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

0000005714 00000 n 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. <>stream Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts 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. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. The Pew Forums survey found 52% of the population is Muslim. Omissions? www.ej-theology.org Christianity and Indigenisation in Africa OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. 0000005005 00000 n 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. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. 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). There are other areas of exploration in which I continue to be engaged. stream The Encounter of Christian Faith and African Religion There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. 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? Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. But today that is not the case due to more exclusive-minded types of Christianity and Islam that see patronizing indigenous African beliefs and practices as violating the integrity of their Christian or Muslim principles, but I believe that one can maintain ones religious integrity and also embrace an African worldview. 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. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. trailer Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. 0000001019 00000 n 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. 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. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. The spirituality of Africa - Harvard Gazette Updates? I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 Christians. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. 4 0 obj 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. Take em with a grain of salt. 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. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that X0#J++?U;_3_gmx9[F\"{,Um1yu 9 ?ce%9EG`N: &U0EHC$p4=$'=DlX6M_7,--" 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. His research has helped to introduce and popularize new concepts in religious studies, such as the term reverse missionaries, referring to African prelates sent to Europe and the United States. Syncretistic movements in the Orient, such as Manichaeism (a dualistic religion founded by the 3rd-century-ce Iranian prophet Mani, who combined elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism) and Sikhism (a religion founded by the 15th16th-century Indian reformer Guru Nnak, who combined elements of Islam and Hinduism), also met with resistance from the prevailing religions of their respective areas. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. 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. These were not empty names. 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. 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. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. They have also fostered a greater feeling of individual self-worth by acknowledging important milestones in ones life, including becoming an adult or an elder. endobj When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. Amen. The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. Request Permissions, Published By: Canadian Anthropology Society. degree at Harvard Divinity School. 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. Religious pluralism serves peace. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions 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. (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. 0000001791 00000 n 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. The theological horizon continues to expand. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. APUSH Content Quiz #2 Flashcards | Quizlet 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. 0000001519 00000 n (See the glossary for more information on juju. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. 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 . OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . They are not mutually exclusive. Afro-American Religious Syncretism in Brazil and the United States: A For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ I had it. The decisive word here is "only." In three of the countries surveyed (Djibouti, Mali and Senegal), Muslims clearly outnumber Christians. (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. 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 . startxref Religious syncretism - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica 0000000016 00000 n Aujourd'hui, la plupart des Zariens sont soit catholiques, soit protestants; les Biras pour leur part sont principalement catholiques. 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. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. 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). Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. 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$! 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. African development. A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. 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. Alternate titles: Vaudou, Vodun, Voodoo, Voudou, vodon, Elizabeth McAlister Associate Professor of Religion, Weslyan University. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa are the only countries surveyed where a significant number of people (roughly one-in-ten) describe their religion as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular. In all the other countries, the figure is closer to zero. The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. 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 subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. 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. Authoring or editing more than half a dozen books on religion and African culture (including the recent African Religions: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press), Olupona has researched topics ranging from the indigenous religions of Africa to the religious practices of Africans who have settled in America. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. (PDF) Christianity and the African traditional religion(s): The 9_r'v>#z2"syiBm?mry8%;m8v L,WNHitMJk#RZwEl+M3N1n[nt4]C$i2y]_6Iasrt African Christianity - African Studies - Oxford Bibliographies - obo 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%. 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. The suppression of ancestor worship is the only area where mission Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. 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. %PDF-1.7 % 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 the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. 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. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. 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. 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. 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. A belief in ancestors also testifies to the inclusive nature of traditional African spirituality by positing that deceased progenitors still play a role in the lives of their living descendants. Author of. Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. The Pew Forums survey finds a similar number of people in Guinea Bissau identifying themselves as Muslim (38%) but a much higher percentage identifying themselves as Christian (62%) and very few describing themselves mainly as practitioners of traditional African faiths. 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%). 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). This is not a biblical distinction. 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Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. 1"7$X9Xyyyb GNpL!9I&mxo0++44cA@5c. 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. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. 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. 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. 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. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> Awolawu and Depamu (1979) Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. Faith in The One God in Christian and African Traditional Religions: a 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. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. 0000001586 00000 n There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. 300 ce). 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. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. 0000003641 00000 n African religions and corresponding beliefs and practices GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. 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. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. 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. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 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This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. 93 0 obj 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. % 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. Religious beliefs among Black Americans | Pew Research Center (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. 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. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. 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. 0000002884 00000 n 0000002264 00000 n 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. Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation. 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. hb```b``g`a`.ef@ aV68+ +$.0t9$r8A2Or}6=<4. 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. 0000015705 00000 n This re-ligion is found in almost all the activities of the African man. 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). The WCCs very existence as a council of churches is a living hope. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . 0000014207 00000 n Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. "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. What is African Traditional Religion? This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. 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. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices