Religious Plurality as the Major Issue Surrounding Christianity in Africa - Research Paper Example

A MAJOR ISSUE SURROUNDING RELIGION IN AFRICA Contents Religious Plurality in Africa 2 History of Religion in Africa 2 Christology and Religious Pluralism 3 Foundational issues in Christian education 4 Theology of Christianity revisited in modern world 4 Effects of Globalization and Religious Pluralism 5 Conclusion 6 Bibliography 6 Introduction Africa today is standing at the crossroads of international affairs with multiple issues like politics, religion, and security is drawing international attention. This continent has combination of countries some have stability and set goals to be achieved while others are mired by religious, ethnic and political instability. The challenges that this continent is facing is presumed to not only haunt them in the next decade but they will be of concern to the wider international community as well. This paper aims at providing an analysis of the contemporary issues that confront the continent especially related to religion. I will try to cover different religions that exist in this continent. What are the major issues related to it? I will try to analyze them in the light of past and present so that a theme could be developed that connects the historical and contemporary world. In order to do so we have to peep into the traditional religions of Africa as well as into Islam, this is predominantly the current religion of Africa. I will also try to analyze how religion affects the continent today and what are the defining factors. An analysis of the issues surrounding religion is not possible in isolation. A number of other factors have their own strong impact ( (Deagan) on it such as development, culture, democratic environment, health and security, conflicts, arms and reconstruction. Any study done without taking into consideration all these facts will not be based on reality. In short we can say it will be inconclusive. So I will do a detailed analysis and will draw conclusion based on all these factors. We cannot deny the social importance of religion. Religion is an important strand of society. It provides a value system that underpins the foundation of society. Without a common value system of which religion is an important thread, the concept of society is not possible. Religious Plurality in Africa African history is very vast and old. Africa has religious plurality. Religious plurality means sharing of different religious traditions by the same family, immediate or extended, similar ethnic groups and nations. Many religions exist side by side. Members of the same family may follow different religions. If we take a closer look we can categorize the religions in Africa into three tiers, Traditional religions, Christianity and Islam. After Second World War self concept of Africans has changed due to political, intellectual changes around them. History of Religion in Africa The recorded history of Africa dates back to 3000 BC in Egypt. People worshipped gods like Isis, Horus, Osiris, Ra, and Hapi. This was the case within Egypt. In West Africa the trend was to worship single god like sky god. Monotheism that is belief in single god also originated in Egypt in 1300 B.C. that led to worshipping of Akenanten. Religious history is deeply influenced by political history. (History of Religions in Africa) Conquerors of Africa always influenced the religion of the region. Africa was conquered by Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians after the death of Akenanten and each of them influenced the concept of god. The great change in the religious beliefs of the Africans came in 300 AD. Roman emperors believed in Christianity and that is how Christianity entered this region. Even at that time Christianity was not the only religion. The Bantu faith, who believed in Polytheism, was also expanding in Southern Africa at that time. They believed in the powers of ghosts and evil powers, which supposedly had great influence on their lives. They worshipped ghosts of dead kings and heroes. Islam entered into this region in 600 AD. This shift back to monotheism brought great influence on Africans. Majority of the people converted to Islam and those who remained Christian fled to Europe. Islam still is the fastest growing religion in the region. Christology and Religious Pluralism Contemporary Africa is multi-religious. The host traditional religion upon which based is the two host religions, Christianity and Islam. Traditional religion was the most tolerant of all. This triple heritage of religion helps us in developing the theological considerations based upon reality, human experience. In Africa religion is not an independent entity it is reflective of the culture and very much part of the daily lives. It determines your values, ethics and ways of life. In modern Africa Christianity is followed by less than 30% of the population. The majority of the Africans are non- Christians. ( (Mbogu)So any theology that ignores the majority cannot be considered relevant. The effects of religio-cultural systems on human behavior are very important. Religious pluralism has its root in the language as well. Each language in its own distinct way experiences the truth. Hence language is an index of religion, culture, social, political diversity. Africans Christians hence are looking for new ways in interpreting the scripture that reflects their own culture, social and political condition. These different interpretations are the major issue surrounding religion in Africa. Foundational issues in Christian education Christianity has been greatly influenced by western world. Christian educators need to realize the importance of continuity and change. (Pazmino)Continuity is required in the form of essential biblical claims that have guided Christians for centuries. Change must be emphasized in the form of the application of theological concepts. They must be related to specific historical, cultural, social and personal variables. Theology of Christianity revisited in modern world There is growing prospect that Christianity is the minority religion in most parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Christianity has to change its outlook from being a superior faith and instead of looking down on other religions they have to learn to look across. The religious plurality which is brought by growing secularism in western countries and rapid growth in Islam demands Christianity to bring some changes in it theological conversations. The key to survive in this plural context is the readiness in engaging traditional dialogues and willingness to rethink one’s position in the light of the answers. Christian teachings as a yardstick in defining morals, ethics and truth no more holds the pre-eminent authority. (Thompson)Even in countries where majority of population is Christian people no more follow the ethics and morals of Christian teaching as supreme authority, although there are still followers who strictly follow these teachings. Besides religious plurality a number of internal factors have also worked in weakening the Christian authority. These factors includes different interpretations within Christianity, traditional Christian authority being questioned and poor ethical and moral judgments amongst trusted Christian authority. Christianity has many divisions in practice, belief and ideology to have one unquestionable authority and counter the problems aroused my religious plurality. Effects of Globalization and Religious Pluralism Globalization had its impact on Africa. Effect of globalization (Banchoff) on religion cannot be denied. Religion generally speaking acts as a defensive tool against effects of globalization on economic and cultural aspects. It is a way to fight for local identities against international. The globalization has another dimension to religion. It acts as making religion transnational i.e. crossing the geographical boundaries of nations. Hence the strong influence which European countries had over Christianity is now being questioned. Over the last two decades with large scale migration and advancement in technology religious communities have become a powerful force in world politics. Now religions have to evolve and rethink their roles in the new world. These international dimensions of religious pluralism have generally been ignored by scholars. This religious pluralism has given rise to both conflict and interreligious cooperation. This growing interreligious competition has given new meaning to the scope of religious freedom. Conclusion In Africa recent globalization and advancement in technology has given new meaning to their self concept. Now Christianity which is heavily influenced by Europeans is being questioned. Religious pluralism in Africa demands Christianity to evolve and take into consideration in its implementation the cultural, political and social aspects of the region to have the global universal appeal. In my opinion religious plurality is the major issue surrounding Christianity in Africa. Bibliography Banchoff, Thomas. Religious Pluralism, Globalization and world Politics. Oxford university press, 2009. Deagan, Heather. Africa today: culture, economics, religion, security. New York: Routledge, 2009. History of Religions in Africa. 2011. 17 Feb. 2011 . Mbogu, Nicholas Ibeawuchi. Christology and Religious Pluralism. Berlin: LIT Verlag, 2006. Pazmino, Robert W. Fundamental issues in Christian Education. USA: Baker Academic, 2008. Thompson, Livingstone. A Protestant Theology of Religious Pluralism. Germany: Peter Lang, 2009. Read More