THE ORIGIN OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION.
Isaiah 45:5-6 (NIV)
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
The existence of any religion demands an explanation. As a result we should explain the origin of African traditional religion.
THEORIES ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF ATR.
There are some theories about the origin of Africa tradition. Religion developed by people called NATURALISTS (those who don’t believe in supernatural). The following are some such theories:
A. ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY.
Due to their inability to believe in God or Spirit being, they have no other choice than to consider all religion as an illusion. They have been hostile towards religion. Some thing that deceive because it gives a fake idea or belief.
For the fact that they cannot accept the supernatural, they cannot accept any God who would reveals himself and his will to man kind.
B. PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY.
These theories find their explanation of religion in man’s intellect. As a primitive man pondered and reflected and thought upon various experiences he gradually evolved (develop gradually) a religious belief.
C. FETISHISM:
This theory hold the view that A.T.R originated from Fetish (the worship of in- animate things and animals). People believe that every external object in nature possess life and magical powers.
The Portuguese word “Feitico” means “Charm” and was applied to “Relics” (part of the body, dress etc. of a saint or something that belongs to him or was connected with him, kept after his death as an object of reverence and in some cases said to have miraculous powers.) for instance, the Roman Catholic Rosaries and Images of the 15th century which were thought to have magical powers.
In the same way Africans were found reverencing and venerating trees, plants, pebbles and claws of animals.
These reverend objects were called Feitico, which became anglicized to be Feitish. These Feitish (object supposed to have certain supernatural powers) Thus formed the basic and elementary form of religious belief.
Augustin Comte-a, 19th century Philosopher opined that the religious period of humanity began with Fetishism. When man believed that all physical object were animated (inspired) by life similar to the life in man.
Thus Comte concluded that religion evolved from Fetishism to Polytheism and finally monotheism. This opinion or proposition was prevalent in the middle of 18th century to the mid of 19th century.
DREAM THEORY:
Edward Tylor coined the word “animism”, by this he meant the belief that non living objects have life, personality and even souls.
In Tylor’s opinion, the belief in Spirit and gods arose from man’s experience of dream and vision, disease and death. Tylor conjectured that man is made of two parts:
a. Material body. A guess based on insufficient information.
b. A non Material soul, which could live the body and travel at night. At death the physical body remain lifeless.
People believed that after the soul left the body and became an ancentral spirit. Early man decided that even material and non material objects had souls.
From this idea of souls arose the idea of non human spirits and eventually a belief in gods.
Tylor who was convinced of the theory of evolution thought it was his belief that primitive were animist.
Notice: He thought that religion began with animism and evolved into polytheism. In polytheism there is a belief in many gods such as: the sun gods, moon goddesses, thunder gods, and earthquake gods. Finally polytheism evolved into monotheism.
TYLOR DEFINITION OF RELIGION:
A religion as a belief in spiritual beings. He concluded that religion is universal.
MONOTHEISM:
Andrew Lag-a student of Edward Tylor was a confirmed animist for he thought that belief in souls and spirit may have risen from physical phenomenon such as dreams. However, he attacked the views of his teachers, contending that the primitive people were Monotheist. He later suggested that religion came from observing the design of the universe.
MAGICO RELIGION THEORY:
This states that magic must proceeded religion because religion (i.e. belief in spiritual beings) is too adverse for primitive peoples evolving from primate creatures.
Sir, James Frazer suggested that 3 stages of developments was as follows.
- Magic.
- Religion.
- Science.
The early man first turned to magic as a means of gaining his desires.
THE FOCUS OF ATR:
Man is the main focus or the focal point of ATR.
Traditional religion affects every aspects of life of African man both spiritually physically.
African culture and ATR is interwoven of course, cannot be divorced.
Understanding this concept, we are going to look at an African man in a family.
In ATR man is not primarily an individual, but he is a member of community.
ATR believes that man gets and loses his individualism, which means he will not do anything anyhow without following the behavioral pattern of his clan (family)
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF MAN:
In African traditional society, Africans tries to celebrate rituals to mark one stage of growth to another, e.g.
In child birth- they perform certain rituals either to God or to ancestral spirits. They make Amulet (charm) hang it around the child waist or neck for protection from danger.
Marriage is highly respected in African society, marriage is not an individualistic idea, but the parents must be involved.
In African traditional society, marriage that does not produce. Especially male child is considered a failure.
That is why in some culture the girl should be tested first if she can be pregnant or not.
Polygamy is considered honorable.
Levirate marriages. i.e. a brother can take over the wife of his diseased brother if he likes.
Death in ATR is not the end but a continual existence of the family.
To understand the imperable nature between ATR and African culture, let us use a tribe in Kenya “AKAMBA” as case study.
Death does not Terminate the existence of human beings. The death continues to exist in the spirit world. Please Read.
Ecc.12:7
Job.34:15,
Heb.9:27,
Luke.16:19-31,
Job.7:7-10.
Notice: Akamba is one of the tribes of Kenya. They are upto 1.7 million people. They came from mount Kilimanjaro. Their language is Kikamba.
Their land is called Ukamba.
Image Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com/
A person from there is called Mukamba.
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