Religion, culture and spirituality in africa and the african diaspora. African traditional religion, spirituality, globalisation, families, missional. Spirituality, on the other hand, connotes an experience of connection to something larger than you. The traditional african religions or traditional beliefs and practices of african people are a set of highly diverse beliefs that includes various ethnic religions. Prayer traditions like incantations, melodious choruses and appeal to spirits, typical of atr, have infiltrated the religious life of african christians both at home and in diaspora, amongst christians in the mainline churches as well as in the african independent churches.
The germ of a caribbean civilization giving to the african. The larger impact of this african american theological movement, rather, lay in producing a major shift in the intellectual study of black religion and culture as dozens of african american theologians began incorporating an engaged analysis of race, class, gender, and sexuality into the study of religion. Full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. African spirituality by laurenti magesa, and project muse. The inaugural conference on religion and spirituality in society was held.
Oct 15, 2015 much of the spirituality peculiar to african christians bears traces of the influence of african traditional religions atr. As opposed to following a specific ideology or a set of rules. The spiritual life is the whole of ones life insofar as it is motivated and determined by the holy spirit, the spirit of jesus. Western scholars, such as sir james frazier, had had a fascination with african religions, either from the scientific point of view, as a phenomenon to be studied, or from a missionary point of view. African spirituality, christianity and islam kwasi konadu. Maat truth and justice, the spirituality of the african race. Spirituality is a solitary experience of the divine, while religion involves a group of people brought together by. Box 43844 00100 nairobi kenya michael katola department of philosophy and religious studies kenyatta university. Ias is a polytheistic religion rooted in devil worship. African christian diaspora religion andor spirituality. African religion, climate change, and knowledge systems.
After a profound spiritual realization, the buddha gathered many followers. Jun 25, 2019 religion is spiritual and spirituality is religious. He goes on to say that there is no conversion from one traditional religion to another. The following characteristics differentiate a spiritual person from a religious person. The oldest aboriginal cultures of the earth used meditation as a tool for spiritual fortification, a nd every religion uses meditation for spiritual development. The religious traditions and practices discussed below are informed by african beliefs in the reality of the spirit world and the ardent desire to engage with it for the purposes of human survival, health, fruitfulness, and longevity. Remembering african religion and spirituality in the. The demonization of african spirituality in the church is. Religious ontology, african tradition, divinities, spirits introduction the concept of god, divinities and spirits in african traditional religious ontology has been a controversial and misunderstood concept. Traditional african religion is part of the religious heritage of mankind, it has something. African spirituality that shapes the concept of ubuntu nolan1982. Igbo traditional worldview reveals that the journey that man makes in a lifetime and after his death is cyclical. There are three main differences in the argument of religion versus spirituality.
Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 758k, or click on a page image below to. Contrary to the thought of many, christianity did not replace traditional. Communicating african spirituality through ecology. Understanding african spirituality full series with dalian. In some african american spiritual traditions, ideas about magical and religious practice can enclose identical experiences. May 14, 2018 differences between religion and spirituality.
Whether a person is religious, spiritual or neither, the major influence religion has on american culture will be emphasized over the coming days with religious observances of passover and easter. The 6 fundamental differences between religion and spirituality. While love suggests that religion and spirituality overlap, he does not delve further as to why or how. Africa traditional religious system as basis of understanding. Both approaches assumed that african religious beliefs. Eshu elegbara is also known as elegua, exu, eshu and legba or papa legba. By definition, religion is a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Yet, when you look closer, they are very different. The people from europe, america, and asia cannot be converted to african religion as it is more removed from their geographical and cultural setting. Khemetic spiritual system is the basis of the christian religion. The continued influence of traditional african religion is also evident in some aspects of daily life.
At first glance, religion and spirituality might sound the same. The african belief system and the patients choice of. Jan 07, 2005 the role of african traditional religion, culture and worldview in the context of postwar healing among the dinka community of southern sudan alex kamwaria department of philosophy and religious studies kenyatta university p. Relationship of spirituality or religion to recovery from. The cosmology that is found in ancient egypt was the cosmology for many parts of africa south, north, and west. Kemetic spirituality places great emphasis on names. Maat truth and justice, the spirituality of the african. The purpose of this article is to analyze how the concept of african christian diaspora religion and or spirituality, as a missionarybased model.
