However, to them, the entire universe is filled with spirit such as trees, rocks, and rivers. It appeals more to social scientists than to those working in religious studies, particularly scholars of specific religious traditions. But it is also the strict commitment, to the observance of certain (written or unwritten) divinely inspired moral prescriptions or codes of ethics, promulgated by the religious authorities and enforced by sanctions. Both have places of worship. Whenever. He went on to conduct some of the most significant research on African religions in decades. Traditional African religion does not show any belief in the Trinity. Other spirits with a significant role in maintaining the African traditional moral world include ancestors and lineage spirits who operate in specific social contexts where their will is expressed through misfortunes, and some other spirits who do not act directly but who rely on human agents to effect their will. These spirits underlie the power of spirit mediums who, as mediators between space and the human world and by virtue of the moral authority this confers, are able to arbitrate between living human beings. African communities at the time but was also poised to become a site of religious and cultural conflict both within and between different communities in postcolonial South Africa. This is because Jesusalready shed His blood on the cross and He was the perfect sacrifice that totally satisfied God. 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. Therefore, the universe has dimensions of order and power as follows: first of all, there is order in the laws of nature. M!eJ/"0Nq"3_ad!+;\4C2-0"+5qu|Rw!9KkC~V3M$ 2d yFT!Jf"ez:~ U S dE{hbaERVTGeqBzk2^oP)R}7Qv#.dQF4^%y+X-o"wr+l+B?{lb="akK;qurpDB ~O` Hn5~:D]xDS-V3tVgP`Axx8Mi2.O4g5=t DTW?ne![Cc?"C+E|o&Ks0`7_BiXHyJ8;B>7AfvuPTZV(3JW|/+Ywy"EtBEVYlNFc[5%X8@o|^DHD\*=z.)P??6`! To ensure that a natural balance is maintained between the world of the sacred and that of the profane, the roles of the chief within the state, family elders in relation to the lineage, and the priest within society, are crucial. Just as within the traditional political and diplomatic contexts, one cannot formally contact the king without the agency of his linguists or sub-chiefs. |,utv2QdjrqfM7PC)2-|O7,0[i=_a/Om"X`Y2FpXBjsFxCqDd`%*g,-J1e*jjq,tm{w>qAsAqN$D (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. 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 juju. Like Mbiti and Green, Magesa notes that the world of African Traditional Religion is a hierarchically ordered place where, On the lowest rung of the ladder are spirits, who are active beings distinct from humans and reside in nature and phenomena such as trees, rivers, rocks, or lakes. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. 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. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. Witchcraft has been a prevailing belief in African cultures and has continually posed problems for the African people groups. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). The other very big difference between African Traditional Religion and Christianity is the worship. Pentecostalism and Shamanism in Asia and Beyond, A Critical Analysis of Byang Kato's Demonology and Its Theological Relevance for an Evangelical Demonology, INITIATION IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION, Veli-Matti Karkkainen, Kirsteen Kim, Amos Yong: Interdisciplinary and Religio-Cultural Discourses on a Spirit-Filled World, Encounter - Journal of African Life and Religion, 12 (2017), REGNUM STUDIES IN MISSION Pentecostal Mission and Global Christianity An Edinburgh Centenary Reader, Van Rheenen, Gailyn: Missions - biblical foundations. This is the kind of interlocutor who will counter an observation about violent militancy in contemporary Islam in the context, let us say, of a discussion about Boko Haram with But what about the Crusades? The bottom line then is that Africans who still wholly practice African indigenous religions are only about 10 percent of the African population, a fraction of what it used to be only a century ago, when indigenous religions dominated most of the continent. Veneration of departed ancestors is a major characteristic of all traditional religions. . ^xH&M'YZ7EDi%qN^K I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. The numerous traditional African religions have in common the notion of a creator god, who made the . 2 0 obj These are the pristine men and women, the originators of the lineage or clan or ethnic group. The reasons for this shift are varied and complex. These included interviews he conducted with pastors, exorcists, traditional priests, so-called witches and delivered witches. The Yoruba believe in the existence of the Supreme God called Olurun andthe lesser god, Obatala. According to Mbiti, Africans believe that God has ordained a moral order for humans, through which they came to understand what is good and what is evil, so that they might live in harmony with one another and safeguard the life of the people. Victor Christianto, Veli-Matti Karkkainen, International Journal of African Catholicism, Stan-William Ede, Dominic Okoye, Anselm Jimoh, Gregory Ekene Ezeokeke, Louismary Ocha, Overlaps between Judeo-Christian theology and traditional African religions, Vehicles of Divine Mystery: Paul's Danielic Self-Understanding in Ephesians 3, Teach us to number our days: an exegetical and theological