The majority of Africans are adherents of Christianity or Islam. “The veneration of the ancestors is a fundamental part of African religion. Chief Olaitan. The idea is that there is a physical connection between humans and the divine, and the altar serves as a repository of the power of the divine. The symbolism of honoring an Ancestor holds true to the remembrance of that person and the effect they had on your life. Ancestor Veneration. It adequately fills the void that confronts people (not just students) meeting African traditional religion for the first time, and addresses the true nature of the religion. It defines culture: The word culture covers many things, such as the way people live, behave and act, … ( Log Out /  4.6 out of 5 stars 32. The ancestral spirits are the most intimate divinities and must be consulted on important occasions. It is a religion whose historical founder is neither known nor worshipped; it is a religion that has no zeal for membership drive, yet it offers persistent fascination for Africans, young and old.”, “In African societies, the object that stands between humans and the divine is often made of wood, clay, stone, or metal. Dr. Bill Mounce blogs on spiritual formation and on Greek at BillMounce.com.Visit the President's page to see his availability to speak at your church or ministry.. … Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. RELIGION AS A PERCENTAGE OF WORLD POPULATION: 1.3 percent OVERVIEW. Now is the perfect time to call on our own! “’Jesus Hasn’t Saved Us’: The Young Black Women Returning to Ancestral Religions.” Broadly, Vice, 13 Sept. 2016, broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/bjgxx4/jesus-hasnt-saved-us-young-black-women-returning-ancestral-religions. These traditions are not religious principles, but a cultural identity that is passed on through stories, myths and tales. $14.95. Even thoughmorality is the subject matter of ethics, it is most often usedinterchangeably with ‘ethics’. The coexistence of Islam and African traditional religion has cultural and linguistic implications as well. Loosely, it encompasses all African beliefs and practices that are considered religious but neither Christian nor Islamic. The ancestors are offered the reasons for which the meeting has been called and request success for the endeavor.” So, the next time you open a drink of any kind and decide to pour some of it out remember your Ancestors and say their name while in the act of pouring. The purpose of this is to help to orient a person who would like to work in the context of Africa. Differences between African Traditional Religion and Christianity. The Cosmos Traditional Africans believe that the cosmos was created by a Supreme Being, God. “The need to understand religion in the context of African belief system and culture cannot be under-stressed. In many African Traditions they believe the Ancestors are working just as much or even more in the afterlife as they did in the physical world. Various factors led to this controversy and misunderstanding, such as prejudice by Western scholars who measured African traditional religious concept with Christianity. “When we speak of African Traditional Religion we mean the indigenous religion of the Africans. It was thought that San etchings and implements found in caves dated back to between 10 000 and 20 000 years ago (Deacon, 1999). AFRICAN SPIRITUALITY 5.1 Introduction This chapter will describe African Spirituality in detail and identify important aspects, particularly those which play a role in African churches and social groupings today. The scholarly study of African religion began nearly a century ago with the first extensive accounts by anthropologists and missionaries. 1. ( Log Out /  This is a high school text book, and, as such, a very good basic introduction to the topic of traditional African religion. Photo Source: Adegoke, Yomi. Paperback. In spite of thephilosophical inquiries or analyses undertaken by individualmoralphilosophers regarding morality … Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Introduction to the Study of West African Traditional Religion Nature (a) Characteristics of W.A.T.R (i) Belief in the Supreme Being (ii) Divinities, Ancestors, Mystical Powers etc (b) Purpose/Reasons for the study of W.A.T.R 2. The first academic studies of African traditional religions were written in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries by Muslim and European scholars. “Traditional African Religions.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Feb. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_African_religions. There are several ways to venerate an Ancestor, and it is very important to honor those that once honored you. 4.8 out of 5 stars 8. They are predecessors to all of those who are living and are in a spiritual state of existence that gives them power to assist those who are living. The earliest group of people living in Southern Africa has been named the San people. It is largely written in the peoples‟ myths and folktales, in their songs and dances, in their liturgies and shrines and in their proverbs and pithy sayings. Introduction African traditional religions were the first recorded religions to grace the plains and coasts of Southern Africa and possibly even the world. There is a clear reason for such veneration. “The person conducting the libation asks for the ancestors’ continued blessings and for protection, prosperity, and happiness for the entire community. Introduction To African Traditional Religion - Witchcraft And Sorcery by justok54: 9:29pm On Feb 15, 2018; 1.0 INTRODUCTION Another realm of African religion is that of belief in magic and medicine. Ironically many people demonize African Religions calling them devil