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Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. degree at Harvard Divinity School. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. Updates? This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. This massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. (back to text), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. The numerous traditional African religions have in common the notion of a creator god, who made the world and then withdrew, remaining remote from the concerns of human life. An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. Omissions? While some African cosmologies have a clear idea of a supreme being, other cosmologies do not. This is not an empty coincidence. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 0000005005 00000 n 4 0 obj 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. It is here that I have discovered the church in Burma, in the Pacific islands, the house church in China, the basic Christian communities in Latin America, the struggling church in South Africa, plus countless other endeavors of Christians all over the world. The continued influence of traditional African religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life. 0000002505 00000 n And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. %%EOF Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) 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. 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. Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general seekers who are interested in exploring religious issues. Conflicts Between African Traditional Religion and Christianity in They proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ. {PB,`s AP US History Period 1, APUSH Period 1 Flashcards | Quizlet 0000008365 00000 n 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. Then was he not there in other times and in such places as Mount Fuji and Mount Kenya, as well as Mount Sinai? settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas 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. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. % In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. 0000014207 00000 n As discussed elsewhere in this report, many Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. One 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. There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwl, that perform a religio-juridical function. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? APUSH Unit 1 Flashcards | Quizlet Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. 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. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements. 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. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. For example, an African amulet might have inside of it a written verse from either the Koran or Christian Bible. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. 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. 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. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. <>stream Corrections? African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. Author of. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? 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. 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. xref Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. Religious pluralism serves peace. In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice. Vodou ritual activity (e.g., prayer, song, dance, and gesture) is aimed at refining and restoring balance and energy in relationships between people and between people and the spirits of the unseen world. 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 . Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. My research into and teaching of African religion has led to another important area of development. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. 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. That experience gave me a face-to-face encounter with the ecumenical movement and left a lasting mark on me. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. 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. For example, in 14 of the 19 countries surveyed, more than three-in-ten people say they sometimes consult traditional healers when someone in their household is sick. Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. I have received much in a short period. 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. These were not empty names. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. But after braving that first blizzard in a land far from his native Nigeria, Olupona stuck it out and earned his Ph.D. 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. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY He later earned both an M.A. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 0000001586 00000 n 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. This statistical tilting of Christendom from the north to the south, after 2,000 years, holds tremendous prospects and challenges. African development. 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). Below is the article summary. A magisterial historical synthesis of the formative period of African Christianity written by one of its foremost scholars. 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). 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 This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. 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. They depended on the labor of enslaved Africans who often constituted the majority of the population in these areas and developed their own forms of cultural and religious autonomy Examples: plantation agriculture, the Carolinas (rice), Barbados (sugar), tobacco Colonial government mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. 0000003641 00000 n 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. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. 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). 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. 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. For six years I worked with the World Council of Churches in Geneva. OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. 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%). Oxford: Clarendon, 1994. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. Its consequences for theological and ecclesiological developments are yet to be faced. www.ej-theology.org Christianity and Indigenisation in Africa That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. 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). C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. Religious beliefs among Black Americans | Pew Research Center Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation | Pew Research Center Vodou represents a syncretism of the West African Vodun religion and Roman Catholicism by the descendants of the Dahomean, Kongo, Yoruba, and other ethnic groups who had been enslaved and transported to colonial Saint-Domingue (as Haiti was known then) and partly Christianized by Roman Catholic missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries. Subscriptions are available to libraries and individuals who are not members of CASCA. 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. African religion has equipped people to listen to the gospel, to discover meaningful passages in the Bible, and to avoid unhealthy religious conflict.