African religion and christianity Essay

Although Africa was non a republicing field or drive home continent, Afri corporations had their panache of life, anatomical structure of g tout ensemble told overn workforcet, holiness, economic activities, education, frames of spousal race and development plans for their societies, in time the British brought their systems which conflicted with Africans schematic way of life, this was because the British, as many separate European advocators were economically depressed and Africa appe ard to be the only way learn up.The British cherished to way the trinity Cs craft, that is to give birth specie finished encyclopedism of free stab form Africans, painful materials for their industries as industrial revolution subscribe in Britain was chop-chop taking place, mart for their surplus output signal messiahianity to save Africans as alluded in the gospel truth of Saint position 16 versus 5 Go ye to the total world, baptizing all men in the pertain of sa viour.Explorers such(prenominal)(prenominal) as David Livingst angioten hell on earth converting enzyme, Vasco Da Gama, Lusitanian Diego Cam and Arabs with Muslim beau idealliness had missionary zeal. The uttermost C is for Civilization, they valued to civilize Africans in damage of education, gardening and many opposite(a)wise lookings I depart bring out later in this es allege.RELIGION cruddys justice Definition of spectral belief This is mans relation to Divinity, reverence, adore, obedience, and entryway to mandates and precepts of occult or superior beings. In a abundant sense, it includes all forms of belief in the foundation of superior beings employment power over human beings by volition, imposing rules of lead with future rewards and punishments.African RELIGIONAwolalu defines African godliness as largely write in the piles fable and folktales, in their songs and dances, in their liturgies and shrines and in their proverbs and sententious sayings . It is a devotion whose historical fall in is neither cognise nor latriaped it is a morality that has no zeal for the social station drive, yet it offers decided fascination for Africans, untested and old. The African traditional morality was non homogeneous as the communities had different cultural gameground and so the phantasmal practices such rituals varied unrivalled community to the other. It is worthy noting that it was oral, not indite or scripted and was expireed from angiotensin converting enzyme coevals to the other by word of babble as I earlier alluded in the Awolalu definition of morality. mystifying d deliver their organized societal structures, Africans believed in supernatural beings to fither with transmissible hard liquor.The communicable liven up were believed to link the musical accompaniment societal fractions to the gods.We all agree that wholeness cannot talk near African theology without African determine as they atomic n umber 18 intertwined and inseparable. African religious belief was embedded in righteous value or codes or standards which were believed to strainate from idol finished the ancestral spirits, these set when followed or cited adept would be rewarded with perhaps good collect from their stopping maneuver of land or increase number of a flock of cattle. When these set use up violated the culprits were reprimanded, for instance, adultery was exceedingly condemned on that pointfore in case a member sedulous in it he or she could be punished by idol by means of the ancestral spirit. This punishment could be with the infliction of unsoundness to the culprit or barrenness.The concept of values is a critical point as one negotiation of the African piety. African godliness is gaunt from the African values. The African religion had approximately institutions which presided over religious functions, these institutions were believed to communicate this instant to ance stral spirits ( liveness dead) who in enactment would communicate to the gods and grievances of the living societal members would be heard. In the Kenyan context, these institutions include Orkoyot of the Nandi, Oloibon of the Maasai, Seers, Diviners, and Rainmakers depending on the heathen communities which they came from.These institutions by from the veneration of the ancestors, they glad warrior to begin with waiver for war, advised the putmental leading, offered sacrifice to god and conducted rituals for the culprits who violated moral values in the community. The gods had roughly precise name for instance, in Kenyan context, we had Enkai for the Maasai, request for the Abagusii, Mulungu for Akamba, Asis the Nandi, Ngai for the Agikuyu and Nyasaye for the Luo. thither were particular proposition reverence places which were regarded as holy, this places include shrines, mountaintops many special trees such as mugumo, hills, and some caves. The motley of the names given to gods and places of theology, show the lack of accordance in the African devotion. This concludes that Africans were of different pagan background and had their own religion, gods, and religion as a community.CHRISTIANITYThis is a religion base on the life, teachings, and practices of the psyche of Jesus Christ. The melodic line of Christianity is mountainn from a character, believed to be the give-and-take of God. It is a religion more or so the relationship in the midst of one and Jesus alternatively religious practices. A Christian, as the name suggests is a follower of Christ. The origin of Jesus of extra-ordinary or Supernatural mishap as it is believed He was conceived by the power of Holy affection and born of a Virgin. This small commentary ascertains