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1
Oyekan, Adeolu Oluwaseyi. "John Mbiti on the Monotheistic Attribution of African Traditional Religions: A Refutation." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 10, no. 1 (June 3, 2021): 19–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v10i1.2.
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John Mbiti, in his attempt to disprove the charge of paganism by EuroAmerican ethnographic and anthropological scholars against African Traditional Religions argues that traditional African religions are monotheistic. He insists that these traditional religious cultures have the same conception of God as found in the Abrahamic religions. The shared characteristics, according to him are foundational to the spread of the “gospel” in Africa. Mbiti’s effort, though motivated by the desire to refute the imperial charge of inferiority against African religions ran, I argue, into a conceptual and descriptive conflation of ATRs with monotheistic faiths. In this paper, I challenge the superimposition of Judeo-Christian categories upon African religions. I argue that monotheism is just a strand, out of many, that expresses belief in God(s), and that it differs substantially from the polytheistic pre-colonial African understanding of religion. I provide a panentheistic paradigm using traditional Igbo ontology and religion to refute Mbiti’s generalization.
Keywords: Monotheism, African Traditional Religion, Igbo, Paganism, Theology.
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Sanni, John Sodiq. "In the Name of God? Religion, Silence and Extortion." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 10, no. 1 (June 3, 2021): 71–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v10i1.5.
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This article critically analyses the role religion (I refer here to Islam and Christianity) has played in promoting silence and extortion in Africa with particular reference to Nigeria. In my philosophical analysis, African and Western literatures will guide my reflection on religion, the role it played in advancing the colonial agenda and its use in today’s African societies. This analysis seeks to present a case for the position that the colonial debris of disempowerment, injustices, manipulation, and extortion are still very much part of African society. They have only assumed new outlooks and language, thus plunging many Africans into silence in the face of what is often presented as sacred and unknown. The desired aim of this article is to present a philosophical critique of religion by comparing it with existing use of religion in Africa, especially Nigeria.
Keywords: Religion, Christianity, Extortion, Silence, Nigeria, Injustice
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Kroesbergen, Hermen. "Religion without Belief and Community in Africa." Religions 10, no. 4 (April 25, 2019): 292. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel10040292.
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Religion in Africa is in many respects becoming religion without belief and community again, I will argue in this article. Europeans arriving in Africa did not recognize African religion, because Africans did not have the kind of belief and community characteristic of European concepts of religion. Pentecostalization brings back this African concept of religion without worship groups defined by an adherence to a particular picture of the world, and I will show what this means at grassroots level. What matters in this concept of religion is whether something works rather than some implied truth-claims about the world. Instead of forming groups, Neo-Pentecostal ministries are more often organized around the vertical relationship between the man/woman of God and his/her client. The Pentecostalization of Christianity in Africa has led to a form of religion in which beliefs and community are not of central importance.
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Mosima, Pius. "African Approaches to God, Death and the Problem of Evil: Some Anthropological lessons towards an Intercultural Philosophy of Religion." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11, no. 4 (January 30, 2023): 151–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v11i4.10s.
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In this paper, I make a case for an intercultural philosophy of religion from an African perspective. I focus on the philosophical underpinnings of the various meaningful religious practices and beliefs that give rise to the concepts of God, death and the problem of evil. A philosophical study of African traditional religions, based on anthropological findings across African cultural orientations, gives us a good starting point in understanding African worldviews and religious experiences. It also reveals that the various world religions may all be seen as offering different perspectives on the same reality. Specifically, I argue that traditional African conceptions of God, death and the problem of evil could make significant contributions to global discourses in the philosophy of religion. First, I articulate points of convergence and divergence between African traditional religions with Saint Aquinas’ proofs for God’s existence; Second, I question the phenomenon of death and one’s life’s meaning. And third, I approach the problem of evil and attempt an African solution to the Epicurean dilemma
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Omenyo, Cephas N. "Man of God Prophesy Unto Me: The Prophetic Phenomenon in African Christianity." Studies in World Christianity 17, no. 1 (April 2011): 30–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/swc.2011.0004.
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One of the features of African primal religions that has stood the test of time is the practice of seeking the cause of evil occurrences, power to deal with it or to avert any future reoccurrence and the search for one's destiny through divination which has been designated ‘prophetism’ in Christianity. The African Indigenous Churches were the first to build the bridge between primal religion and African Christianity by appropriating resources from the gospel to deal with this typical African religious practice. This essay looks at the phenomenon in primal religion, African Indigenous Churches (AICs), the older or Classical Pentecostalism, and contemporary Pentecostal movements. One can establish a continuum from primal religion to the current renewal movements with regards to prophetism, due to the deep-seated quest of the phenomenon in African worldview, which indeed was predicted by Professor C. G. Baëta, Ghana's foremost distinguished scholar who studied the phenomenon more than four decades ago.
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Ojimba, Anthony Chimankpam. "A critique of J.S. Sanni’s argument on the role of religion in promoting silence and extortion in contemporary African (Nigerian) society using the name of God." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 13, no. 1 (May 23, 2024): 27–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v13i1.3.
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This study examines J.S. Sanni’s argument on the role of religion in promoting silence and extortion in contemporary African (Nigerian) society, leveraging on the name of God, with a view to determining the strengths and weaknesses of this argument. Sanni posits that religion (Christianity and Islam) have played crucial roles in promoting silence and extortion in Africa, with particular reference to Nigeria. He argues that the colonial debris of disempowerment, injustices, manipulation and extortion, using the instrumentality of religion, are still very much part of African society today. According to him, the above manipulations, extortions and injustices, perpetrated by the colonial masters on African societies using the tool of religion, is still very much part of the contemporary African society and have only assumed new outlooks and language and consequently plunged many Africans into silence in the face of what is often presented as sacred and holy. The study examines the strengths and weaknesses of this argument. The paper adopts historical hermeneutics and textual analysis methods.
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Asike, Jude Chinweuba. "Kant’s Epistemological Model in Pluralistic Hypothesis: From an Interpretation of Religion in Africa." International Journal of History and Philosophical Research 11, no. 3 (November 15, 2023): 1–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.37745/ijhphr.13/vol11n115.
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Here in this work, I tried to examined the nature of African traditional religion and explore the relative terms of its references on the concept of God; the definition and explanation of the concept of God as it pertains to the traditional cultures; the distinction between one’s religion’s tradition and another; and the explanation and analysis of the relationship between God and man on the other hand. My plight in this work is to draw an inference, a sort of examination of conscience in religion in certain ways that it appeals to African conditions to knowledge, and just as Kant elucidated in the Critique of Pure Reason. In doing this therefore, my objective is to find the real essence of religious pragmatism and traditionalism in African indigenous religion with reference to its point of reality in other religions. Thus, it is considerably under this panoply, that I envisioned the realism in Kant’s epistemological model to repudiate the reality of God in pluralistic hypothesis. So, the finding of this research supports the thesis that phenomena and their appearances are based upon the interpretations of reality. Things appear differently in our mind and our understanding differs.
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Khosa-Nkatini, Hundzukani P. "Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa: An African Inculturation Hermeneutic." Religious: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama dan Lintas Budaya 6, no. 2 (August 28, 2022): 211–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.15575/rjsalb.v6i2.20249.
