World Religions

Introduction to World Religions Study Guide Names are significant for Africans. Names are determined by what is happening when the child is born. If it was raining when the child was born, her name will reflect that fact. Puberty is marked and charted. The ceremonies that accompany different stages are often marked by the child withdrawing from the community. Some rites involve enduring pain without objection like a girl’s circumcision. Marriage involves all of the community. In some parts of Africa, polygamy is allowed; for example, when the man is wealthy and the current wives have been consulted. In most areas, it is frowned upon. The Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria and the Krio in Sierra Leone have a pre-wedding ceremony where the bridegroom calls for his intended and the tribe keeps producing old women until they finally give him his bride. Usually a bridal price, or “lobola”, is paid to the family. Death is a serious matter. Sometimes it takes years to transition. Burial grounds are carefully chosen and some are under the house or near the home, while others are farther away. The Baganda in Uganda dig a grave for a child when they are still young. Mali’s West African Dogon The Dogon people believe in the Culture of Masks (Awa), which assures safe passage into the spirit world. Women are prohibited from the cult. The Lebe cult worships the agricultural cycle. The Binu cult entails sacrifices and taboos. 2.6 Other Indigenous Religions Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions. It was founded nearly 3500 years ago in ancient Iran by the prophet Zoroaster. They believe in one God, called Ahura Mazda, which means “wise lord”. He is the creator of the universe and is just. Everything God created is pure, and therefore, should be kept pure, such as rivers, land, and the atmosphere. This is the first ecological religion. In Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda has an adversary named Angra Mainyu, or “destructive spirit”. There is a battle between good and evil; Ahura Mazda is in Heaven and Angra Mainyu is in Hell. Ahura Mazda is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, impossible for humans to conceive, unchanging, the creator of life, and the source of all goodness and happiness. In death, the Zoroastrian funeral is on of “Tower of Silence” where the body is laid out to be eaten by the animals since the body is impure. A decaying corpse is considered sacrilege, so it is given to the birds and animals. If that cannot happen, the body is cremated. ©2018 Achieve Page 17 of 96