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CHRISTIANITY vs. AFRICA TRADITIONAL RELIGION by Richard Chowning |
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POINTS OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN
AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION AND CHRISTIANITY CREATOR GOD The supreme being in most African Traditional Religions is seen as the creator of humans and all other living things. This supreme being is viewed in different forms and dwelling places, yet he is the almighty. He is often distant from humans because of some bad actions of humans. There is much discussion among African theologians and missionaries alike concerning whether or not the creator God of various African Traditional Religions is Jehovah God. Some bible translators have chosen to use the traditional name for creator God and others have settle on "Jehovah" or "God". THE PRESENCE OF EVIL Humans are often the battle ground between evil and good forces in the world. Human can also call upon evil forces to punish or persecute wrong doers or enemies. Special functionaries have the greatest input into the forces of evil but all people can wield it to a lesser degree. UNSEEN REALM African Traditional Religions do not divid the world into the seen and the unseen realms. Existance is lived in wholeness of those two realities. The two realms interact with each other. Some personalities have lived in both realms more than once. People can move into the unseen realm during dreams, visions, or trances and, of course at death. COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SEEN AND UNSEEN Most African Traditional Religions have functionaries who communicate with God and the spirits on behalf of individuals and the community. This does not negate the ability of individuals to communicate with the unseen. These functionaries are trained, initiated and, and in many cases, from a bloodline that has a special window into the unseen realm. Communication takes many forms. Chief among them are prayers, incantations, sacred objects, and incense. EMPHASIS ON COMMUNITY Some would say that family as at the core of African society. Family is indeed emphasised. Society is broader than that. It compases friends, age mates, relatives: community. Not only does each member of the community have a defined role to play, but there responsibilities to each other that when transgressed bring about judgement from God or the spirits. COVENANT God has made covenants with humans on several occasions. The breaking of those covenents is what has caused Creator God to be so distant from humans. There are some parallels in this relationship to redemption. These are called redeptive analogies. LOSTNESS Most African Traditional Religions carry with them the idea that the soul lives forever. Often it is born back into life after spending a period in the realm of the dead. Most African Traditional Religions also provide for eternal lostness of those who habitually trangress taboos. POINTS OF CONTRAST BETWEEN
AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION AND CHRISTIANITY The understanding of God normally needs some refining when one comes from African Traditional Religion to be a Christian. Instead of God keeping his distance from man, He, throughout history and today reaches down in love to draw humans toward him. He is not only the covenant giver He gives the power to keep the covenent. ETERNAL REST OF THE SOUL Many forms of African Traditional Religion teach that after death, humans can be born back into the realm of the living. The Biblical teaching of a single judgment and then everlasting rest or punishment of the soal. IN-DWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT There are many forms of spirits that can live in people in various African Traditional Religions. None of them hold that the spirit of the Creator God indwells humans. This is not only the sign of being "sons of God" but a source of power and comfort to Christians. CHRISTIANITY IS FOR ALL ETHNIC GROUPS The African Traditional Religion of one ethnic group does not motivate its believers to teach and convert people from another ethnic gorup. African Traditional Religions are specific to each ethnic group on the continent. The evangelistic mandate of Christianity and the very nature of Jehovah God encompases all ethnic groups on the planet. The Christian message calls people out of earthly kingdoms into the Kingdom of God. CHRIST IS THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN HUMANS AND GOD Ancestral spirits and lesser gods are usually the primary communicants with humans on earth. They often communicate, yet do not carry the desires of humans to the Creator God. Christ Jesus, God's own son, takes the "growning" of humans to God. He was tempted in all the ways men were so is a sympathetic mediator. DEFINITION OF SIN Sin in African Traditional Religion is mostly concerned wth transgression of morals or community norms. There is a difference in the severity of a sin if it is something done to someone of your same ethnic group and someone of another group. In the Christian reality sin is against and in rebellion to God. FORGIVENESS Sacrifices are offered in African Traditional Religion in order placate, appiese, or ask favors of the spirits. They are often offered when a wrong is committed. The will of God, as revealed in the Bible, is that all people be forgiven and saved through the sacrifice of his son.
AREAS IN WHICH THE GOSPEL
MEETS SPIRITUAL NEEDS FEAR Due to the unpredictability of the spirits and the ability of people to curse their enemies, many people in African Traditional Religion live in fear. Their is fear concerning death in that it comes so often in Africa and that the spirits are much more active and closer to humans when someone in the village or cities has died. In the modern world when many of the traditional ways of dealing with the spirits do not seem to work, fear in hightened. "We have not been given the spirit of fear (timidity), but power, love and self-discipline." (2 Tim. 1:7) "If God is for us, who can be against us..... in all things we are more than conquerors.... For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angles nor demons..... will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:31-39) CIRCULAR WORLDVIEW Life in Africa is often painful. Drought, floods, disease, and poverty often bring heartache and disappointment. All followers of African Traditional Religion have to look forward to is dieing and going to the realm of the dead for a short while. The realm of the dead is an evil place in some ethnic groups. Then, they will be reborn into the land of the living again. This circular worldview breeds hopelessness. "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sun, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Heb. 9:27,28) "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." (Matt. 25:34) LIMITED POWER African Traditi.JL14greenboldonal Religionists are very aware of the power of the principalities and powers in the unseem realm. They only have limited power to protect themselves from the spirits and those who would wield the might of these spirits against them. They also feel primarily powerless to change their lot in life. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes..... so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground..... take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." (Eph. 6:10-20) "I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13) |