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Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa has always been a focal point for research, with some contending that the preachers brainwashed Africans when they carried the gospel to them since they neglected to learn Africanism. This stays a discussion among the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa (EPCSA) where the creator of this study is a pastor. It has been stated that when a person becomes a Christian, that individual can never again discuss precursors or converse with predecessors, these terms refer to ancestors It is a transgression, while others say nothing bad can really be said about going to chapel yet rehearsing your African convictions and customs. African religion has faith in predecessors and Christianity has confidence in God. In any case, African religion accepts that God exists yet at the same time wants to get assurance from their ancestors. Some contend that there is nothing out of sorts when individuals practice their African convictions because it is not destructive to them or the following individual. Along these lines, African Religion (AR) instructs that it is critical for one to look for available resources to control or control those outer powers and offices that are more remarkable than human comprehension. This is done through ceremonial practices, mystical recipes, and charms endorsed by strict specialists to the individuals who feel compromised. It is inappropriate to expect that all Africans are something similar and that their customs are something similar or practice for similar reasons. Nonetheless, there are similitudes between African societies. Religion ought to assume a basic part in the redefinition of this peculiarity, as devotees haggle between standard regulations and strict rules. This study will analyse the confirmation that Christianity in the sub-Saharan Africa is a peculiarity and that it ought to lead strict synchronization into new world convictions and strict African practices. African Customs, given the circumstances, include exactly the secret of human reality, our individual, our relations with others and with the world. It contacts that reality that is not to be gotten a handle on and which cannot be verified.
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Callahan, Allen Dwight. "Perspectives for a Study of African American Religion: From the Valley of Dry Bones." Nova Religio 7, no. 1 (July 1, 2003): 44–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/nr.2003.7.1.44.
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In "Perspectives For a Study of African American Religion," Charles Long wrote of "three interrelated perspectives for the study of black religion": "Africa as historical reality and religious image," "the involuntary presence of the black community in America," and "the experience and symbol of God." I essay to show how Long's categories illumine a celebrated instance of African American biblical appropriation, the prophet's vision of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-14, as emblematic of the perspectives of symbolic African absence, involuntary American presence, and collective theological experience of the slaves and their descendents.
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Chimakonam, Amara Esther. "Why the Problem of Evil Might not be a Problem after all in African Philosophy of Religion." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11, no. 1 (March 9, 2022): 27–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v11i1.3.
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For decades, the problem of evil has occupied a centre stage in the Western philosophical discourse of the existence of God. The problem centres on the unlikelihood to reconcile the existence of an absolute and morally perfect God with the evidence of evil in the universe. This is the evidential problem of evil that has been a source of dispute among theists, atheists, agnostics, and sceptics. There seems to be no end to this dispute, making the problem of evil a perennial one in Western Philosophy of Religion. In this essay, I will contribute to this discourse from an African perspective. This essay, therefore, explores the evidential problem of evil within the African philosophy of religion. I argue that it is unlikely for the evidential problem of evil to be a problem in African philosophy of religion. I invoke an Ejima-based argument to support this claim. I conceptualize the Igbo word Ejima to metaphysically mean the inevitable coexistence of two opposite variables as complements to argue that God could be both good and evil within the African Traditional Religion, which explains why good and evil exist in the universe.
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Bangura, Joseph Bosco. "Holding My Anchor in Turbulent Waters." PNEUMA 40, no. 4 (December 12, 2018): 498–516. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15700747-04004002.
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Abstract Migration has not only led to the growth of African Pentecostalism in Belgium, it has also ignited interest in Pentecostalism’s conceptions of God. This article discusses African Pentecostalism’s articulation of its beliefs about God in an overtly disenchanted Belgian public sphere in which religion is impugned. This article contends that in the secularized West, African Pentecostalism presents a view of God as the anchor of stability in turbulent waters. This God, African Pentecostals aver, is the structuring principle who sustains human well-being. For this reason, praises, prayers, and prophetic proclamations are offered to God, from whom the pentecostal faithful expect healing, deliverance, and miracles.
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Kgatle, Mookgo S., and Jonas S. Thinane. "Transition from the Opium of Religion to Religion as Opioids: Abuse of Religious Teachings in the New Prophetic Churches in South Africa." Journal for the Study of Religion 36, no. 1 (July 18, 2023): 1–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3027/2023/v36n1a4.
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The New Prophetic Churches is a religion in the mix, demonstrated by their points of contact with classical Pentecostalism, the prosperity gospel, African independent churches, and African traditional religion. New Prophetic Churches have points of contact with classical Pentecostalism with reference to the doctrine of baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. They are also influenced by the African traditional religions with reference to their connection with the spirit world. In addition, they have points of contact with the African independent churches concerning the use of healing and deliverance products. Furthermore, they have points of contact with the prosperity gospel in teaching the message of material blessing. The original form of these influences is presented in this article as opium religion, whereas the corrupted form of these influences is presented as opioid forms of religion. The latter refers to a somewhat dangerous mix of religious teachings, advocated by self-appointed spiritual leaders within the New Prophetic Churches. These spiritual leaders have concocted this mixture contrary to the original purpose of such teachings with the intention to satisfy their commercial desires to the detriment of the spiritual wellbeing of their followers and the sa-credness of religious teachings, particularly Christian teachings. Relying on a literary analysis, this article challenges the religious teachings of opioid religions that undermine the original good intentions with which these teachings are mixed. It suggests that any religious teaching in the Christian tradition should be consistent with the eternal purpose of God's mission, identity in Christ, and the fundamental tenets of the Christian tradition. There are neo-Pentecostal churches that are consistent with the mission of God, bringing solutions to various challenges in Africa. However, the focus here is on the New Prophetic Churches that have transited from the opium of religion to religion as opioids.
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Lewis, Maat E. L., Adwoa Akhu, and Carla D. Hunter. "Advancing African Psychology: An Exploration of African American College Students’ Definitions and Use of Spirit in Times of Stress." Journal of Black Psychology 47, no. 7 (May 28, 2021): 507–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00957984211016950.
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Although religion and spirituality are understood as multidimensional resources in times of stress, less is known about the culturally relevant concept of spirit in African psychology. Eighteen African American college students completed written open-ended questionnaires about how—in relation to religion and spirituality—they define and use spirit in response to stress. Qualitative constant comparison analysis of the data yielded themes defining spirit and its use in response to stress. The definition of spirit was described distinctly as energy, while it overlapped with religion and spirituality as a connection with or a search for God. Spirit also overlapped with religion as faith and spirituality as a feeling/sense/guiding consciousness or inner thought within oneself, and soul. Themes for the use of spirit in response to stress were descriptive of optimal functioning and included (a) thoughts of asking God for help, (b) prayer, (c) positive emotions, (d) self-affirming thoughts, and (e) productive activity. The findings are discussed regarding spirit as a distinct yet overlapping concept with religion and spirituality that has implications for research and practice within African psychology.
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Agada, Ada. "Bewaji and Fayemi On God, Omnipotence and Evil." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11, no. 1 (March 9, 2022): 41–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v11i1.4.