Before the wccs eighth assembly in harare, land and spirituality. In africa, the spiritual belief is a major determinant of choice of treatment 2. Theology and the academic study of religion in sub saharan africa were once dominated by foreign missionaries and anthropologists. Spirituality, church history, and missiology, university of south africa, south africa corresponding author. Parrinder 1975, in his book west african religion, discusses the beings under four headings. The excerpt below chronicles his observations of the three belief systems that shaped african history, namely indigenous african spiritualities, islam and christianity, as they played out on africa s gold coast. One tends to be more personal and private while the other tends to incorporate public rituals and organized doctrines. Spirituality and relgion among americans age 45 and older.
Nash makes the distinction by saying that spirituality is an inward expression, while religion is. What role do religion and spirituality play in mental health. The meaning of spirituality has developed and expanded over time, and various connotations. To live here and now is the most important concern of african religious activities and beliefs.
Conflicts between african traditional religion and. Whats the difference between religion vs spirituality. African spirituality that shapes the concept of ubunten. In fact, africa is a vast continent encompassing both. Religion and african american life a long tradition of research and scholarship documents the prominent and pivotal role of religion and religious institutions in the lives of african americans billingsley, 1999. This belief is strongly held by indigenous africans. This study examined the importance of spirituality and religion in daily life i. Oct 06, 2015 for instance, the yoruba religion has historically been centered in southwestern nigeria, the zulu religion in southern africa, and the igbo religion in southeastern nigeria. Meditation is one of the most powerful ways to develop your african spirituality.
For example, in 14 of the 19 countries surveyed, more than threeinten people say they sometimes consult traditional healers when someone in their household is sick. Pargament, phd, is a leading expert in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Jun 20, 2019 although strong african worship rituals were retained by my community, much of the intellectual and spiritual property that spawned them was shrouded in codes and ways of living that must now be deciphered again by us in order to regain the regenerative power of black spirituality. Spirituality is a solitary experience of the divine, while religion involves a group of people brought together by their common faith or beliefs about the divine. Love 2001 and nash 2001 discuss the differences between religion and spirituality. In fact, africa is a vast continent encompassing both geographic variation and tremendous cultural diversity. Social factors including slavery, black responses to a range.
And we agree with professor idowu that the purpose of the study should be. The western worldview was not just spiritually communicated, but also by political and even military action 2007. Pdf african spirituality that shapes the concept of ubuntu. Traditional african religion and culture pm express on. African traditional religion is a thriving scholarly business, but a serious disconnect exists between contributions that celebrate a generalized african traditional religion and those that describe particular religions and aspects of religion on the basis of ethnographic and archival research. Religion and spirituality are the substructure or foundation for. God, divinities and spirits in african traditional religious.
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. See figures 36 satisfying spiritual or religious experiences the most satisfying spiritual or religious experiences, surprisingly, do not involve a supreme being. Jul, 2016 there are older african spiritual systems, like yoruba, that have many of the same components as the khemetic system but simply named differently. Religion, culture and spirituality in africa and the african diaspora explores the ways in which religious ideas and beliefs continue to play a crucial role in. The 6 fundamental differences between religion and. Spirituality and religion are frequently acknowledged as significant contributors to individuals recovery from substanceusedisorders. African tribal societies are rich in the awareness of a supreme being to the extent that no nativeborn african is unaware of gods existence odonovan 1996. What is the difference between religion and spirituality. Jun 03, 2017 parrinder 1975, in his book west african religion, discusses the beings under four headings. African spirituality which forms values and good character in a. Like all human cultures, african folklore and religion is diverse and varied.
The best interpreter of african religion is the african with a disciplined mind and the requisite technical tools. There are basic african religious foundations that need to be presented and defined. When the missionaries came to africa they displayed a spiritworld denying attitude to their audience. God, divinities and spirits in african traditional. In africa, the entire relationship between humans and nature, including activities such as. Religion is an institution that was created by another person.
African ancestors created spirituality and religion with the launch of the mystery system, 6,112 years ago. The study of african spirituality in its own right is a recent phenomenon. African traditional religion african studies oxford. It should be noted that any attempt to generalize about the nature of african religions risks wrongly implying that there is homogeneity among all african cultures. Most traditional african cultures include beliefs about. Kofi asare opoku is a research fellow in religion and ethics. Women are much more likely than men to say they are very spiritual 51% women vs. Kemetic spirituality vs christian religion kemetic centered. Ii is interesting, however, that many african languages do not have a word for religion in spite ofthe fact that they view the whole of life as sacred. Culture and spirituality share space and are deeply intertwined in most african cultures, which have been heavily influenced by the introduction of christianity and islam during the era of european colonization. The flow of african spirituality into world christianity in.
Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and passed down from one generation to another through folk tales, songs and festivals, include belief in an amount of higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme. The truth about indigenous african spirituality madamenoire. Beginning with transatlantic slavery, which forced hundreds of thousands of people into what is presently the united states, religion among african americans consistently featured a complex of efforts toward innovation, preservation, and agential intervention rooted in efforts toward survival against structures of racial domination. African americans and religion oxford research encyclopedia. This kind of spirituality shapes persons in such a way that they grow. This concept can be a beautiful and beneficial contribution in under standing the world of communication among africans, especially when introducing christianity. The term was used within early christianity to refer to a life oriented toward the holy spirit. These are essential for any christian spiritual inquiry and application in africa. Hoodoo is an ethnogenesis of spiritual practices, traditions, and beliefs created by african slaves in north america that were held in secret from slaveholders. The seven african powers for beginners african spirituality.
In the african traditional religions, ancestors were never considered demonic or as part of evil spirits 2007. Nov 09, 2005 the africa study bible teaches christianity and its most important events from a truly african perspective. The supreme god, the sky gods, the mother earth, and other divinities. The role of african traditional religion, culture and world. Remembering african religion and spirituality in the african diaspora. Spirit and spirits in african religious traditions springerlink. Understanding african spirituality full series with. First, i will discuss the three concepts of faith, spirituality, and religion. Film producer and director of ancestral voices, a film the investigates the truth and history of african spirituality gives us a fascinating taster on unders. Also known as lowcountry voodoo in the gullah south carolina lowcountry.
It showed the connectedness between the spiritualities of the indigenous peoples and the land on which they originated. The african context was the theme chosen for the workshop the same theme used in karasjok, norway. Adherents of traditional religions in subsaharan africa are distributed among 43 countries and are estimated to number over 100 million although the majority of africans today are adherents of christianity or islam, african people often combine the practice of their traditional belief with the practice of abrahamic religions. The best african spirituality books for beginners in 2021. The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and. This work provides a solid foundation of social historical and ethnographic. There is neither paradise to be hoped for nor hell to be feared in the hereafter mbiti 1969, pp. Various factors led to this controversy and misunderstanding, such as. They created over 2000 gods and goddesses, the first such in the world, with twelve principal deities that included god ausar, goddess auset, goddess maat and god heru, the later being the first human son of god in history. Importance of religion and spirituality in the lives of.
African traditional religion is very pragmatic and apply to the need as it arises. Mar 12, 2018 his years spent on the coast were chronicled in his twovolume book, eighteen years on the gold coast of west africa, published in 1853. African traditional religion cannot easily be studied by nonafricans. This egyptian spiritual system became the mouthpiece for african spirituality.
African religions rituals, world, burial, body, funeral. Indigenous african religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the african people before the christian and islamic. The lines between one and the other are not clear and distinctthey are all points on the spectrum of belief systems known as religion. Hoodoo evolved from various traditional african religions and practices, and in the american south, incorporated various elements of indigenous botanical knowledge. While both love and nash attempt to define the terms, i feel there is more to understanding these important differences. This chapter will describe african spirituality in detail and identify important. They counteracted various derogatory names given to air. Intellectual spirituality focuses on building knowledge and understanding of spirituality through analysing history and spiritual theories. This approach can be found in the study of religion, also known as theology. Religion, in african societies is written, not on paper, but in peoples hearts and minds, oral history, rituals and religious personages like the priests, rainmakers, officiating elders and even kings.
The aim is to encourage all africans and other people to cultivate a sense of belonging and. African religions, either from the scientific point of view, as a phenomenon to be. African spirituality simply acknowledges that beliefs and practices touch on and inform every facet of human life, and therefore african religion cannot be separated. Christianity and the african traditional religions. Religious belief is thus diffused in all spheres of life filling them with meaning and significance. What kemetic spirituality teaches us about the 9 parts of. A person must be born in a particular african people in order to be able to follow african religion. African cosmology provided both the moral foundation for life. Kicking the ball around a park, without having to play on the field or with. Religion in igbo traditional society partakes fully of all. The african belief system seems to originate from the creation history where the almighty god created the universe and the first man 3.
Even life in the hereafter is conceived in materialistic and physical terms. African religions, religious beliefs and practices of the peoples of africa. Christianity may presume a persons acceptance of a kind of supernaturalism, as a religion that calls upon god, jesus, and the holy. Since south african youth claim that spirituality and religion play a significant role in their. Aug 22, 2000 for this reason, the paper serves only as an introduction to the application of christian spirituality in africa. Pdf african spiritual phenomena and the probable influence on. Service spirituality is a common form of spirituality in many religious. Kemetic spirituality vs christian religion kemetic.
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