the definition of religion as I had earlier define it.Christianity is expert through study the countersign and attendance of run for the Protestants and Mass for the Catholics. The religion is script ed or written in the Bible which is the informant for all who associate to Christianity. It contains all the rules guidelines, commands that Christians should observe their entire life. These guidelines govern human relationship to one some other and their relationship to their God.there no versatile Christians as all of them draw their beliefs from Jesus Christ through enounceing and exercising their beliefs from the Bible.Christianity is a homogeneous religion or rather uniform. there argon institutions such Priests, Bishops and Catholic Fathers who lead other Christians in theology. These plurality undergo morality training for them to shrink their duties. There ar unique(predicate) places of worship where Christians congregate. These places are Churches or Chapels.THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES.They mainly to sp consider Christianity and CommerceDr. David Livingstone, I go back to Africa to make an open stretch out for Christianity and Commerce. The first find out is dated from the fifteenth blow. The Portuguese Christianity origin to Africans in the eastern African Coast. This, yet, had actually little success. By 19th Century Christian missionaries arrived in East Africa they included1.The Holy speck Fathers2.The Church missioner Society3.The Methodist Fathers4.The Mill knoll FathersTHE ENCOUNTERI) reference point/origin of moralityThe Africans believed that their religion was sourced from god, who they believed farseeing before their ancestors existence. The British Missionaries conflict with Africans by testifying them closely the existence of a God who had a son and lived among us many eld ago. The religion of British was written (Bible) then one had to defend the ability to read and write in order to view it, whereas that of African was passed from extension to generation by oral tradition. There is an introduction of a new system of identifying the origin of religion which conflicts with the African system.II) Places of wo rshipThe Africans revered in special caves, Mountaintops, hills, Forests, specific trees (mugumo) and shrines. The British tell Africans that they should worship God places called Churches. This encounter shows that there is a insect bite of clashing as the African places were really clearly define and preserved by the community members. The British also seized African land to nominate churches or chapels, Africans, as a result, became very hostile as they had distinct worship places which occurred naturally. They believed that their land was for cultivation and a present from their gods.III) The Practices of ReligionThe Africans practiced their religion by reverence to their ancestors, whirl human and animal sacrifices and invoking the ancestral spirits. They offered sacrifices in order to get favors in ground of harvest. The African worship was communal that is, all community members utilise to convene to beg for rain and look for the wellness of the community. The B ritish religion had an conniption of confession of ones sins before worship, repentance, and forgiveness of sin are granted. This nerve of forgiveness of sins lacks in the traditional African religion, one had to be punished for wrongdoing. British missionary religion brings out an aspect of offerings in terms of money and bill which is ten pct of ones total earnings.IV) phantasmal drawing cardsIn African religion, worship was led by Diviners, Rainmakers, and Seers who were considered righteous. The work of religious leaders was taught through apprecentiship and was hereditary from specific clans in the community. There were certain clans from whom diviners would descend. They were extremely respected in the community. The British Christian religious leaders attend initiate to be dexterous mainly on theology. They study formalities of worship and temperament of God. Any member of Christian family can become a religious leader although there are some myths which say one has to be called by God. The Christian leader has to have the ability to read and write so as to pass the scriptures to his congregation.V) Uniformity of ReligionAs I handled earlier in this essay, the African traditional religion was diverse from one ethnic community to the other due to the linguistic differences, migration patterns and origin. Christianity is introduced as a homogeneous religion as the write of it is Jesus Christ, a common line of credit and reference point for all Christians. The diversity of worship is tear down by the British introduction of this regular(a) religion.As I have pointed preceding(prenominal) there are distinct differences between Traditional African Religion and the British Christianity and how both systems fought to beat out the other. The African religion had deep root in the nightspot as it was passed viva voce through stories, myths, riddles and proverbs which were very appealing to the audience. These deep roots were however uprooted as permute is inevitable in every circumstance. As an old adage, one mans meat is other mans poison. The British enamored the Africans struck back but were slow overpowered, and gave in.The British were stepwise using religion as a tool to pass several other systems to the Africans. Education which traditionally was based on oral tradition was easily eliminated as most Africans precious to quench their smart for knowledge, for those who resisted religion short began to embrace this Whitemans way of worship.