Religion in Africa - African Independent Churches - Essay Example

African Independent Churches African independent churches developed because of various factors among which included issues concerning leadership, ethnicity, the need to integrate African religious beliefs, among many others. While this may have been the case, these churches can be considered to have essentially been a protest movement against missions and churches that did not allow any leadership positions, except for the lowest, for Africans. Once these churches were formed, they proved their resilience through the significant number of followers that they managed to attract and this allowed them to gain influence in some communities. African independent churches formed as a result of the political, social, and economic conditions that were prevalent in Africa at the time. Independent churches were formed as a way of protesting against colonial rule and how Africans, despite being considered equal to Europeans as Christians, were treated as lesser human beings. In most circumstances, Africans resented that they were forced to abandon their own ways and communities by the colonial governments through the influence of Christianity, so that these governments could continue to dominate every aspect of their lives (Mosala, 1985). They felt that Christianity was an extension of colonialism and this made it difficult for them to accept a European led church as part of their lives. These circumstances sowed the seeds of dissention among them as well as the need to remove themselves from the authority of European-led missions and to create churches of their own. As political movements against colonial rule, independent churches took an active part in rejecting the European way of life and chose instead to look back towards the African way of life where they believed that they were better off (Machoko, 2013). Their rejection of European ways ensured that they gained followers who felt the same way and this allowed these churches to thrive as they created a new niche for themselves within the Christian community. These movements had charismatic leaders who ensured that they took the first steps towards breaking away from their mother churches and form churches that were truly independent from ones of western origin through the integration of African practices. Independent churches came into being as a place of refuge for those Africans who did not have enough authority or economic means to protect themselves within their societies (Oduro 2006). These churches were highly attractive to the poor, oppressed and outcasts in their communities for whom they became places of hope. Colonial policies, which ensured that Africans were almost completely deprived of almost all rights in their own land, made many of these individuals join independent churches as a form of protest (Anderson, 2001). A significant number of Africans chose to form of join independent churches as a way of ensuring that they retained their last form of independence, mainly religion, against European influence. Africans, as a result of their not being allowed any form of political expression, ended up joining independent churches that were turned into forums where they could openly express their frustrations against the oppressive colonial regimes. In addition, independent churches played an active part in ensuring that despite all actions taken by colonial governments to suppress them, African nationalism remained alive. Despite their not openly doing so, independent churches took an active part in African political movements during the colonial period since it is through them that these movements were organized in the communities where they had a significant following (Higgins 2010). Independent churches also acted as a unifying factor among communities where they had many adherents. This was in such a way that despite colonial policies of sowing divisions among communities to prevent their becoming serious political movements, independent churches encouraged their followers to fight for political independence just as they had freed themselves from the dominion of European churches. Some independent churches may have been formed because of the fact that Africans were never given leadership positions within the church. Most of the churches that operated in Africa were European dominated, with almost all clergymen coming from Europe. These circumstances led to plenty of resentment from some African leaders who felt that they were being discriminated against because of their color. Their being given only inferior positions in the church allowed them to see those aspects of these institutions that they believed to be flawed and made them realize that the best way to remedy their situation was to seek out a path that brought together the best of Christianity and African culture (Hayes 2003). The ambitions of low ranking African members of mainstream church hierarchy therefore pushed them to form their own churches where they could finally gain the recognition that they deserved while at the same time helping them to develop their own doctrines in compatibility with African culture (Hastings 1979). Through the formation of independent churches, Africans were able, for the first time, to develop their own interpretations of biblical teachings and this in such a manner that they reconciled these teachings with their own way of life. These churches came to gain such a significant number of followers because they not only held on to traditional African beliefs that were dear to their congregations, but because they were also led by fellow Africans. In this way, the African struggle for leadership as well as having a say in doctrinal matters, and their being denied it led to the formation of independent churches. A number of independent churches came about as a result of the formation of local myths as well as prophecies concerning the coming of charismatic leaders who would bring the people to a true path. Such was the case with the formation of Legio Maria within the Luo Catholic community in Kenya. In the late 1930s, Legio Maria began as a movement within the Catholic Church among the Luo and at the center of its formation was the development of a