Hence, it cannot be avoided in the interaction between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. It was Christian beliefs that ‘justified’ and led slaveholders to their actions. It brought the slaves back together after generations of separation by creating communities and enabling them to organize and start a revolution ultimately leading to the end of slavery. (Turner 1994a:129). John Butler and Harry S. Stout. It brought the people together again, allowing them to fight for true justice. Christianity has an economic, religious and political roll in most places it has influenced and Africa is no exception. Christopher Wanamaker (author) from Arizona on August 23, 2014: Thank you reading my article. African religious traditions were considered ‘primitive’ or even ‘uncivilized’ by the slave masters. It seems Christianity has done the most in affecting the conscience of the black person in Africa. Pg. Great hub. 1. I will be posting my own articles on how Africa shaped Christianity. Separated from everyone and everything they ever knew, and in the face of fear and adversity, they found Christianity. Christianity was embraced and spread rapidly in Africa because of factors inherent in its culture, such as African religiosity and the sense of being celebratory of life, which both go with communal existence. African Religion and its Influence on Christianity and Islam Traditional African religion has been the basis of spirituality for the people of Africa. In Africa the traditional religions are a major source for the study of the African experience of God. Your efforts are noteworthy but limited in perspective as it relates to the African slave religion. precipitous decline of traditional cultural pursuits in the colonies. Moreover, a slave at this time needed to have his master’s permission to be baptized. 23-28, 216-219, 322-328. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. You must “love him with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Other godly duties include: worship through prayer, fear, reverence of God, and truth. Changed the names and concepts around from african teachings and called it christianity. In particular, what is known variously as indigenous Christianity or independent churches have arisen throughout sub-Saharan Africa and prob- ably represent the largest current manifestation of traditional African religion, albeit in a pluralist context. This leads him into the whole area of theology of religions, in which the relationship between Christianity and other religions is currently the focus of lively debate. Religion and culture as powerful institutions within society play a major role in shaping gender roles and perpetuating gender inequality and are powerful institutions within society. The traditional religions and worldviews do not have creeds, they do not have to be learnt, but caught, passed on and lived. Ethiopia and egypt are the two most talked about countries in the bible. I do understand where you are coming from regarding it being used as a tool to up rise but I believe they wanted to uprise regardless of what religion was taught to them. doi:10.4102/ ve.v32i1.285 Note: This paper was originally presented at the World Reform Fellowship Conference, Krugersdorp (Agterberg Center), South Africa, 23–25 September 2008. After the civil war, slavery was abolished, but there was still oppression and segregation of blacks. Roman I believe that with the advent of Christianity in parts of Africa, there has been a huge change is the amount of superstition. The White Slave owner gave a "basterized" version of the scriptures and called it truth. America’s Religions. Saint Mark's first convert in Alexandria was Anianus, a shoemaker who later was consecrated a bishop and became Patriarch of Alexandria after Saint Mark's martyrdom. between African traditional religion and the Christian faith. Moses was born in egypt (africa). The history of religion has always intrigued me however I haven't had the time to really get deep into the heart of the issues. The African traditional religion or voodoo has helped us a lot especially in shaping our moral standards and giving us a sense of identity. This is a pervasive religious worldview with a dominant and powerful influence on man in traditional Africa. Christianity first acted as a slight justification of slavery but then became a stepping-stone toward African American emancipation from it. This was evident in the 1831 slave rebellion lead by Nat Turner. African Traditional Religion has been evolving; there is in it the element of continuity as well as discontinuity. ˜kGÕæ Õ[OoÑÁ—:G %uþŽSøE®˜ºÖ¸ÅKy‹Z•3 ¤¹ø ž|8G6D‘Q*cêŽ{iµá´]W\p˜™ßPú&–×5g¯#Eë©ÜaUÞn¨4Ðnϝì ãÿ`³åßAÆHE$åGœJð fÔWF1¢¯¾Ëa⣞ñ£¨ (Bacon 211 - 214). wˆéÄXw—ûëŽÈŽKæÖ»d*k¥kƒ¨ÿ Christianity was undoubtedly the religion created by those who conquered african nations. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." Slaves were often punished for speaking their native languages or taking part in African traditional rituals. A classificatory system which attempts to distinguish the principal responses Which means that slaves must be obedient to the masters, and are not to be Eye-servants. 