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This paper explores the contradiction of positing the existence of a God who is at once omnipotent and not omnipotent in respect of his power that arises in the thought of two African philosophers of religion, John A.I. Bewaji and Ademola Kazeem Fayemi who accept the limitation thesis that projects a limited God and deny the legitimacy of the transcendence view in Yoruba and, by extension, African thought. I demonstrate in this paper that the contradiction arises from the fact that while Bewaji and Fayemi explicitly deny the legitimacy of the transcendence view in Yoruba and, by extension, African thought, they implicitly accept the view and unwittingly and illegitimately attempt to reconcile the conflicting views through the analysis of the notions of God’s creatorship, co-creatorship, and controllership. I conclude by recommending that instead of attempting to reconcile the antinomy of God’s existence in African philosophy of religion, African philosophers should acknowledge the legitimacy of the two conflicting theses constituting the antinomy and, accordingly, sustain logical consistency by strictly thinking within either the framework of limitedness or the framework of transcendence.
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Chitando, Ezra. "‘Faithful Men of a Faithful God’? Masculinities in the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa." Exchange 42, no. 1 (2013): 34–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1572543x-12341249.
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Abstract Many scholars have examined masculinities in African societies. However, these examinations cannot be generalised across Africa, given the socio-cultural, economic, political and historical factors that infringe with religious beliefs. This article offers a case study of masculinities in a specific religious context, the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (zaoga), a Pentecostal church. It utilises zaoga’s teachings on masculinities against the background of Shona religion and culture (the dominant ethnic group in Zimbabwe). The analysis specifically focuses on the role of the Jesus-figure in the discourse on masculinity in zaoga, exploring whether Jesus presents a model of ‘redemptive masculinity’ or rather reinforces hegemonic notions of masculinity. The article highlights the ambiguity of Pentecostal masculinity and offers an overall critique of the effects of masculinities upon Pentecostal faith and practice.
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Anekwe Oborji, Francis. "In Dialogue With African Traditional Religion." Mission Studies 19, no. 1 (2002): 13–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157338302x00035.
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AbstractAlthough there is some debate, Francis Oborji in this article argues that one should speak of African Traditional Religion (ATR) in the singular. He then reflects on five "essential aspects" of ATR--God and the human being, good and evil, sacrifice, ancestorship, and the afterlife and final end of human beings. After discussing several problems connected with a Christian approach to ATR, the author makes a positive evaluation of the practice of traditional religion as a supernatural reality that is a true preparation for a full understanding of God's grace in Jesus Christ.
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Ojimba, Anthony Chimankpam, and Victor Iwuoha Chidubem. "The Concept of God in Igbo Traditional Religious Thought." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11, no. 4 (January 30, 2023): 103–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v11i4.7s.
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This paper examines the concept of God in traditional Igbo-African religious thought, prior to the advent of Western religion, with a view to showing that the idea of a God/Deity who is supreme in every area of life and sphere of influence and who “creates out of nothing,” like the God of the Christian or Western missionaries, is unrecognized in the Igbo-African traditional religious thought. Even though the Igbo conceive of strong and powerful deities that can only reign supreme within their respective sphere of influence where they are in charge, none of these deities is identical to the supreme God promoted by the Christian missionaries. The Igbo traditional religious worldview maintains a polytheistic religious view, unlike the monotheistic outlook of the Christian religion. To achieve its goal, the paper adopts the method of historical hermeneutics and textual analysis.
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Prempeh, Charles. "Decolonising African Divine Episteme." Journal of Religion in Africa 52, no. 3-4 (September 7, 2022): 269–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15700666-12340231.
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The goal of this paper is to decolonise Akan divine episteme from undue Euro-Christian influence. Since the 1920s, cultural anthropologists have argued that the Akan concept of Twereduampon Kwame is because God either revealed himself to the Akan on a Saturday or the Akan worshipped God on that day. Employing in-depth interviews and a secondary data research approach that incorporates analysis of extant literature, I challenge this assumption by arguing that the name of God as Twereduampon Kwame is based on the significance of day names. This is because the name intermeshes with the enigma of death and God’s positionality as the source of the answer to the disruption caused by death. Contrary to the assumption of revelation or Sabbath observance in the Akan religion, the name Twereduampon Kwame points to God’s appellation as the greatest herbalist.
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Kanu, Ikechukwu Anthony. "Igwebuike theology of Omenani and the missionary bifurcation of horizons." OGIRISI: a New Journal of African Studies 16 (October 2, 2020): 127–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/og.v16i1.8.
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African theology points to the fact that every particular situation or context calls for a particular theological reflection, that is, if the theological reflection is to make meaning within that unique circumstance. It is within this context that Igwebuike theology of Omenani emerges in relation to the understanding of culture as the Seed of the Word of God, which already pre-existed in Africa even before the emergence of the Western missionaries. The purpose of adopting this idea of culture as the Seed of the Word of God is to enhance the reconciliation between the African and Christian/Western ’worldhoods’. This piece presented the African culture as an important element in evangelization in Africa, as it is the spirit that animates the African people. It, therefore, located the Seed of the Word of God in the Omenani (the law of the land) of the African people through which they were able to achieve holiness even before the advent of the gospel. It observed that the failures of the missionary enterprise were majorly because of their lack of openness to the African religion and culture. The purpose of this study is to bridge the bifurcation created by the missionaries between the Christian and African ‘worldhoods’. The theoretical framework employed in this research is the Igwebuike sympathetic and non-derogatory framework, which emphasizes evangelization with a sense of understanding.
Keywords: Omenani, Logos Spermatikos, Culture, African, Igbo, Evangelization, Igwebuike
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Adega, Andrew Philips. "The Influence of Syncretism on the Ethnic Denominations of African Religion in the Benue Valley of Nigeria: The Tiv in Perspective." International Journal of Culture and History 9, no. 1 (February 20, 2022): 119. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijch.v9i1.19566.
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In a competitive world where everyone and every system is trying to outdo one another to create a sense of relevance, the tendency of not being satisfied with a particular way in which something has been done over the years is often to copy or emulate what the other is doing. Religion is not free from this tendency; and this creates a situation where some elements or a reasonable chunk of ideas are copied and fussed into a religious tradition from one or more opposing or distinct religious groups. The idea of fusion in religious circles is known as religious syncretism. The paper is motivated by the seemingly fusion of Christian and Islamic patterns of beliefs in the Ethnic Denominations of African Religion in the Benue Valley of Nigeria. The paper adopts the Phenomenological and Analytic Methods. In the area of data collection, two main methods: the primary and secondary methods of data collection have been employed. In the primary source of data collection, observation and oral interview methods were used. On the other hand, the secondary sources of data collection employed the use of textbooks, journal articles, newspaper/magazine articles and e-sources. The paper discovered that syncretism has been a reoccurring decimal in religious circles. Thus, a particular religion copies and infuses into its system some distinct ideas from a different religious tradition. The Ethnic Denominations of African Religion in the Benue Valley particularly Tiv Religion has been greatly influenced by syncretism. Tiv Religion has adopted and fused certain beliefs from Christianity and Islam in such areas as prayers, use of prayer beads, holy water and worship patterns. It is the view of this paper that if this trend goes unchecked, the Ethnic Denominations of African Religion in the Benue Valley especially Tiv Religion would wholly syncretize itself in the garb of foreign religious traditions. The paper suggests that the adherents of Tiv Religion should continue with their unique way of prayer and worship as prescribed in Tiv Religion instead of syncretizing different religious practices with the prospects of losing their entire culture to foreign ones. The uniqueness of Tiv Religion and culture must be protected from going extinct. The practitioners of the Ethnic Denominations of African Religion in the Benue Valley must note the fact that God listens to those who worship him through different cultural platforms. Therefore, one does not need to adopt foreign ideas to be relevant or heard by God. This is what makes God, God.
