World Religions

Introduction to World Religions Study Guide ©2017 Achieve Test Prep Page 16 of 96 2.5 West African Religions To say African religions are homogenous would be incorrect. Although there are principles central to the different religions, very little can be generalized across all African religions. Most of them believe in a creator god that made the universe. After that, the creator withdrew and he does not have any concerns about the day-to-day life of the people. The Dinka of South Sudan believe that god withdrew after the first woman lifted her pestle to pound millet and struck the sky. This act introduced sickness and death, and it also freed the people from the god’s daily control. Many religions do not pray to the Supreme Being, but to the less intermediary gods. Prayer to the primary god is done only after prayers to the lesser gods has been exhausted. African religions do not adhere to a specific doctrine, but are more concerned with that which supports sustaining the community. Rituals are performed to show a person’s responsibility to the community with the spiritual forces of nature and the gods. West African God – Asante of Ghana, where elders regularly pour libations and offer prayers to the Creator Nyame. Ancestors are guardians of the moral order. In Nigeria, the Yoruba hold that the Creator is Olorun with secondary divinities called the “orisha”. In East Africa, the Supreme Being is Mulungu, which is omnipresent, is prayed to as a last resort. The Nuer people of South Sudan and the Dinka god are only addressed in times of need. Possession trances As with other cultures, intimate contact is made with god through possession trances. The person is induced into an altered state of consciousness by inhaling vapors of medicinal preparations to rhythmic drums, dancing, and chanting. Rites of Passage West African religion celebrates several rites of passage. Birth , growing up (puberty) , marriage , and death are all marked with religious observances along the way. After a birth, West Africans wait three days before celebrating the birth by slaughtering a goat. This is to ensure the child is strong enough to live. It is at this time when the child receives a name. In Kenya, the Gikuyu seclude the mother and child for four to five days after the birth to increase the chances of the child surviving. 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.