myth concerning a mysterious woman known as min Omolo Ka-Nyunja, who travelled all over Luo land during this period (Barrett and Padwick 1989). Among faithful within Legio Maria, this woman was an incarnation of Mary the mother of Jesus and her being cited heralded the coming of her son. Soon, stories and myths concerning this woman spread all over Luo land and their crystallization led to one of the central beliefs within Legio Maria. These myths and the mysteries that they contained were instrumental in attracting followers to this movement, which grew so powerful that it led to its separation from the Catholic Church (Barrett 1968). The charismatic leadership of Simeo Ondetto, as well as the miracles that were associated with him, allowed him to lead this movement for many years. It developed from simply a movement within the mainstream Catholic Church, to one which had its own doctrines as well as having an influence beyond the Luo community. Legio Maria came to have followers not only through Eastern Africa, but it also had adherents in countries as far as Nigeria in West Africa (Schwartz 2005). In relation to myths that led to the rise of some independent churches, some leaders based their authority on them. Some of these myths were based on beliefs that messianic figures would rise within the African communities and lead them to the correct path (Chidester 1988). Most of these myths were developed at the beginning of the colonial period when many African communities had lost all hope as well as their independence. Some of these communities formulated these myths as a way of ensuring that the hope of regaining their independence and returning to their old way of life was retained. Under these circumstances, when charismatic African Christian leaders came up within these communities, the myths that had previously been developed were believed to have come true. Leaders such as Simeo Ondetto took advantage of these myths in order to form a basis upon which their churches were founded, thus enhancing their credibility within their communities. Within the Legio Maria community, for example, Ondetto was believed to be the African incarnation of the son of God and this ensured that he was able to develop an aura of divinity around him that led to his being given a lot of respect and adoration by his followers (Kustenbauder 2009). The charisma of his leadership as well as the myths that they seemed to fulfill enabled his teachings to spread beyond his own Luo community to other people in the rest of East Africa and beyond. Through the spread of his teachings as well as myths concerning him, an environment was created among Ondetto’s followers where they came to reconcile traditional African practices and Christian ones in a uniquely African manner. Therefore, independent churches made it possible for Africans to reconcile Christian doctrines and biblical myths that were propagated by missionaries, with their own, thus promoting the superiority of their own way of life. African traditional religions were for the most part extremely spiritual religions with many individuals taking an active part in communal religious ceremonies. However, this was a quality that lacked in most of the churches that were led by Europeans and this created a situation where some of their African adherents were not satisfied (Higgins 2010). The result was that some of these individuals chose to break away from their mother churches and form their own in order to achieve spirituality through integrating some traditional practices in their doctrines. Legio Maria is a church that stressed spirituality and this made it attractive to some individuals within the community because of its acceptance of miracles that accompany prayer. Most of this church’s adherents came from the Catholic Church and this was as a result of the latter not encouraging any form of spirituality as well as its almost complete lack of belief in miracles. This attitude within the Catholic Church made some of its followers in Luoland to flock to Legio Maria because the latter belief in miracles gave its followers hope (Schwartz 1989). The staunch stance within Legio Maria doctrine for spirituality made it possible for individuals, within the communities where it had operations, to believe that their lives would be made better by joining its ranks. Legio Maria’s acceptance and enhancing of the spiritual aspects of Catholic doctrine made it an attractive alternative to the latter hence a basis of its strength not only within Luoland, but also in those communities to which it spread in subsequent years. Therefore, through their placing emphasis on the spiritual nature of Christianity rather than on its material nature, independent churches were able to build a serious following because of their message of hope as well as redemption. A major facilitator of the rise of African independent churches was the lack of understanding that many Africans had towards European languages that were used of either understanding that many Africans had towards European languages that were used either in services or of when reading the bible (Hastings 1979). These circumstances led to some African members of churches of European origin to question the validity of what they were being taught. The Catholic Church, until the 1960s, conducted its services using Latin, a language that many of its adherents could not only read, but could also not understand. In most cases, adherents tended to only follow prescribed rituals without necessarily knowing the meaning of what they were doing (McVeigh 1973). The rise of Legio Maria in Luoland as well as its recognition of the local language, in this case Dholuo, as its principal language of prayer, attracted many individuals from the mainstream Catholic Church in the region to its ranks (Schwartz 2005). These individuals were mainly attracted by the prospect of being able to listen to, read, and understand biblical teachings in their own language and this in such a manner that they could be able to form their own conclusions. Because they could listen to services in their own languages, some Africans chose to join independent churches since they allowed them to express themselves in a language that they could relate to. As a result, independent churches came to grow quite quickly through their attracting significant numbers of adherents from mainstream churches. Therefore, language played a significant role in ensuring that independent churches remained influential within their own communities which made it possible for them to have a continuous stream of adherents. Independent churches gained prominence because of their recognition of African cultural practices that were discouraged by mainstream churches. Among these was the practice of polygamy as well as veneration of ancestors; practices that were shunned by missionaries who believed that they were abominable. However, a large number of Africans felt that they were within their rights to conduct or take part in these practices with the justification that they were actually quite common in biblical teachings (Pobee 1992). Some African men believed that their being told to send away all their wives and only keep one meant breaking up their families and they were not willing to do it. Furthermore, they felt that it was essential for them to continue traditional practices such as initiation ceremonies and veneration of ancestors because these had been a basic part of their lives for centuries and to discard them would have been wrong (Higgins 2010). Therefore, independent churches became an avenue through which Africans could continue being Christians while at the same time practicing their traditions as they saw fit. Independent churches allowed Africans to reconcile the European Christian and African traditional lives, thus creating harmony within their communities. An example of this reconciliation was that of Legio Maria where its leader, Simeo Ondetto, allowed for individuals who practiced polygamy to be baptized within the church without undergoing catechism as had been the requirement during the period when the movement was within the Catholic Church (Schwartz 2005). Through their melding Christian and African practices, independent churches were able to develop a reputation for being defenders of traditional African practices within a Christian context. In conclusion, African independent churches were not only based on doctrinal differences between Africans and mainstream churches, but they were also socio-political movements. The authority that they wielded among their followers made it possible for them to push a purely African nationalist agenda that ensured independence movements in the colonial period remained alive and well hidden from colonial governments. The discussion above has shown that independent churches were essentially protest movements against mainstream churches that were dominated by clergy of European descent. Furthermore, independent churches came about as a reaction to colonialism because Africans felt that mainstream churches were instruments of colonial administrations. Moreover, independent churches preached a message of hope to their adherents especially in circumstances where Africans had lost all of their freedoms and had essentially been turned into slaves in their own land. Most mainstream churches tended to give their congregations teachings using European languages, such as Latin in the Catholic Church, which could not be understood by Africans. The result was that some opted to form their own churches so that they could receive teachings in their own native languages, hence better understanding. Finally, independent churches rose and were able to attain significant following through their choosing to not only recognize African cultural practices, but also allowing their adherents to practice them. In this way, they were able to create an environment where there was a balance between African traditional practices and Christian ones. References Anderson, A. 2001, African Reformation: African Initiated Christianity in the 20th Century. Africa World Press. Barrett, D. 1968, Schism and Renewal in Africa: an Analysis of Six Thousand Contemporary Religious Movements. Nairobi: Oxford University Press. Barrett, D. & Padwick, J. 1989, Rise Up and Walk!: Conciliarism and the African Indigenous Churches, 1815 – 1987. Nairobi: Oxford University Press. Chidester, D. 1988, "Religion alive/religious studies unborn?", JSR, vol. 1, no.2, pp. 83-93 Hayes, S. 2003, "Issues of Catholic ecclesiology in Ethiopian-type AICs", in Frontiers of African Christianity edited by Greg Cuthbertson, Hennie Pretorius and Dana Robert. Pretoria: University of South Africa Press. Hastings, A. 1979, A history of African Christianity 1950-1975. London: Cambridge University Press. Higgins, T.W. 2010, “Prophet, Priest and King in Colonial Africa: Anglican and Colonial Political Responses to African Independent Churches in Nigeria and Kenya, 1918-1960.” Ph.D. dissertation, Edinrurgh University. Kustenbauder, M. 2009, "Believing in the Black Messiah: The Legio Maria Church in an African Christian Landscape", Nova Religio: Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 13, pp.11-40. Machoko, C.G. 2013, “African Initiated Churches and Party Politics: Zimbabwean Experience.” The International Journal of African Catholicism, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1 – 40. McVeigh, M.J. 1973, "Theological Issues Related to Kenyan Religious Independency." In Kenya Churches Handbook. David Barrett, George K. Mambo, Janice McLaughlin and Malcolm J. McVeigh, (eds). Kisumu, Kenya: EPH. Mosala, I. 1985, "African Independent Churches: a study in socio-theological protest" in Charles Villa-Vicencio and John W. de Gruchy (eds), Resistance and hope: South African essays in honour of Beyers Naudé. Cape Town: Eerdmans. Oduro, T. 2006, “Theological Education and Training: Challenges of African Independent Churches in Ghana.” Journal of African Instituted Church Theology, vol.2, no.1, pp.1-15. Pobee, J. 1992, Exploring Afro-Christology. New York: P. Lang. Schwartz, N. 2005, “Dreaming in Color: Anti-essentialism in Legio Maria Dream Narratives, Journal of Religion in Africa, vol. 35, no. 2, p.159 – 188. Schwartz, N. 1989, “World Without End: The Meanings and Movements in the History, Narratives and Tongue-Speech of Legio Maria of African Church Mission among Luo of Kenya.” Ph.D. dissertation, Princeton University. Read More