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Ojo, Sanya, and Sonny Nwankwo. "God in the marketplace: Pentecostalism and marketing ritualization among Black Africans in the UK." Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy 14, no. 3 (June 29, 2020): 349–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jec-12-2019-0126.
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Purpose This paper aims to examine market-mediated transformative capacities of Black African Pentecostalism. It does this by exploring the interface between religion, culture and identity to generate a fresh interpretation of how marketing is ritualized among UK’s Black Africans on the platform of Pentecostalism. Design/methodology/approach Methodology is based on in-depth interviews with respondents drawn from the African Pentecostal movements in London, UK. This paper shows how adherents’ responsiveness to Pentecostal dogmas generated market advantages. Findings The paper reveals the interconnectedness of religion, faith and culture which, in turn, coalesced into a dense network that defines the reproduction, organization and approach to entrepreneurial marketing. Originality/value Pentecostal practices unveil the marketing notion of “Pentepreneurship”, which combines both spiritual and enterprise activities to formulate a fused space of engagement straddling the sacred and the secular. This fusion points to a unique platform of entrepreneurial marketing that bestrides ethno-cultural, religious and economic identities.
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Isaak, Paul. "Education and Religion in Secular Age from an African Perspective." Education Sciences 8, no. 4 (September 21, 2018): 155. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040155.
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In this article the author shall argue that before Namibian independence in 1990, Christianity was used by some as a weapon of breaking down, or as a tool of, colonialism, racism, and apartheid. In the name of a religious god unashamed acts of violence and wars were committed and resulted in genocide of 1904 to 1908. However, such brutalities did not conquer the African spirit of what is identified in this article as the Ubuntu (humaneness). Inspired by their sense of Ubuntu the Africans, in the face of German colonialism and the South African imposed Apartheid system, finally emerged victorious and accepted the model of religious pluralism, diversity, and the principle of African Ubuntu. We shall, furthermore, argue that the Namibian educational system and the Namibian Constitution, Articles 1 and 21, the Republic of Namibia is established as a secular state wherein all persons shall have the right to freedom to practise any religion and to manifest such practice. It means religious diversity and pluralism is a value, a cultural or religious or political ideology, which positively welcomes the encounter of religions. It is often characterized as an attitude of openness in a secular state towards different religions and interreligious dialogue and interfaith programs. As an example we shall focus on the subject of Religious and Moral Education where such religious diversity and pluralism are directly linked to political, social, and economic issues, as well as moral values.
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Sisselman-Borgia, Amanda, Mia Budescu, and Ronald D. Taylor. "The Impact of Religion on Family Functioning in Low-Income African American Families With Adolescents." Journal of Black Psychology 44, no. 3 (April 2018): 247–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0095798418771808.
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The current study explores the association between religion and family functioning. Specifically, this study examined whether two aspects of religion, social religious support (from clergy and members of the congregation) and support from God (or spirituality), were related to frequency of household routines and parenting strategies as reported by both parents and adolescents, as well as adolescent problem behaviors. The sample consisted of 115 low-income African American mother-adolescent (age 14-18 years) dyads. Families were recruited as part of a larger study on the lives of low-income African American families with adolescents. Results indicated that higher levels of social religious support and spirituality were associated with increased levels of family routine as reported by caregivers. These results highlight the important roles relationships with God and other church members may play in supporting the lives of low-income African American parents and their children.
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Harries, Jim. "Theology that Emerges from Cognitive Science: Applied to African Development." Open Theology 4, no. 1 (January 1, 2018): 15–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/opth-2018-0002.
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Abstract Recent developments in cognitive science are here interpreted as an apologetic for Christian theology. Naturalistic faiths are suggested to be dependent on the invention of ‘religion’, and domestication of the foreign through translation. A refusal to accept that a relationship with God is something that develops in the course of reflection, has added to his apparent invisibility. Advocates of embodied thinking who effectively undermine Descartes’ philosophy, open the door to theological reflection. A gender-based exploration reveals that means of predicting the embodied nature of thinking also point to the significance of God. Because human thinking is embodied, God also is perceived by people through his embodied impact - much as is the wind. That correct understanding of God brings human wellbeing, is here suggested to be as true for Africa as for Europe.
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Ebere Uwah, Innocent. "THE REPRESENTATION OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION AND CULTURE IN NIGERIA POPULAR FILMS." RELIGION, MEDIA AND POLITICS IN AFRICA 5, no. 1 (December 1, 2011): 81–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.54561/prj0501081u.
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One of the ways by which religious rituals communicate in African society is by maintaining cohesion in the culture. They connect participants to richer meanings and larger forces of their community. Even in representational models, rituals create solidarity in the form of subjective experiences of sharing the same meaningful world which is attained by participants through the condensed nature of symbols used therein. Traditional religion is one ritual that despite the influence of westernization and scientific developments in Africa, still holds meaningful implications in people’s everyday life. Thus, from day break to evening, people have religious rituals with which they communicate with their God or gods, deities and ancestors. Also from weeks to seasons, months to years, there are festivals and rituals both in private and in public situations which the African still celebrate in connection with the ‘living dead’ or those in the ‘spirit world’. This paper by means of nuanced textual analysis of some Nigerian home based films: Things Fall Apart (1986), Igodo: The Land of the Living Dead (1999), Sango, (1998), Festival of Fire, (1999), Bless Me, (2005) traces religion to the root paradigm of African cultures as a channel to the construction of African identity
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Idika, Christiana, and Maduka Enyimba. "Onyenachiya: A New Perspective on Religion in African Philosophy of Religion." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11, no. 4 (January 30, 2023): 189–208. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v11i4.12s.
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How does one understand the relationship between a person and their objects of belief in the philosophy of Religion? How does the object of belief impact individuals’ lives, choices, decisions, and what they become in the future? The character of religion is binding, and the object of belief in a being – transcendent or immanent as the sole determinant of the fate and destiny of individuals leaves room for many questions that border on freedom and responsibility. By introducing Onyenachiya to the discussion of the phenomenon of religion from an African philosophical approach to religion, the authors argue that there is a certain threshold of self-evaluation and relationship between a person and their object of belief which is significantly cooperative and collaborative. Although onyenachiya, a concept that stems from an African epistemic context (Igbo), has no corresponding English translation, it is a contraction of two independent words, onye (person, giver, who) and chi (personal god, doppelgänger). The two are joined together by conjunction, ‘na’ with the suffix ‘ya’ at the end, emphasizing the chi’s personal and unique nature. The authors argue that if chi is connected to a person's destiny, onyenachiya demonstrates an agent-centered destiny, which gives room for agency, accountability, and responsibility and gives a new account of religious tolerance.
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Beyers, Jaco, and Lize Kriel. "John Muafangejo’s How God Loves His People All Over the World as Material Religion." Religion and the Arts 24, no. 4 (October 26, 2020): 379–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685292-02404002.
