corrections? 0000005005 00000 n % 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. 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. 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt 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. 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. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. This re-ligion is found in almost all the activities of the African man. (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. And this witness deserves ones support through service and prayer. Omissions? Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. Model tested on tens of thousands of routine brain scans spotted disease risk with 90% accuracy, Experts on law, policy say originalist view used to overturn Roe could upend 76 ruling based on cruel, unusual punishment clause, Issues revolve around culture of viewing civilians as potential threats, concerns about self-protection in departments equipped with military-grade arms, Khalil Gibran Muhammad says College Board needs to stand firm behind curriculum, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. 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. One important task, then, is to see the nature, the method and the implications of Gods revelation among African peoples, in the light of the biblical record of the same revelation. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. 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. 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. %PDF-1.3 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. 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. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. Supreme Court may halt health care guarantees for inmates, Why police resist reforms to militarization, Historian says Fla. dispute shows why AP class in African American studies is needed, Low-carb diet can help manage progression of Type 2 diabetes, Those breezy TV drug ads? Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. 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. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. 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. 0000002505 00000 n Author of. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. 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. x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. 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). Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). The church is composed largely of people who come out of the African religious background. He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. 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. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. For myself, I negotiate between my Yoruba and Christian identity by, for example, affirming those aspects of African culture that promote good life and communal human welfare. A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. 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. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. 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 I feel deeply the value of biblical studies in this exercise, and the contribution of biblical insights in this development. There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. 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. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. (See the glossary for more information on juju. African scholars Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). 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. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. 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. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. 300 ce). I am very excited, for example, by the estimate that in 1987 there will be a statistical balance of Christian population between the north (Europe, Soviet Union and America) and the south (Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania). 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. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax 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. Updates? Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. I find the traditional Western distinction between "special revelation" and "general revelation" to be inadequate and unfreeing. Spiritual activities like prayer, thanksgiving, and the making of sacrifices were well-established facts of life for the existence and continuation of the community. 0000001198 00000 n Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. But the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. African spirituality is truly holistic. 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. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. 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. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. The book comprised ideas that I had gathered from 300 African peoples ("tribes" -- a term that today is sometimes used in derogatory ways). 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 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. 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"). Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. The recipient of many prestigious academic honors and research fellowships, Olupona also received the 20152016 Reimar Lust Award for International and Cultural Exchange, considered one of Germanys most prestigious academic honors. My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. 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. stream This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . <>stream 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society 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. So the church which exists on the African scene bears the marks of its peoples backgrounds. He later earned both an M.A. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. Indeed, ten years ago I had no significant theological position. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. 93 0 obj Anthropologica Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. 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. But I have discovered that there is also the fundamental factor of African religion, without which this phenomenal expansion of Christianity would not be a reality. 0000002264 00000 n Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. African development. 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