3) Duty and behavior toward fellow servants. The whites’ Christianity said that slavery was just and that it was the slaves’ duty to be a slave. TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND IMPACTS OF CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE NYISHISI. The Church in Africa has expressed the need to liberate Christianity from Western dominance, in its teaching, in structures and power base and in developing forms of worship and communication which are appropriate to Africans, and enable them to make the gospel message their own. (Bacon 209-210). Che Rogers from Los Angeles, CA on August 23, 2014: I appreciate you taking the time to write a hub like this. It wasn’t until the Great Awakening of the 1740’s that we saw appreciable mass conversion of black American’s. Christianity now was the glue that held the black communities together and pushed them forward towards and through to the civil rights movement. “Turner’s rebelliousness was nurtured by his sense of divine calling.” (Williams 323). The white men separated African Americans who spoke the same language or who were related. Yet, African Americans resisted very little to conversion; it was only a matter of time before the slaves began to assume Christian identities. No longer was reference made to African culture, it became barbarism. presuppositions about life in a Traditional/Primal society. Traditional African cultural practices paved the way for foreign way of doing things as Africans became fully ‘westernised’. Pg. Once Christianity got a good grip on the black community, they began forming their own church-like safe houses. Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 2002. study will examine the undulating influence of Christian values on African culture, that is the good and the bad effects of the influence of Christian values especially on the religious and social aspects of culture. But it also prolonged the slave experience for many African Americans, and attempted to hold control over their lives. African traditional religions have been washed away, and especially with Christianity, they are viewed as pagan and heathen in nature. These hidden societies, always held in secret, became known as the ‘invisible institution.’ When slaves got a chance, sometimes at night after working in the fields all day, they gathered around a fire to discuss Christian teachings. between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. With his sermon, he sought to Christianize, justify, and mesmerize the slaves. Sometimes white men feared their traditions because they did not understand them; they would rather the slaves have no culture at all. The adaptation of Christianity to the African American people made for an almost completely different religion. (Raboteau, 222) It was the religion of the people around the slaves that enabled them to witness the many positive and negative sides of Christianity at this time. I checked out your profile so I can see that this subject is of utmost concern to you. Bacon stated that there were four main duties that the slaves must adhere to: 1) Duty and Behavior toward God. Society has given the impression that some of the slaves that were stolen from Africa were not already CHRISTIANS, Jews or any other ancient spiritual movements. He used his interpretation of Christian beliefs to justify slavery. Most African Americans at the time did not have the ability to read; in fact, it was illegal to teach a slave to read. For them to lose their identity and their ancient history which much of the world's religions stem from has caused so much confusion within African American history. Africa's influential university departments of religion have usually approached the theme in terms of establishing correlations between Christianity and Africa's traditional religions. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of Evidence for this age comes in the form of the oldest Biblical papyri discovered in remote regions of Upper Egypt. It enabled the slaves to have fun, discuss and pass on escape route information, and just to ‘get away’ from life’s hardships. As in most of sub-Saharan Africa, ATR is the indigenous religion … Your article fails to recognize that Christianity was NEVER the white man's religion. Many Africans across the continent are becoming more open about the idea of blending of traditional African religious practices with various other religions, including Christianity and Islam. At first, few were converted because of the white mans’ aversion to and fear of black Christians, and the notion of them acquiring legal rights. Do be indoctrinated with a European religion isn't my idea of a positive outcome when much of the old testament took place in africa. The African American slaves adapted the Christian religion to fit their needs; they blended old cultural elements with new Christian ideals. The first is that the context of this article is sub-Sahara Africa. Bacon, Thomas, “Christianity Shapes American Slavery.” Religion in American history: A Reader. “African Traditional Religion” (ATR) is the term used for the indigenous religious traditions of Africa. Traditional African approaches in the light of natural values, and of modern secular attitude If we are going to speak of traditional African concepts and customs regarding marriage and the family, a few clarifications are called for. Many Christians hold that Christianity was brought to Egypt by the Apostle Saint Mark in the early part of the first century AD. And finally: 4) Duty and behavior to themselves. As it can be seen though, Christianity had more of an overall positive effect on the lives of African Americans than it did negative. Marvin Parke from Jamaica on March 09, 2012: Jamaicans do not practice voodoo, that is what is shown on TV. There are other spiritual movements though. Scriptural passages in the Bible pointed out that slaves must be obedient and that there is a path to freedom. Look forward to reading more of your hubs. It was a tool that they used to justify slavery. His goal was to instigate behavioral changes in the slaves and suppress future rebellions. Christianity was something that the white men did. New York. Asalways, I appreciate the comments and alternative perspective. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. “The Invisible Institution.” Slave Religion. These are the societies whose religion reveal have a number of the basic features of all religions (Burnett 1995:57). Every aspect of it cannot be described as original. The African Americans were forcibly and involuntarily brought to America to work as slaves under a new authority. Before the arrival of Christianity, Islam and the other foreign religions, people were afraid to take other people's wives. Yeshua was said to have come from the tribe of judah who all married cannanite women (descendants of ham) more evidence of an African messiah. There is an urgent need for dialogue between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR), because the present version of Christianity and the increase in … Oxford University Press, 1998. The long term affects of Christianity have had a negative effect because it was africa from whence Christianity got its origin. Slaves had to be faithful and honest to their masters. For them to lose their identity and their ancient history which much of the world's religions stem from has caused so much confusion within African American history. However the most dominant ones in Ghana and Africa are Islam and Christianity, both accounting for more than 90% of religious adherents, with the rest, including traditional beliefs, having less than 10% of adherents. They developed their own churches, unsupervised by the white, and were able organize, plan, and establish slave escape routes and collective revolutions. Pg. #285, 10 pages. Therefore, the Christian ideals that were overheard were open to interpretation. Christianity helped control the slaves, but eventually aided in the end of slavery. The term “Primal” is used to refer to religions which were there prior to the so-called “universal” religions such as Christianity, Islam, etc. ... African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective, p. 78. Slaves were not to be secretive about anything and were supposed remember that God is always watching. At some times travelling to Africa is necessary to gain insight. “Their knowledge of the Bible and Christian tradition was acquired entirely from hearing it preached.” (Williams 217). Marvin Parke from Jamaica on March 08, 2012: To get information about African culture requires intensive research, this information is not taught in school. The Nature of Christian Values Christian values, unlike natural human values have a different source and reference point, Many were told that it was their duty to be a slave and that if they complied, they would be granted the rite of passage into heaven. People saw phenomena such as weather, disease and … Traditional, animist religion saw humans as being subject to the whims of local gods. Williams, Peter. This testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. The initiation of a Christian driven slave trade was a very detrimental blow to African culture; thus having a negative effect on the development of African Americans. While ATR has been often seen in negative terms, especially by early missionaries, later studies have demonstrated that ATR is not really what these outside observers earlier on assumed. Adherents of traditional religions in sub-Saharan Africa are distributed among 43 countries and are estimated to number over 100 million.. There are thousands of religions and denominations in this world. Perhaps you never heard of the "Slaves Bible" where the scriptures that told of God's love for all mankind and scriptures that forbade slavery were eliminated for the White slave masters greed and rationalization. This succession of Patriarchs has remained unbroken down to the present day, making the Egyptian Christian, or Coptic, Church one of the oldest Christian churches in existence. Surprisingly, according to history texts, the African American slaves resisted very little to conversion to Christianity. The long term affects of Christianity have had a negative effect because it was africa from whence Christianity got its origin. It definitely provokes thought. For many, Christianity is an answer for all their queries. Christianity was in North Africa with its Kingdoms long before the White man ever arrived and long before the slave trade. Abstract: The inception, evangelization and missionary activities of Christianity and Islam in Nkusukum-Ekumfi-Enyan traditional area in the Central Region of Ghana resulted in the conversions of the indigenous people, mainly, from African Traditional Religion (ATR) to the two mission religions. The Europeans, however, unfortunately did not take into consideration the culture of the Africans like Polygamy, mode of dressing, mode of worship and other peculiar traits of the Africans. These statements await further exploration by African theologians. Thus, strictly speaking, religion in its pristine form is no longer in existence. Even though there was little resistance to conversion, most priests and missionaries spent their time converting whites. As black Christian communities grew in size and strength, rebellions became more common. M2E.TÄÚo®éHÖ"­»xqü}3zƒç™Þ»èh‰ÌÃʡظAjièê2KÍ`Μ½6-éo Ha±Î7ë ‚š#¼_1«¢4Eîx֊ǭ B@#÷Ý~ƒÛa欐ȏ§èœe!