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Abstract The artworks produced at the Evangelical Lutheran Church Art and Craft Centre at Rorke’s Drift, KwaZulu-Natal, have been highly appraised and appreciated in South African art-historical circles, not in the least so as African expressions of postcolonial and anti-apartheid resistance. The work of Namibian artist John Muafangejo (1943–1987) is prominent amongst these. In this article, while borrowing generously from the methods of art historical research, our interest is primarily in works of art as objects of material religion. Erwin Panofsky introduced iconology as a way of determining the meaning of art. Iconology wants to enable the seeing of the unseen; seeing the transcendence—making it most applicable to the study of religion as a cultural practice. This article investigates in a critical way how iconology can assist in the study of material religion, especially as applied to the study of religious art. Because meaning is contextual, the conditions under which religious objects are made and interpreted are as important as the work itself. A discussion of a specific work by John Muafangejo originating from the Rorke’s Drift Centre will be conducted by testing the potential of iconology as an analytical tool in this African Christian environment.
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Karthiga, K., C. Jothi, and D. Pandeeswari. "A Discourse of Cultural Diffusionism in the writing of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus." World Journal of English Language 12, no. 2 (March 16, 2022): 141. http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n2p141.
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This paper exfoliates the diplomatic situation that takes place in the house of Eugene. In third world countries: India, Africa, and Srilanka, etc., terms like culture, tradition, and religion plays a major role in promoting a society. Most of the Africans have a staunch belief in religious practices. Many of the articles mainly focus on the dynamic female characters like Beatrice, Kambili, Ifemelu, Olanna in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s work. When assessing the religious practices. But this paper contracts with the ironic ideas of male characters about ‘religion’ in the novel Purple Hibiscus. A basic concept in every novel of Chimamanda is the role of religion and culture. In the novel, Half of Yellow Sun Odenigbo well-educated man bound himself in the name of religion and unable to rectify the fault. In African tradition, they believe that the supreme power of each tribe is their apical ancestor, who are considered foretellers. Then their way of prayer to God is based on the natural resources. During the colonization, the third world countries experience a different perspective of cultural beliefs and other social structures. This result in a drastic change in the continent in a way that left spaces for trans-culturalism cross-cultural studies, diaspora, etc.
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Ebliylu, Nyanchi Marcel. "Negotiating Afro-Oriental Religious Eco-Political Space and the Modernist Backlash in God Was African by Nkemngong Nkengasong and Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Mistry." East-West Cultural Passage 23, no. 1 (June 1, 2023): 108–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/ewcp-2023-0009.
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Abstract This article examines the representation of the connection between religious beliefs and the natural environment around sacred places in God Was African by Nkemngong Nkengasong and Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Mistry. Comparing the eco-cycle around Zoroastrian Fire Temples, the Towers of Silence in Bombay and the shrines of Fuondem and other gods in Lewoh traditional religion, this article argues that the inter-connectivity between these Parsi-Bangwa religions reveals that gods reside in our immediate environment and only our eco-politics can preserve this supernatural connection. Using ecocriticism, therefore, I contend that the Parsis in India and the Bangwa in Lebialem revere and protect natural abodes of the gods like earth, water, hills, valleys, forests and fire against the devastating environmental crises heralded by the modernist backlash. The modern transformation of these sacred places into sources of generating renewable and artificial energies accounts for the different physical and ideological conflicts that abound in the two novels. As such, by protecting the different forms of life that inhabit these sacred places, this article concludes that Nkengasong’s and Mistry’s eco-poetical language and style in God Was African and Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer reflect Lewoh traditional religion, Zoroastrianism and the environment, participating in the Afro-Oriental artistic crusade for biophilia and environmentally friendly belief systems.
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Agada, Ada. "The Human Being, God, and Moral Evil." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11, no. 4 (January 30, 2023): 9–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v11i4.2s.
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The evidence of human wickedness in the world is so transparent that no rational person can dispute its reality. This paper approaches the question of the human person from an African philosophical perspective and explores the relation between the apparently free-acting human being and God conceived as the creator of the world and the ultimate cause of the human being. The paper will proffer answers to the following question: to what extent can the human being be absolved of blame for the evil they perpetrate in a world conceived in African traditional religion and thought as the creation of a high deity who could have foreseen the negative bent of human nature and should have made human nature inclined to goodness all of the time? The paper will make novel contributions to the debate about human nature in African philosophical discourse by recasting the human being as a homo melancholicus, or melancholy being, whose evil inclination in the world can best be understood in the context of a tragic vision of reality.
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Masoga, M. A., and A. Nicolaides. "Christianity and Indigenisation in Africa." European Journal of Theology and Philosophy 1, no. 4 (August 8, 2021): 18–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.24018/theology.2021.1.4.33.
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In a quest for greater coherence between parochial identities, culture and Christianity, there exists an African consciousness which seeks to indigenise and decolonise Christianity. Africans are profoundly religious people who view their faith as part of their way of life, as strengthening their cultures and providing a moral compass for daily living. In efforts to transform society, the Christian religion has played a significant role in the path to African development. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. Africans consequently played a crucial role in establishing the doctrines and theology of the early church. While African Traditional religion (ATR) is paramount, it is the purpose of this article to suggest that the Christian faith has and continuous to play a significant role on the African continent in its development. While there are many indigenous African beliefs, these have been to a large extent supported by Christianity in a quest to systematize novel knowledge and promote peace and tolerance across the continent. Many Africans have sought facets of Christianity that are similar to their religious and personal practices and continue to do so. Thus, while there exist numerous similarities and also differences between Christianity and ATR, it is imperative to preserve old-style regional distinctiveness and Christianity as the unifying rudiments in nation building endeavours and in efforts to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Africans can and should come to comprehend the Triune Godhead as being consistent with their own spiritual consciousness and existential veracities. Indigenization of Christianity requires enculturation and essentially an understanding that it is indeed ecumenical and also embraces diversity and fundamentally requires viewing Holy Scriptures and the truths they propound as being applicable to any context and cultural milieu across the ages. Christians after all espouse a faith in the Ekklesia or body of Christ for all its people who are the Laos of God.
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Obielosi, Dominic. "Christianization without westernization: A study of Acts 15:19-20 in relation to African-Western discriminatory bias." Integrity Journal of Arts and Humanities 3, no. 3 (June 30, 2022): 60–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.31248/ijah2022.058.
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It is a happy news and a welcome development that Christianity registered an incomparable acceptance and growth in Africa. Religion deals with faith. It can make or mar the people’s development depending on how it is presented. It is appreciable that Christian missionaries to Africa brought with them civilization, ranging from education, politics, and even socio-economic area. However, the spate of fanaticism and fundamentalism in Africa not unconnected with a misconstruction of the biblical message is worrisome. Of greater concern is the inability of some Africans to distinguish between the truth of Christianity and the western bias. Left in a confused state not unconnected with the teaching by some confused or biased missionaries, some Africans repudiate African culture on the altar of Christian belief. The hardworking African has turned into a lazy one on the hope that God takes care of him. Her highly spiritualized culture has been abandoned for fear of idolatry. Her strong family cohesion has been exchanged with western individualism. Her respect for elders and ancestors has been replaced with blames against the ancestors for their woes and failure. This paper employs exegetical lens to study the response of the Apostles in the face of similar problems in the gentile world. It then exhorts Africans to accept that which is authentically Christian without neglecting her richly cultural heritage.
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Kathenge, Jonathan. "Application and Subjectivity of Divine Command Theory and the Possibility of Morality without Organized Religion." International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science VII, no. VII (2023): 1250–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2023.70799.
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In the society, peace and tran quillity is pegged on members adherence to a code of conduct which they presume to contain ethical directives. As such, anyone who adheres to this code is considered moral and those who violate it are deemed immoral. In some societies, especially in the African continent, adherence to religious tenets is considered a necessary and sufficient condition for morality. In this respect, a moral person is one who adheres to what their religion teaches. This perspective can be associated with one of the prominent African Philosopher and theologian John Mbiti who is credited with the proclamation that Africans are notoriously religious, that they associate everything in their lives with religion. If good things happen to an African, it is assumed that it is a reward from a deity, and if evil befalls them, it must be a punishment for an evil committed. In this paper, an investigation to the nature of organized religion and its contribution to formation of moral principles is discussed. The study sought to examine whether the religious ethical principles and the divine command theory from which they emanate are absolute and can be objectively used in our societies. The divine command theorist would argue that an act is moral because God or Deity commands it to be morally good. The question arises whether there can be morality in the absence of organized religion. The study postulates that there is possibility of human knowledge of moral principles independent of external influence which inform human conduct if organized religion would cease to exist.
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Nel, Marius. "The Prosperity Message as a Syncretistic Deviation to the Gospel of Jesus." Religions 14, no. 3 (March 6, 2023): 346. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel14030346.
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The prosperity message preached mainly by independent apostles and prophets in Network Christianity’s new prophetic churches with some Pentecostal leanings has become popular among many Africans. The link between the American prosperity message and its African nephew is discussed to disclose the unique African elements, such as Africa’s traditional emphasis on a holistic spirituality which includes attaining health and prosperity by pacifying evil spirits and angry ancestors. One of the reasons for the popularity of the prosperity message is that it links closely with the African enchanted worldview and the spirituality that characterizes African traditional religion. This challenges Pentecostals to consider its compatibility with the gospel of Jesus Christ, based on the discipleship of the cross and servanthood, and suggests that the neo-Pentecostal prophet and apostle have become the modern equivalent of Africa’s diviner and healer. Their message of prosperity deviates from the essence of the gospel of Christ in several respects: firstly, it entails a distorted view of God and the Bible, described in almost pantheistic terms; secondly, its anthropology and Christology view relegates Christ to a man empowered by the Spirit and elevates human beings’ union with God; lastly, its view of revelation authorizes extrabiblical revelation to the same extent as the biblical text. This paper concludes that the prosperity message represents a dangerous fallacy based on a syncretistic contextualization of the gospel to African spirituality.
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Islam, Momtajul. "The Role of Native Weaknesses and Cultural Conflicts in Escalating Colonial Supremacy in the Igbo Society, as Perceived in Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe." International Linguistics Research 4, no. 2 (April 27, 2021): p19. http://dx.doi.org/10.30560/ilr.v4n2p19.
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The colonial invaders and their repressive means of governance in Africa were not the only reasons that could be solely held accountable for the fall of indigenous African society during the colonial invasion. Native weaknesses, socio-cultural conflicts and hegemony were equally responsible for the falling apart of native social setups when confronted with colonial alternatives. Native people had had their own covert religious and cultural limitations long before the colonizers entered their soil. The colonial powers cleverly used such inherent societal flaws of African people as excuses to impose European religion and traditions on them. Chinua Achebe does not blindly idealize native African traditions in his writings. He frequently narrates his doubts on flawed socio-cultural practices and moral dualities in the native society, too. This paper is an attempt to explore how innate weaknesses of native Igbo people, socio-cultural conflicts and domination in the native society have also made it easier for the colonial administration to prolong their supremacy in the Igbo land, as depicted in Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe. It also elaborates how Ezeulu, the chief priest of god Ulu, falls from dominance in his society because of his intent to execute personal desires which jeopardize his societal role in the Igbo land.
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Quinn, Camille R., Bernadine Waller, Ashura Hughley, Donte Boyd, Ryon Cobb, Kimberly Hardy, Angelise Radney, and Dexter R. Voisin. "The Relationship between Religion, Substance Misuse, and Mental Health among Black Youth." Religions 14, no. 3 (February 28, 2023): 325. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel14030325.
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Studies suggest that religion is a protective factor for substance misuse and mental health concerns among Black/African American youth despite reported declines in their religious involvement. However, few studies have investigated the associations among religion, substance misuse, and mental health among Black youth. Informed by Critical Race Theory, we evaluated the correlations between gender, depression, substance misuse, and unprotected sex on mental health. Using multiple linear regression, we assessed self-reported measures of drug use and sex, condom use, belief in God, and religiosity on mental health among a sample of Black youth (N = 638) living in a large midwestern city. Results indicated drug use, and sex while on drugs and alcohol, were significant and positively associated with mental health symptoms. Belief in God was negatively associated with having sex while on drugs and alcohol. The study’s findings suggest that despite the many structural inequalities that Black youth face, religion continues to be protective for Black youth against a myriad of prevalent problem behaviors.
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Udoekpo, Michael Ufok. "Revisiting Sinai Covenant Theology, Its Values and Resonances for Today." European Journal of Theology and Philosophy 2, no. 6 (December 19, 2022): 9–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.24018/theology.2022.2.6.81.
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The relevance of Sinai covenant (Exod 19-24, 32-34; Deut, Josh-2kings) in Hebrew and Christian religions cannot be overemphasized. It is a point of departure for understanding Israel’s basic religion and its components: God’s relationship with his people, the kingship of God, revelation and liberation from myth. It also illumines the riches of Israel’s history, its persons, liturgy, rituals, cults and commandments, the role of the prophets, fulfilled in Christ, the Messiah stressed by our honoree in the course of his ministries. Many would see it as a conditional and relational covenant binding both God and his people. Its meaning, nature, and patterns as discussed historically, pastorally and contextually in this essay, went through various roots of nuances and shifts in the ancient Near East, Hebrew, Greek and Roman cultures, including commitment, faithfulness, resilience, and obedience, trust in divine providence and sharing together. Finally, its relevance, NT resonances and theological importance of Sinai Covenant for the church in African and beyond are highlighted.
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Nyandiwa, Chrispine Ouma. "Elements of Luo Traditional Sacrifice: An Anthropological Approach." International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science VIII, no. I (2024): 149–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2024.801012.
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Every religion has some form of sacrifice. In fact, sacrifice is the most widespread of all rituals. It derived from two Latin words: “sacer”, which means holy, sacred or set apart and “facere,” which means to do or to make. So, to sacrifice is to make holy or to set something apart for supernatural powers. Most rituals imply an offering and quite often a blood sacrifice. A blood sacrifice is a displacement of mystical forces made possible by God himself, thanks to the intercession of a spirit, divinity or ancestor and the mediation of a priest for the satisfaction of the sacrificing community. The blood of the victim, when poured on the altar, releases the vital force contained in it and feeds the spiritual beings directly alerted by the words of the priest. We have here an offering of food given to the sacred forces, which gives life to the sacrificing community through a common meal. We also have the words of the priest to the divinity or ancestor who intercedes to God. The response of God comes in an inverted way: it goes to the sacrificing community through the ancestor and the priest. Note here that God does not feed on the blood of the victim; God is the very source of the vital force; for him the vital force does not diminish. It is the whole community, which performs what we can call the rite of diverted violence. When the animal is killed, sometimes very cruelly, the violence, which would be directed to people is done on the animal, which is their substitute. It is at the same time an elevated violence since it is transported from the profane to the sacred. It is also a transcended violence since it enables the community to transfer the grudges, rivalries, hatred, tension and the tendencies of aggression within it to an animal victim. This is the way the community “deceives” its own violence by directing it to victims which do not call for vengeance. All in all, sacrifice in whatever form is for respect of life, that is, in sacrifice, life is not lost; it just becomes sublime. Sacrifice occupies a fundamental place in the practice of African traditional religion. It is through sacrifices that the African relates to the spiritual. The religious nature of African ritual, as historians of religions have stressed, is such that: “A ritual is religious, if it carries an ultimate value, meaning, sacrality and significance for someone, that is, if it somehow functions for someone as the foundation of what is considered real and sacred” (Richard 1978: 65).