worship, pagan, and/or evil. Change ), Introduction To Traditional African Religion, www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/african-traditional-religions. The effect of colonisation on Africa's traditional religion is seen in the views of colonialists that African traditional religious practices are fetish, barbaric, ritualistic and demonic. Religion in Igbo traditional society partakes fully of all the features of world traditional religion, including its beliefs, sacred myths, oral qualities, strong appeal to the hearts of adherents, high degree of ritualization, and possession of numerous participatory personages such as officiating elders, kings, priests, and diviners. The Ashanti people of Ghana in West Africa have developed a variety of Adinkira, designs that have symbolic meaning. “The influence of other religions, especially, Christianity and Islam on African religion cannot be overemphasized. Everyone is in fact a religious carrier. The Africans are known to be intensely religious people. The primary objective of this paper is to define the African traditional religious system as the basis... 4. No hemos encontrado ninguna reseña en los sitios habituales. Available in used condition with free delivery in the US. A question that must be asked at the outset is whether there is such a thing as African Spirituality. Tiv religion Yoruba religion introduction: Africa and its People. Visit www.cookman.edu to learn about Bethune-Cookman University. between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. Loosely, it encompasses all African beliefs and practices that are considered religious but neither Christian nor Islamic. This means that in African religion, there is always ancestral priority, presence, and power. ISBN-10: 0435940023 African Traditional Religion: A Definition (1973), Omosade Awolalu in Yoruba Belief and Sacrificial Rites and John Mbiti in The Concept of God in Africa (1970) are a few examples of postcolonial scholars of religion who have resisted and denounced colonial idea that Africans do not know God. Terms Used to Describe West African Traditional Religion (a) Fetishism and … Centered in this understanding was the fundamental fact that the Ancestors are a crucial part of Traditional African Religions. Over the decades, it has passed through several phases, each involving different purposes and points of view. SAGE, 2009. African Religions: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) Jacob K. Olupona. For the past few hundred years, the African worldview has been stripped away from us, and our understanding of the world has taken a back seat to the ideals of outside influences. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religions of the African people. African people often combine the practice of their traditional belief with the practice of Abrahamic religions. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. [17] A. Adewale (Programme Leader) - NOUN NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA . ( Log Out /  Traditional African religions generally believe in an afterlife, one or more Spirit worlds, and Ancestor worship is an important basic concept in mostly all African religions. Africans long ago set out to understand the natural world by any means necessary, and with that understanding grew spiritual systems heavily influenced in that cultural perspective. They counteracted various derogatory names given to AIR. Olupona, Jacob K., ed. It is described as the product of thinking and experience of African forefathers and mothers of former generations. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. African identity and culture are preserved in African Traditional Religion. The traditional African religions or traditional beliefs and practices of African people are a set of highly diverse beliefs that includes various ethnic religions. You can easily be called an atheist if you practice anything outside of the state sponsored religions, but our primary focus will be centered around a few key elements in Traditional African Religions. It is the religion that has been handed down from generation to generation by the forbears of the present generation of Africans. Introduction. Your God is supposed to serve you not you serve it. Olaitan, Chief. Introduction It is an accepted position that the African Initiated Churches (AICs) were formed as a result of the search for a unique African identity and culture. These designs are often stamped on cloth known as Adinkira cloth and used for decoration. 3.1 Introduction 80 3.2 Introduction of Christianity by European traders 81 3.3 The Methodist Church 91 ... Inter-religious relations, especially, among African Traditional Religion (ATR) worshippers, Muslims and Christians are becoming sources of social tension and violence. Edited by A Adewale, National University of Nigeria, 2008. It is not a fossil religion (a thing of the past) but a religion that Africans today have made theirs by living it and practicing it. “Africa, the place of origin of all humankind, is divided into numerous political and cultural regions, reflecting its diverse range of histories, ethnicities, languages, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. The book begins with a reference to the richness, variety and influence of African heritage. Traditional African religion is based on oral traditions, which means that the basic values and way of life are passed from elders to younger generation. Traditional African religion and culture is passed on from parents to children through stories. The main objective of this article is to provide a pathway from one school of thought to another by ultimately introducing the reader to Traditional African Religions. 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