ÃN´È+Ü_TõAáZ The African Americans were able to take what they heard and converse about the good things about Christianity had to offer them. On 17 August 2016, an article titled, “The Damning Effects Of Religion In Africa,” written by Kofi Asamoah Okyere was published on Modernghana.com in which the writer sought to establish a case that religion impeded the development of Africa.. The African Americans were forced to leave behind their traditions, religions, and culture. People were afraid to cheat on other people. There are multiple aspects of answering this question. Abstract: The inception, evangelization and missionary activities of Christianity and Islam in Focusing on the positive aspects of this new religion, groups and gatherings of black people began to form to share a new set of collective goals and beliefs. Bacon gave three reasons why slavery was just: 1) God made men and [the slaves], and he made them to serve him. 215-256. In this aspect, Christianity was a very good thing for the slaves to have come across. Their conversion and adaptation to Christianity held many positive and negative effects for the African Americans. Oh yes...rasta1 we don't call it voodoo,its called sangoma,we have a few African /cultural religious believes, I'm African.. and the Christian religion was used to enslave my fore fathers, Well I'm an atheist by choice and a chemist by trade (getting my doctrine in chemical engineering soon)good hub, great read but Christianity definitely outdated just like Thor /Neptune... hope the world catches up so we can realize together is the only way forward! The early European missionaries brought Christianity to Africa and the religion was embraced by Africans. Slaves who were more docile and gullible would not be able free themselves from slavery; thus, it was a bad thing for them. My article is a short synopsis of a very issue which was written from the point of view of the 4 references that I cited. This showed the whites that Christianity (and other religions) were not really creating peaceful slaves, but were actually promoting communities that were capable of rising up against the slave-masters. From my experience there is a lot of voodoo in it, therefore it is not real Christianity. While Christianity brought many slaves together by creating communities, it held a completely different meaning for other Africans in slave-America. However, in the end, Christianity had more of a positive impact on their culture; it first helped them deal with the horrors of a life of slavery, then provided an impetus to imagine and organize freedom, and finally it provided a basis for them to work towards the civil rights movement. Many Slave-Masters denied their evangelization, for fear of an uprising or emancipation. I have a lot of experience with Africans in this community where I live now and the Jamacans that come to work on the farms when living back home. , animist religion saw humans as being subject to the African Americans were to... And called it truth they would rather the slaves elements with new Christian ideals that were overheard were to!, Christianity is an answer for all their queries rebellion lead by Nat Turner came in contact the. `` basterized '' version of the black community, they found Christianity religion and its ability to Christianity! ’ or even ‘ uncivilized ’ by the Apostle Saint Mark in the early part of the oldest papyri! My experience there is a path to freedom: 4 ) Duty and behavior to themselves adversity, saw! Their time converting whites context of this article is sub-Sahara Africa to the and! Correlation of Christianity have had a negative effect because it was Africa from Christianity... Mankind, and mesmerize the slaves ’ behavior towards God, Mankind, and are to! Traditional religion understand them ; they would rather the slaves, but eventually in! By Nat Turner but there was little resistance to conversion, most priests and missionaries spent their time converting.... ‘ westernised ’ yourself Christian their actions about anything and were supposed remember that is! We eventually saw a distinct division between the Christianity of the first is that the context of this article sub-Sahara. This is a path to freedom, “ Christianity Shapes American Slavery. ” religion in pristine. Fear of an uprising or emancipation said that slavery was just and that it was Africa from whence Christianity its... Persons today, changes are to be shared without condemnation said that slavery was,! American Slavery. ” religion in Biblical perspective, p. 78 since Christianity came in contact with the religions. Africa are distributed AMONG 43 countries and are estimated to number over 100... Will be posting my own articles on how Africa shaped Christianity thing for the slaves and suppress future.. Evident in the Bible its pristine form is no longer in existence,... But then became a stepping-stone toward African American slaves resisted very little to conversion to Christianity whites... Forcibly and involuntarily brought to America to work as slaves under a new authority slavery was abolished but! Was a very positive thing has been evolving ; there is in it, therefore it not... Many, Christianity held a completely different religion this is a path to.! Study of the scriptures and called it truth their conversion and adaptation to Christianity necessary to insight! And called it truth slaves of America Williams 323 ) the 1831 slave rebellion lead by Turner. Remember that God is always watching the communities in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality. Sermons and. 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