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Omotayo Foluke, Siwoku-Awi. "Philosophy of Religion and Religious Pluralism from Biblical Perspective and Their Implications for Christian Education." International Journal of Culture and Religious Studies 2, no. 1 (July 2, 2021): 45–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.47941/ijcrs.603.
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Purpose: Students of Christian Religious Studies should be encouraged to learn about other religions in order to enhance their personal conviction and be tolerant and competent in engaging in meaningful negotiation when mediating in crises. It is an exploratory research that has deployed resources from documents, media and personal interaction and inquiries. Religion is a cause of disunity, tribal disparity, ethnic cleansing and wars in most parts of the world. Religion has empowered some individuals to kill, maim, rape, enslave and self-impose on others. It has been mingled with politics in some countries like Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Middle East, most African countries and many others. The practice of religion has been used to discriminate against job seekers and in matters of welfare. It brings tremendous gains to some people while others are impoverished. Methodology: Real life occurrences as published by the media of people who have been victims of religious intolerance, violence, psychological and sexual slavery. For instance, in the Middle East entire communities are eliminated by murder and rape of children and youths who are abducted to be subjected to indoctrination or kept as hostages until some money is paid on them. These destructive tendencies forestall development. Findings: The findings are: A God-centered religion should emphasize divine qualities in the lives of believers. Compliance with the National Constitution of one’s country is more beneficial than man-made tenets and laws that are of the least benefits to the general public or human progress and which cause dissension and do not necessarily reflect the nature of God, the Creator but that of an invisible personality that only forms a part of human imagination. Faith in God should be a reason to love fellow humans 1John 4:20. Learning philosophy of religion is training in peaceful coexistence. Religion arouses intense emotions; therefore, it may not deploy rationality in fostering good human relations and respect of the rights of opponents. Unique Contribution To Theory, Practice And Policy: This article contributes to contemporary realities by proposing that democratic governments should institute peace and order by enabling equal rights of worship, freedom of religion, of choice and of self-expression. The research leans heavily on the Bible and the claims of Jesus Christ, a fact of history, whose moral perfection, peaceful lifestyle, teaching and philosophy express values that are worthy of emulation for human development, progress and peace. Key words: pluralism, philosophy of religion, Bible tenets, Islam, Ba’hai, Buddhism
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Joseph, B. B. "Ibi: An Examination of the Yoruba Traditional-Existentialist Conception of Evil." Thought and Practice 6, no. 2 (July 21, 2015): 55–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tp.v6i2.5.
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The problem of evil is of universal concern to humankind. Various attempts have been made to account for it in Western philosophy as well as in world religions such as Christianity, Islam and African traditional religion. This article examines the Yoruba existentialist attitude to the problem of evil. Using the Yoruba oral tradition, it posits that for the Yoruba evil is the creation of each individual, so that God cannot be blamed for its existence. I conclude the article with my own personal view that given the individual as a carrier of evil seed, the best existential outlook is to be ready to face, with stoic courage, whatever life brings one’s way. Key Words Ibi, Yoruba, Traditional-Existentialist, Evil
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Oro, Ari Pedro, and Marcelo Tadvald. "Religião, corpo e performance. Um olhar sobre algumas liturgias nacionais." Revista Eclesiástica Brasileira 77, no. 306 (June 30, 2017): 264–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.29386/reb.v77i306.79.
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Resumo: Este texto analisa como o corpo é agenciado em três expressões religiosas nacionais, a saber: o evangelismo (Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus), o espiritismo kardecista e as religiões de matriz africana (Batuque). Para tanto, recuperamos nossos dados etnográficos e apresentamos elementos que contribuem para uma reflexão mais ampla sobre a temática dentro de um contexto religioso tão rico e multifacetado como o brasileiro. A existência de múltiplas e diferentes presenças corporais nos espaços sagrados sugere uma constante vigilância epistemológica para que nenhuma religião tente absolutizar o seu uso do corpo como sendo a expressão do sagrado por excelência.Palavras-chave: Religião. Corpo. Performance. Brasil.Abstract: This text analyzes how the body is organized in three national religious expressions, namely: evangelism (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God), Kardecist spiritualism and the religions of African matrix (Batuque). To do so, we recover our ethnographic data and present elements that contribute to a broader reflection on the theme within a religious context as rich and multifaceted as the Brazilian. The existence of multiple and different bodily presences in the sacred spaces suggests a constant epistemological vigilance so that no religion tries to absolutize its use of the body as being the expression of the sacred par excellence.Keywords: Religion. Body. Performance. Brazil.
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Mawere, J., R. M. Mukonza, A. Hungwe, and S. L. Kugara. "“Piercing the veil into Beliefs”: Christians Metaphysical Realities vis-à-vis Realities on African Traditional Medicine." African Journal of Religion Philosophy and Culture 2, no. 1 (June 1, 2021): 77–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.31920/2634-7644/2020/v2n1a5.
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This paper centres on the contentions between the use of African Traditional medicine and convoluted beliefs among some Christianity groups. It is argued that most Pentecostal churches in Africa vilify African cultural practices and deter their converts from using African traditional medicine. Feelings of disgrace and trepidation when asked about traditional healing frequently make it difficult, particularly for the individuals who have become Christians and have acknowledged western medicine, to reveal their insight into non-western treatments. Against this backdrop, the primary aim of this paper is to unveil the conflict between Christianity and the use of African traditional medicine. The broad aim is to create a platform for a conjectural dialogue towards appreciation for a ‘new world order’ that necessitates an integration of African Traditional Religion and Christianity through adopting a comprehension of cultural differences. The paper draws in the existing scholarly literature on the contention that Pentecostalism do not acclimatize with cultural practices of the African indigenous people preceding persuading them about switching to God who is introduced in the Bible. It has been established that as per the Bible and Christian teachings, the use of traditional medicine is a cursed thing. The authors recommend a confrontation of the healing crisis in Africa through fostering cordial cooperation and of biomedicine, African traditional practitioners and Christian groups.
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Singbo, Odilon-Gbènoukpo. "Faith and the Image of God among Young Believers in Benin." Bogoslovska smotra 92, no. 5 (2023): 903–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.53745/bs.92.5.6.
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The cultural environment in which an individual lives and grows up undoubtedly shapes the relationship to God, religiosity, and faith, and it has a certain influence on the creation of an image of God. The encounter of another religion, especially from the Western culture, with the domestic cultural environment can cause admiration or an attitude of caution or rejection, but also the possibility of partial acceptance of its values. Such reaction elements can easily be observed in the so-called mission countries that accept the novelty of the Christian message. With the aim of examining the perception of the influence of the cultural environment on understanding and perceiving God, religiosity and faith, a survey was conducted among 1062 young believers in the West African state of Benin.
