There have been many attempts at describing African Traditional Religion according to its main characteristics. Turaki (1999:69) lists the following main characteristics:
belief in a Supreme Being • belief in spirits and divinities • the cult of ancestors • the use of magic, charms and spiritual forces.
- A supreme being to worship.
- Sacred texts for instructions.
- A golden rule to follow for instruction on how people should relate to others.
- A pilgrimage that may or may not be required by some religions.
What do all African religions have in common?
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. Some African religions adopted different views through the influence of Islam or even Hinduism.
What similar purposes did traditional African religions share?
They provided rules for living and helped people honor their history and ancestors
.
What are the common characteristics of indigenous African religions?
African indigenous religions do not worship the objects but the spirits they believe animate, or enliven, these forces of nature. An important characteristic of these religions is that they
see little if any distinction between the natural and the supernatural worlds
.
What was Africa’s first religion?
The Story of Africa| BBC World Service.
Christianity
came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was still alive (he died in 632). Thus both religions have been on the continent of Africa for over 1,300 years.
What is God in African traditional religion?
Many religions see God as transcendent or immanent dimension, but in African traditional concept, ‘
He is both transcendent and immanent’
. He dwells inside human souls and He is also beyond any reach. People cannot even appreciate Him fully in their imagination.
What are 3 things all religions have in common?
- A belief in the supernatural and the spiritual world.
- A belief in the existence of a soul.
- A collection of sacred writings or scriptures.
- Organized Institutions.
- Strong sense of family and community based on rituals and festivals.
What three basic elements do all religions include?
Durkheim identified three essential elements of religion:
(1) belief in the sacred; (2) religious groups, or cults; and (3) ritual
.
What are the similarities of the 5 major religions?
The five major religions have some similarities on this issue.
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe in after life
, though the afterlife situation varies across these religions because of their teachings; similarities in their beliefs are distinct (Moreman 84).
What are Africa’s two largest religions today?
- Christianity (49%)
- Islam (42%)
- Traditional faiths (8%)
What is the difference between Christianity and African traditional religion?
African Traditional Religion
suppresses the truth of the knowledge of God and the deeds of God
. Christianity expresses God’s truth and deeds. African Traditional Religion is an expression of humanity’s inherited unrighteousness from the sin of Adam.
What are the 3 major religions in Africa?
Africa is a massive continent with diverse religious traditions, to the extent that within the same tradition there have been variations. The three main religious traditions—
African traditional religion, Christianity, and Islam
—constitute the triple religious heritage of the African continent.
What are indigenous beliefs?
Aboriginal people are very religious and spiritual, but rather than praying to a single god they cannot see, each group generally believes in a number of different deities, whose image is often depicted in some tangible, recognisable form. … This is the belief that
all natural objects possess a soul
.
What is the oldest religion?
The word Hindu is an exonym, and while
Hinduism
has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit.
Why is Christianity growing in Africa?
Much of the recent Christian growth in Africa is now due to
African evangelism and high birth rates
, rather than European missionaries.