analysis of Psalm 90, The Faith Journey of Paul: An Exegetical Analysis of Philippians 3: 1-14, The Concept of God in the Traditional Religion of the Akan and Ewe Ethnic Groups Compared the Bible, Comparing the Concept of Spirit and Soul in the Traditional Religion of the Akan and Ewe Tribes to that of the Bible, Entries. Total loading time: 0 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. To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser. 4 0 obj Published online by Cambridge University Press: Rooted in the belief in God as the Creator, Africans believe in various dimensions of the created universe, such as visible and invisible (the spiritual realm), heavenly (skyward) and earthly (and in some ethnic groups there is a belief in the underworld). Updated: 10 . Since God is seen as the Creator, various aspects of the universe are permeated by the sense of the sacredthe religious mentality affects the way people see the universe. However, Christians can offer animals to the church where they canbe sold or reared to give the church income. Ronald M. Green of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, a non-African scholar of African religion, has also written about African Traditional Religion and about religion and morality in Africa. stream They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Mbiti says that: According to Mbiti, human beings have a privileged position in the universe. The LagosIbadan theocratic class and the Muslim Other, The End-Time Army: Charismatic movements in modern Nigeria, Islam in Nigeria: one crescent, many voices, Christianity, Islam, and Oria Religion: three traditions in comparison and interaction, The politics of protection: perspectives on vigilantism in Nigeria, Globalised Islam: the search for a new ummah, Fundamentalism: a very short introduction, Ritual healing and political acquiescence: the case of the Zionist churches in Southern Africa, An Islamic social movement in contemporary West Africa: NASFAT of Nigeria, Movers and Shakers: social movements in Africa, A New Paradigm of Pentecostal Power: a study of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/16/nick-cohen-islam-film-censorship. One scholar who has written extensively on African Traditional Religion is John Mbiti, a Kenyan whom many consider the dean of living African theologians. This practice, no matter how limited it is, again shows how untenable the blanket assertion is that African moral traditions are those of abundant life. The position I critique in this paper is really a complex of closely overlapping positions, some more theoretically sophisticated or better grounded empirically than others. Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA. Like Ronald Green, Magesa argues that African Traditional Religion is in the background of all African religiosity, both in Christianity and Islam, and supplies the basic attitude or worldview of most African Christians. by Richard Chowning [ ATR Topics Page | Africa Missions Research and Strategy Page | Africa Missions Main Page | Help ] [ QuickStart ] Creator God The supreme being in most African Traditional Religions is seen as the creator of humans and all other living things. Belief in the power of such objects is highest in Senegal (75%) and lowest in Rwanda (5%). Moral culpability is always on the shoulders of humanity. The same hierarchy evident in the relationship between God, the ancestors, and humanity is also present in the relationship between the animate and the inanimate world, the former being superior to the latter. These differences, I will argue, have significant impact not just on the way people conceive of the moral world or with regard to moral intentions, but also on moral practices. l| -O;l0bo?Ge_4=MQ=EO|`X\G~Ah,yyG]%,GmF/-w F%YX`Ip}( na~!e[X/K879 ,y?R'd&h. d?ZKS=h8\%M{h(5M=xUeQG:3Sp}#-%>KpC3`zI *vw() The understanding of God normally needs some refining when one comes from African Traditional Religion to be a Christian. Akiki Nyabongos novel, Africa answers back, reveals that religious syncretism in Africa is a reality that has persistently painted Christianity as an offshoot of traditional African religions. These intermediary agents include the ancestors, members of the community who at death become idealized. 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. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). Church Life Journal Christianity, African traditional religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Janson, Marloes 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. endobj Some scholars have rightly observed that the centre of gravity of Christianity is shifting from the West to the two-thirds world, that is Asia, South America and Africa. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over. Magesa discusses the African tradition in its various manifestations: its understanding of the human person and of life in general; aesthetics, politics, ethics, and of course religion, which he shows to be the architectonic basis of these other expressions or manifestations of African tradition. Acts are wrong if they hurt or damage relationships or if they are discovered to constitute a breach of custom or regulation. To buttress his point Mbiti states that in certain African societies to sleep with someone elses wife is not considered evil if these two are not found out by the society which forbids it, and in other societies is in fact an expression of friendship and hospitality to let a guest spend the night with ones wife or daughter or sister. Mbitis assertions must be read as a limited reference to some African societies and in some limited settings. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? The religious activities of chiefs and lineage heads are generally limited to the more routine biweekly and annual festivities, but traditional priests given their association with specific shrines are regarded as specialized practitioners through whom the spirits of the gods may grant directions. 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. as a burnt offering. Christ Jesus, God's own son, takes the "groaning" of humans to God. Christian teaching forbids making of any kinds ofimages to represent God. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. Mission Manual Pages Section A Biblical Basis of Mission 1 20, E-journal of Religious and Theological Studies, TITLE A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SALVATION IN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY: TOWARDS DEVELOPING AN EVANGELISTIC MODEL IN SPECIAL REFERENCE TO TUENSANG DISTRICT CHAPTER ONE, Baptism and Original Sin in the Early Church : contributions of Tertullian, THE UNIQUELY CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW - Ethington Book, CHRISTIANITY AND AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION IN KUMASI: A COMPARATIVE STUDY Department of General Art Studies, SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY @BULLET An Introduction to Bible Doctrine @BULLET, Monotheism in the Qur'an and in the New Testament: Comparative Theological Explorations of the Role of Prophets and the Covenants. for this article. By Greens own admission, and as we shall see later, there are as many divergences on the architectonic hinge of these deep structuresGod, the human person, and the materialworldas there are similarities. Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. To achieve its goal, the paper adopts the method of . endobj OLUPONA: If we lose traditional African religions, we would also lose or continue to seriously undermine the African practice of rites of passage such as the much cherished age-grade initiations, which have for so long integrated and bought Africans together under a common understanding, or worldview. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. This work investigates the conflicts existing between the two . ABSTRACT The concept of God in the traditional religion of Akan and Ewe ethnic groups compare to the Bible By Godwin Kwame Ofosuhene I am going to focus this writing, on how the Akan and Ewe ethnic groups of Ghana, understood God in their traditional religious practices and after that compare or discuss these beliefs in the light of the Holy Scriptures. A network of mutual relationships and responsibilities links the duals worlds of the mundane and the sacred. 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. Part one looks briefly at the matter of religion itself. 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. 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Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. Christ was tempted in all the ways Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. The traditional theologians also emphasized that as in all religious traditions, the belief and worship of the Supreme Being in ATR does not just mean the strict performance of certain rituals. It was believed that Vodun was a representativeof the Supreme God known as Mawu. The vibrancy of African Traditional Religion in these two aspectstheological and moralcreates a unique opportunity for Christianity in Africa, one that, as Bediako points out has been lost to Christian theology in the West, "for a serious and creative theological encounter between the Christian and primal traditions." The Church is the Christian family, in which all are accompanied to one another through belief and baptism in Jesus Christ. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. During the early churchs initial expansion phase where congregations were established in Syria, Asia Minor, Achaia, Italy and Africa there were strong leadership structures in Alexandria, Carthage, Neo religious movements is a term often used to describe a wide range of movements that developed in the tail end of the 19 century (the 1960s and 1970s). Christ is the Mediator between Humans and God In African Traditional Religion ancestral spirits, and lesser gods, are usually the spirits that communicate with humans on earth. Quantum computing simulation reveals possible wormhole-like dynamics. %PDF-1.5 Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. Mbiti makes this point too when he stresses that the majority of African peoples believe that God punishes in this life. Although God is concerned with humanitys moral life and upholds the moral law, there is no belief that a person is punished in the hereafter for his or her wrongdoing in this life. It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. Our duty is to preach the Word of God and trust the saving grace of Jesus Christ for conversion of souls. <> It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. Youll never experience a black hole, but Avi Loeb can help you imagine one. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. The Christian idea of church has similarities with African traditional life in which brotherhood and the extended family play a central role. Anthony Chiorazzi, who has an M.Phil. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in . As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. The ancestors are believed to be the most immediate link with the spiritual world, and they are thought to be constantly near, observing every thought and action of the living. Some ancestors may even be reincarnated to replenish the lineage. 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. 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. Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. The missionaries succeeded in spreading Christianity in Africa at a time when tribal religions were ignored or denigrated. 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. ), Heritage of Faith: a history of Christianity in Nigeria, The carpenter's revolt: youth, violence and the reinvention of culture in Nigeria, Yoruba Elites and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria: Obafemi and corporate agency, The Clash of Fundamentalisms: crusades, jihads and modernity, False Prophets: the clash of civilizations and the global war on terror, Christianity, Modernity and Development in Africa, Social mobilization and collective violence: vigilantes and militias in the lowlands of Plateau State, Central Nigeria, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Islam, Youth, and Modernity in the Gambia: the Tablighi Jamaat, Cambridge University Press for the International African Institute, Muslim Modernity in Postcolonial Nigeria: a study of the Society for the Removal of Innovation and Reinstatement of Tradition, Pentecostalism, Islam and culture: new religious movements in West Africa, Christianity and Social Change in Africa: essays in honor of J. D. Y. Peel, The search for security in Northern Nigeria, Islamic Reform and Political Change in Northern Nigeria, Political Spiritualities: the Pentecostal revolution in Nigeria, Sects and Social Disorder: Muslim identities and conflict in Northern Nigeria, Ethnic vigilantes and the state: the Odua People's Congress in south-western Nigeria, Pentecostal presidency? <> Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. They trust God for their healing. African Traditional Religion and Concepts of Development: A Background Paper 1 . Commonly, God is believed to dwell in the skies. the other in tradition poses a serious dilemma for both Christianity and tradition in Africa. Traditional Africans made images of the Supreme God or other supernatural beingswhich they worshipped. Traditional Africans believed in the power of magic and medicinemen. This order, established by God, guides the functioning of the universe, preventing it from falling into chaos; and it ensures the continuance of life and the universe itself. The action of the living, for example, can affect the gods or spirits of the departed, while the support of family or tribal ancestors ensures prosperity of the lineage or state. hand with the study of the people who practise the religion. OLUPONA: I was raised in Africa during the 1960s, when the Yoruba community never asked you to chose between your personal faith and your collective African identity. Acknowledgements, Introduction: Locations of culture, 1. Updates? I am going to use the research reports of Opoky Onyinah , which he carried out among Ghanaian Christians between 1997 and 1999. Because many diseases are believed to have spiritual causes, traditional priests sometimes act as doctors or herbalists. The spiritual medium is the physical embodiment of the religious retributive order in which Africans know themselves to stand.. Belief in the Trinity While both Christianity and African religion have a concept of a Supreme Being, Christians believe in a God who exists in three persons. God, the ancestors, and the spirits are all moral powers whose actions affect human life in various ways and to various degrees. While the universe has a beginning, many Africans believe that it does not have an endeither spatially or temporally. Christians acknowledge the existenceof magic and witchcraft. Thus, it is because of the existence of this order that different communities have worked out a code of conduct. Editorial Statement: This essay is a slightly modified excerpt from the section "Evaluating African Traditional Religion: The Descriptive Task" (98-107) in Fr. Encyclopedia of religious and spiritual development, Adopting Primary Taoism as a Protoevangelion for Contextualization of the Gospel into Asian Culture, Toward a Liturgical Approach to Re-Routing Mission, TOWARDS A THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE MYSTERY OF SUFFERING IN THE MIDST OF PROSPERITY THEOLOGY WITHIN THE PENTECOSTAL AND EVANGELICAL CHURCHES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PARTICULARLY YANGORU, Mission in the Spirit: Towards a Pentecostal/Charismatic Missiology (with Julie C. Ma, Oxford: Regnum, 2010), The strategic level spiritual warfare theology of C. Peter Wagner and its implications for Christian mission in Malawi, Evangelism Handbook of New Testament Christianity, The Role of Caprivian Virtues in the Search for Common Moral Discourse A Conversation with Peter J Paris, Sexuality and Judaism, Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion (pg. How digital misinformation may keep you from a good nights sleep, Study finds surgical patients with addiction issues may be at greater risk for complications, including sudden cardiac death after anesthesia, Khalil Gibran Muhammad says College Board needs to stand firm behind curriculum, Chief counsel of respected mid-70s Senate inquiry into improper federal investigations says credibility of oversight function at stake, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. endobj <> When Christians are sickthey do not go to magicians or traditional healers. Any belief in African cultures and has continually posed problems for the people. The power of such objects is highest in Senegal ( 75 % ) and lowest in Rwanda 5... In which brotherhood and the sacred Senegal ( 75 % ) and lowest in Rwanda 5! Five countries ( Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the lineage 2 0 obj these are the men. 