mixing of christianity and traditional african religions apush
Islam has experienced a similar rapid growth. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Since Christianity and Islam spread across Africa, many people there have observed a mixture of religious practices. 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. 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. 0000003641 00000 n OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. 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. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . 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. 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. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. This rapid spreading of the Christian faith where people have been predominantly followers of African religion provokes interesting questions. 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 . First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. 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. 0000001519 00000 n Corrections? In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. 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. They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. The spirituality of Africa - Harvard Gazette 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 . 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. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. African scholars 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. Revelation is given not in a vacuum but within particular historical experiences and reflections. So, "Lord, help Thou my unbelief!" 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. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. 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. 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. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. 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 the other case no such written record exists. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? I have received much in a short period. A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. Par contre, les croyances en la sorcellerie ont persist. 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. <> 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$! The Yoruba diviners, for example, draw on this extensive indigenous knowledge every day by consulting Ifa, an extensive literary corpus of information covering science, medicine, cosmology, and metaphysics. All too often, the result is conflict and radicalisation. 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. trailer 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. Consequently, people are discovering that the biblical faith is not harmful to their religious sensibilities. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. 0000000016 00000 n 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. 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. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and . While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. C'est l'poque de la colonisation belge que les premiers missionnaires catholiques et protestants sont arrivs dans cette rgion du Zare. For example, sickness in the indigenous African worldview is not only an imbalance of the body, but also an imbalance in ones social life, which can be linked to a breakdown in ones kinship and family relations or even to ones relationship with ones ancestors. x\u}4`P}E#(9q"%LCl'KLb)Sfgdq N In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. It was during the Belgian colonial period that the first Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to this region of Zaire. Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. Since I myself had never heard any lectures on African religion, I set out to do research on the subject in order to teach the course adequately. 0000002026 00000 n For over 200 years, Africans, largely from the west coast of Africa, were brought to the United States in the slave trade. 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). He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? 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. 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. Ritual sacrifices and witchcraft beliefs are still common. But I am grateful for that one step I may be taking under the light of this vision. GAZETTE: It sounds like African indigenous religions are dynamic, inclusive, and flexible. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. 93 0 obj African religions, Indigenous religions of the African continent. 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. What is African Traditional Religion? He later earned both an M.A. 4 0 obj God was not a stranger to African peoples. 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). Take em with a grain of salt. They are not mutually exclusive. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. A prominent European New Testament professor visited Makerere University and interviewed me on what I thought about the "death of God" discussion. 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. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. 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. Their culture, history, world views and spiritual aspirations cannot be taken away from them. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. These impinge upon their daily life- and experience of the Christian faith. 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 . 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society 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. 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. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. Everywhere he went in southwestern Nigeria, he never opposed or spoke out against African culture including initiation rites, festivals, and traditional Yoruba dress as long as it didnt directly conflict with Christianity. Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their god. I was like a snail shyly peeping out of its house after a heavy thunderstorm. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des Zariens sont soit catholiques, soit protestants; les Biras pour leur part sont principalement catholiques. 0000001198 00000 n Indigenous African spirituality today is increasingly falling out of favor. 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. 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. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. It includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main 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. I find the traditional Western distinction between "special revelation" and "general revelation" to be inadequate and unfreeing. I had it. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Amen. 0000001019 00000 n v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). 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. settlements formed by African slaves who ran away from imprisonment the Americas It may be, and needs to be, a qualified and critical Yes. startxref 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. The conviction that people will be reborn in this world again and again tends to be more common among Christians than Muslims. My research into and teaching of African religion has led to another important area of development. 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. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. %PDF-1.3 Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. 0000005714 00000 n OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. It is the southern two-thirds of Africa (including Madagascar) which we can rightly call Christian Africa, as the northern one-third is Muslim Africa. Omissions? Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Nevertheless, since 1900, Christians in Africa have grown from approximately 7 million to over 450 million today. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. %%EOF The previous year I had published African Religions and Philosophy (Doubleday, 1969). 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. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. 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. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation | Pew Research Center Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? %PDF-1.7 % 0000001791 00000 n In the 17th century a movement led by the German Protestant theologian George Calixtus aimed at reconciling the differences between the Protestants in Germany, but his efforts were disparaged by orthodox Christian leaders as syncretistic. 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. Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices, Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Next: Chapter 4: Interreligious Harmony and Tensions, Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, 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 for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. There is no room to describe them, and I can mention only two or three of them briefly. He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. ), In addition to expressing high levels of belief in the protective power of sacrificial offerings and sacred objects, upwards of one-in-five people in every country say they believe in the evil eye, or the ability of certain people to cast malevolent curses or spells. While Islam and Christianity tend to . GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. There are also other parallels in social, political and cultural areas, just as there are some significant differences.