A Christian Introduction to World Religions Essay

African individuals’ traditional values and beliefs are extremely varied, encompassing a wide range of ethnocultural religions. These oral histories, transmitted through folk stories, music, and celebrations rather than being documented, involve faith in several low and high gods, including a supreme creator and traditional African medicine.¹ The majority of religions are animistic, compiling polytheistic and pantheistic elements. Humanity’s function is commonly perceived as balancing nature and the supernatural.

Oral traditions underpin traditional African religious practice, as most other oldest traditional faiths around the globe do. These belief systems are not spiritual fundamentals but rather a cultural heritage expected to be followed for generations through tales, mythologies, and legends. In one’s private life, society, family, and surroundings play a significant role, and followers believe in the spirit world of their ancestors guiding them. Life is defined by rituals in African traditional religion, as it is in every traditional environment, where rituals play a significant role in the customs framework.² Considering general concepts that distinguish one religion from another, it is possible to state that one of the actual examples of ritual in African traditional religion is the methodology of healing.³ This religion is a system of values and beliefs that defy documentation but strongly impacts the population.

Native American religions are metaphysical traditions practiced by North AAmerica’sindigenous populations. Ritual practices range greatly depending on the backgrounds and beliefs of particular countries, tribes, and groupings. Early European settlers described individual Native American tribes and even small parties as having unique religious rituals.⁴ Monotheistic, polytheistic, animistic, shamanistic, pagan, or any mix of these theologies is possible. Oral traditions, myths, allegories, and philosophies are common ways traditional ideas are transmitted. Due to genocidal actions and murders, accurate information and facts concerning Native American religion are difficult to be found.⁵ Additionally, many survivors of the genocide have adapted rituals and concepts for themselves or kept ancient practices in strict secrecy.⁶ The religious tendencies of Native Americans are comparable to those of the rest of the world, including the presence of a divide between proclaimed theory and actual practice, according to a realistic assessment.⁷ While living in peace with nature is important for many Native American communities, they, like everyone else, face economic challenges.

It is possible to identify similarities and distinctions concerning the comparison of African traditional religion and Native American religion. Considering differences, despite the fact that Native Americans believe in a supreme deity, truly natural theism is uncommon.⁸ Consequently, the condition differs significantly from African traditional religions, where trust is a great deity that appears to be practically ubiquitous and universal.⁹ Referring to the similarities, the most notable common factor in these religions is the absence of one united god, who will be responsible for all actions and to whom all processes would be dedicated.¹⁰ In addition, both given beliefs represent ancient traditions that defied documentation but were transmitted through oral histories and examples. In order to witness to someone who is a member of traditional religion, it is obligatory to consider the presence of non-traditional for the general world religions practices and traditions. These include rituals, healing, and medical procedures, sometimes even sacrifice. What concerns my personal experience, I have never witnessed a member of traditional religion, but, according to the abovementioned information, I will be able to distinguish such a member of the society.

Bibliography

Corduan, Winfried. Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions. InterVarsity Press, 2012.

Okeke, Chukwuma, Christopher Ibenwa, and Gloria Okeke. “Conflicts between African traditional religion and Christianity in eastern Nigeria: The Igbo example.”Sage Open 7, no. 2 (2017).

Footnotes

1. Chukwuma Okeke, Christopher Ibenwa, and Gloria Okeke, “Conflicts between African traditional religion and Christianity in eastern Nigeria: The Igbo example,” Sage Open 7, no. 2 (2017). Web.
2. Winfried Corduan, Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions. (InterVarsity Press, 2012).
3. Corduan, Neighboring Faiths.
4. Corduan, Neighboring Faiths.
5. Corduan, Neighboring Faiths.
6. Corduan, Neighboring Faiths.
7. Corduan, Neighboring Faiths.
8. Corduan, Neighboring Faiths.
9. Corduan, Neighboring Faiths.
10. Corduan, Neighboring Faiths.