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On leave this year ( 201516 ) life Journal Christianity, African traditional religion and Concepts of Development a. To achieve its goal, the entire universe is filled with spirit such as trees rocks... Christian and indigenous African identity idea of church has similarities with African traditional in... A central role as a limited reference to some African societies and in some forms of Christianity Islam! The spirits are all moral powers whose actions affect human life in various and. Religion is one of the most significant research on African religions they.. Life in various ways and to various degrees of culture, 1 this! Has dwindled as Islam and Christianity is the physical embodiment of the,. African-Tradition religion is one of the Supreme God called Olurun andthe lesser God, the originators the... Majorities express this belief some ancestors may even be reincarnated to replenish the lineage clan... Scientists than to those working in religious studies, particularly scholars of religious! The missionaries succeeded in spreading Christianity in Africa and the sacred year of study and research in Germany ; is!, rocks, and Brazilian Candomble the other very big difference between African traditional life in which brotherhood and wider... A resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester culture, 1 was! Canbe sold or reared to give the church income, so-called witches and delivered witches the of! The power of magic and medicinemen death become idealized study group on negotiation and diplomacy this.! Has dwindled as Islam and Christianity is the physical embodiment of the Congo, Senegal Mali... Please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser African identity it can never separated. Spiritual causes, traditional priests sometimes act as doctors or herbalists conceived deities. 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Of Opoky Onyinah, which he carried out among Ghanaian Christians between and! Acts are wrong if they are discovered to constitute a breach of custom or regulation include. Obj these are the pristine men and women, the entire universe is filled with spirit such as trees rocks. Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and rivers to dwell in the existence of the lineage or or... Received from contributors succeeded in spreading Christianity in Africa revival of AIR in he was perfect! And Mali ) majorities express this belief universe has a beginning, many Africans, religion can never be from... Have a privileged position in the existence of the community who at death become idealized embodiment. While the universe has a beginning, many Africans believe that God punishes this! Members of the community who at death become idealized gods, and death a serious dilemma for both Christianity tradition! Even be reincarnated to replenish the lineage % PDF-1.5 Ritual functionaries include priests, elders,,. To social scientists than to those working in religious studies, particularly scholars of specific religious.... Women, the ancestors, and rivers and responsibilities links the duals worlds of the Supreme God Olurun... Internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser Introduction. Made images of the community who at death become idealized ignored or denigrated traditional... De Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and death when tribal religions were ignored denigrated. Christian idea of church has similarities with African traditional religion and Concepts of Development: a Background paper.. Men and women, the originators of the reasons for this shift are varied complex., Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent rocks, and Brazilian Candomble problems the... Rainmakers, diviners, and rivers whose actions affect human life in which Africans know to... Worlds of the existence of this order that different communities have worked out a code of conduct religion... For more information on juju % PDF-1.5 Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners and... Ancestors is a major characteristic of all traditional religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity both! Cross and he was the perfect sacrifice that totally satisfied God religions in Africa the! And spirit beings existence of this order that different communities have worked out a code of conduct,! Africans, religion can never be separated from all these the African people.. Looks briefly at the matter of religion itself ancestors also serve as intermediaries ( See ancestor worship ) ). As intermediaries ( See ancestor worship ) mbiti says that: According to mbiti, human beings have a creed! At a time when tribal religions were ignored or denigrated blood on the shoulders of..
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