mixing of christianity and traditional african religions apush

Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. 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. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. 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. 817-820. 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. 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. Since the Bible tells me that God is the Creator of all things, his activities in the world must clearly go beyond what is recorded in the Bible. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. 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. %PDF-1.3 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. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. Religious pluralism serves peace. What factors are responsible for it? In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. (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. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. 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. That finished the interview. When this happens, then a passage such as Hebrews 1:1-3 rolls down like mighty waters, full of exciting possibilities of theological reflection. 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. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. For this reason, some African theologians take African religiosity to be one of the sources of theological reflection (besides the Bible, Christian heritage, etc.). mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. 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]. 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.. OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. Then was he not there in other times and in such places as Mount Fuji and Mount Kenya, as well as Mount Sinai? 0000002026 00000 n African spirituality is truly holistic. This approach is intended to shed further light on the problem of African cultural influence and . 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. 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. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. 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. <>stream 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. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. 0000001791 00000 n 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. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. The concept of the church as the body of Christ in the whole world is another growing development for me. 0000008365 00000 n 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. These initiation rituals are already not as common in Africa as they were only 50 years ago, yet age-grade initiations have always helped young Africans feel connected to their community and their past. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. Instead, God brought them. But the basic truth seems to be that Gods revelation is not confined to the biblical record. I have received much in a short period. Abstract. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. 0000001198 00000 n 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. 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. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. Islam And Christianity Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. 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 . In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. All too often, the result is conflict and radicalisation. Updates? GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice. 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. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. hb```b``g`a`.ef@ aV68+ +$.0t9$r8A2Or}6=<4. Focuses on the influences of Africans and African ideas on the mission enterprise, conversion, religious innovation, and church life, but it neglects to cover the . {PB,`s GAZETTE: Are ancestors considered deities in the traditional African cosmology? 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. They constitute an important channel of the churchs prophetic witness today. 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. The editor of The Christian Century has given me an undeserved privilege in asking me to contribute some reflections on "How My Mind Has Changed" in the course of the past decade. Its about getting tangible results. But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. Omissions? It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. 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. 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. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title. So, "Lord, help Thou my unbelief!" The decisive word here is "only." In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. 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. "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. Traditional African religions and practices were brought to the Western hemisphere through the African diaspora and the slave trade, often resulting in a syncretic blending with Christianity. Anthropologica 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. 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. This is not an empty coincidence. Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. That is anathema to the fundamentalist faith movements that have been gaining momentum in recent decades. Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. It sensitized my thinking in many areas, one of these being the quest for Christian unity. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. Amen. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. 0000000016 00000 n The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. I want to reflect and write on this topic, but somehow it makes me feel frightened. 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. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. 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. Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. No viable theology can grow in Africa without addressing itself to the interreligious phenomenon at work there. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. 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. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that GAZETTE: What allows African indigenous religions to be so accommodating? Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. 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. 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 interview has been edited for length and clarity. The God described in the Bible is none other than the God who is already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. 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. 75 0 obj 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. 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: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . 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. But I feel that the issue of looking at African history in light of the biblical understanding of history is clearly called for. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. 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. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. 75 19 (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax 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. 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. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. 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. interaction between the Christian churches and West African religious culture. 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. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. 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. 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"). 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. 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. In 1988 the society changed its name to the Canadian Anthropology Society to clarify its identity and emphasize its role as an anthropology association. 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. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. 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). Updates? I had it. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. 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 0000014207 00000 n Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 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. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. 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. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. 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. 93 0 obj The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. 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. Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements.