<>stream Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). He has researched and written about such diverse religious cultures as the Hare Krishnas, Zoroastrians, Shakers, and the Old Order Amish. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. Alternate titles: Vaudou, Vodun, Voodoo, Voudou, vodon, Elizabeth McAlister Associate Professor of Religion, Weslyan University. 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. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. Their history has a theological meaning. In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. 1"7$X9Xyyyb GNpL!9I&mxo0++44cA@5c. For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. %PDF-1.3 Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. 0000002264 00000 n 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. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. What factors are responsible for it? The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. 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. 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. Regardless of the variation, it is still true that Nigeria has both the largest number of Muslims and the largest number of Christians in the region. 4 0 obj GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? 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. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. OLUPONA: No, this type of binary thinking is simplistic. 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 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. A semi-annual journal, it publishes peer-reviewed articles in both French and English devoted to social and cultural issues whether they are pre-historic, historic, contemporary, biological, linguistic, applied or theoretical in orientation. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. 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. 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. 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. 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 . Diviners who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. Corrections? It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. 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. 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. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> "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," said Olupona. 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. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. 0000002026 00000 n In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. My research into and teaching of African religion has led to another important area of development. 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. The theological horizon continues to expand. 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 . 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]. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. 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. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. 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. It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. The suppression of ancestor worship is the only area where mission Christianity has scored a triumph over the traditional religious life of the Bira. Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. 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. I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. Liberia is the only country where more than one-in-ten (12%) identify primarily with an African traditional religion. This article appeared in the Christian Century, August 27- September 3, 1980, pp. Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. 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 . A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. 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. According to all the major surveys, Christianity and Islam each represent approximately 40 percent of the African population. A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. God was not a stranger to African peoples. I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. Below is the article summary. 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 Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? 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. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. 0000001586 00000 n 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. 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. 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. 0000002505 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. 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. 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. In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. These were not empty names. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? And in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, the survey finds that 5% or less identify as Muslim. 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%. 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. African immigrants and slaves worked to maintain traditional religious and social practices in their new surroundings. trailer Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. 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. Yet . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer, By Anthony Chiorazzi Harvard Correspondent. This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. 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. 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 Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. 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. The Pew Forums survey found 52% of the population is Muslim. Omissions? 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. They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 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. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. (a) The Structures of African Traditional Religions: Sometimes it is a difficult task among scholars to choose a unanimous name for the religious traditions and beliefs of the African people. In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? 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. 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. He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA But to the disappointment of those theological exporters, this fish was not attracted by the bait.

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