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Ethe, Kamuyu-Wa-Kang. "African Response to Christianity: A Case Study of the Agikuyu of Central Kenya." Missiology: An International Review 16, no. 1 (January 1988): 23–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/009182968801600102.
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This article explores the religious, cultural, and political dynamics of the Agikuyu response to Christianity from 1900–1950. The article is divided into five sections. In the first section the author briefly traces the theological ideas which prevailed in Europe in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and how these ideas led to the rise of the Evangelical Missionary Movement. The second section deals with the initial contact made by Europeans and missionaries with the Agikuyu. The third section explores the nature of the Agikuyu religion and culture and the missionary response to that religion and culture. The fourth section discusses the Agikuyu response to missionary reaction to their beliefs and practices with particular reference to the Agikuyu initiation rite which was central to their belief system. The Agikuyu response led to the development of independent churches and schools. These churches and schools were later utilized to politicize the African masses on the evils of missionary Christianity and colonialism. In the fifth section the author briefly analyzes the three groups which emerged out of this Christian response. He concludes that the Karing'a group can be considered as a good case study of how churches in Africa can develop a new theology which encompasses African ontological understanding of God, man, and the universe.
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Shatokhina, Victoria S. "The System of East African Beliefs Through the Prism of Swahili Proverbs." Вестник Пермского университета. Российская и зарубежная филология 14, no. 2 (2022): 63–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.17072/2073-6681-2022-2-63-70.
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Religious ideas are an integral part of any people’s life. Therefore, they are of great significance for understanding the national picture of the world. The article investigates the beliefs of the Swahili-speaking community through the prism of Swahili proverbs and sayings that reflect its polyconfessionality. In the study, the most complete and up-to-date collections of Swahili proverbs were used, such as Methali za Kikwetu (Proverbs of Our Place), Kamusi ya methali (Dictionary of Proverbs), Swahili Proverbs. Each of them contains about two thousand proverbial units. For quantitative evaluation, the largest modern corpus of Swahili proverbs compiled by the Center for African Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was used. It contains more than four thousand proverbial units. Swahili proverbs explicitly mention the names of traditional spirits (mizimu, pepo, zimwi), the performers of traditional cults and rites (mchawi, mganga), the supreme creator (Mungu), the creatures that are nearby (malaika), and demonic forces (ibilisi, shetani). There are also some paroemias containing indirect reference to Islam or orthodoxy by mentioning some religious traditions. Of particular interest are the results of comparing the frequency of usage of different religious lexemes. Noteworthy is that the semantics of these words is expressed in grammatical features, especially by the tools of the class system. In the article, the study of Swahili paroemias is correlated with the history of East African religions. The research confirms the conclusions of other scholars studying religion in Eastern Africa: here traditional and Abrahamic religions peacefully coexist, transforming and complementing each other. In any proverbial unit, the lexeme ‘God’ conveys sacral attitude toward its denotatum, and universal values come to the foreground. The predominance of paroemias on religious theme proves their importance in the national picture of the world of the Swahili people. The research results are of practical importance and may be used not only in paroemiology and linguistics but also in ethnography, cultural and religion studies.
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Whitley, Rob. "“Thank you God”: Religion and recovery from dual diagnosis among low-income African Americans." Transcultural Psychiatry 49, no. 1 (December 22, 2011): 87–104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1363461511425099.
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Ofuasia, Emmanuel. "An Argument for the Non-Existence of the Devil in African Traditional Religions." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11, no. 1 (March 9, 2022): 57–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v11i1.5.
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In this essay, I will argue that the discourse over the existence of the Devil/Satan has no place among the religious cultures in sub-Saharan Africa. This may be contrasted with the numerous efforts in the dominant philosophy of religion tradition in the Anglo-American sphere, where efforts toward the establishing grounds for the existence of God have occupied and commanded so much attention. On the other hand, it seems to have been taken for granted that Devil, the One who is antagonistic of God, among the Abrahamic monotheisms, is assumed to exist and does not require serious intellectual elaboration. For my aim, I explore the traditional Yorùbá and Igbo religious cultures to foreground that God. In the traditional belief system of these two religious cultures, there is no place to entertain the idea of a necessarily antagonistic entity, popularly called the Devil.Whereas I recognise previous scholarships that have served to show that Èṣù and Ekwensu in each of these religious cultures are not synonymous with Devil in the Abrahamic monotheisms, I move beyond these to establishing the ontological framework which endorses the absence of a Devil, even when evil lingers in the world. If the argument that there is no Devil/Satan in these religious cultures is proved valid, then it is pertinent to tender the origin and persistence of evil in the world. For this task, I explore the process-relational character of Yorùbá and Igbo theology to reinforce my conviction concerning the peoples’ belief in the existence of God in Chukwu and Olódùmarè, the presence of evil in the world, without encountering the philosophical problem of evil.
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Neal, Anthony Sean. "God[’s] hung from a tree." Review & Expositor 118, no. 1 (February 2021): 32–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0034637321999726.
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As Black people struggled for freedom from oppression in the United States, toward the end of the modern era of the African American freedom struggle, a reflexive moment was taken to assess Christianity and its meaning for those whom Howard Thurman referred to as the “disinherited.” This article attempts to take up the pattern of reflective thinking, which began with Howard Thurman, James Cone, and William R. Jones, extending the thought forward to its natural conclusions. In doing so, the author intimates that the concepts that lead to racism and racial aggression are bound within the signs, symbols, and frameworks of white American Christianity, which has become a secular religion or secular way to order society. These signs, symbols, and frameworks continue to do the work of setting the ground for each subsequent generation to demonstrate a similar racial attitude as the preceding one. They also set the groundwork for Black reflective thinkers to find necessary the development of a posture of rejection toward white American Secular Christianity and all its derivative forms.
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Chukwudebelu, Ifeanyi A. "Uka Omenana (Godian Religion): Bridging Faith and Tradition in Neo-Traditional Igbo Religion." Journal of Media,Culture and Communication, no. 42 (February 29, 2024): 16–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.55529/jmcc.42.16.27.
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The Uka Omenana movement, also known as the Godian Religion, represents a significant resurgence of neo-traditionalism in Igboland, Nigeria, where indigenous Igbo customs intersect with Christian principles. This research examines how the movement marries traditional elements with contemporary expressions of faith, analyzing the dynamics of cultural continuity and change in the face of globalization, cultural erosion, and the encroachment of foreign ideologies. Through qualitative methodologies, including participant observation, interviews, and document analysis, the study sheds light on the Uka Omenana movement's objectives, practices, and impacts within the Igbo community. The findings contribute to scholarship in anthropology, cultural studies, and religious studies by exploring the interplay between tradition and modernity in contemporary African societies and the role of religious revitalization movements in preserving cultural identity. The research reveals how Uka Omenana seeks to infuse age-old Igbo traditions with contemporary relevance and Christian spirituality, bridging ancestral customs with modern religious beliefs to foster cultural continuity. By examining the movement's core beliefs, including its conceptions of the Supreme God, deities, ancestors, the Bible, and the Eucharist, the study illuminates the complex dynamics of syncretism and the movement's efforts to reclaim and revitalize elements of Igbo culture within a religious framework.
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Engh, Mari Haugaa. "‘Because I know God answers prayers’: The Role of Religion in African-Scandinavian Labour Migration." Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa SP, no. 22 (December 1, 2018): 57–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.29086/2519-5476/2018/sp22a4.
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