Who wears the robe? It's quite common to hear statements like "stop drinking alcohol or you'll go to hell", "if you don't pay your tithes your blessings will be withheld by God and you'll be poorer', "if you dress provocatively you could be raped", "if you don't repent you'll die sooner than you think", and so many other fear-mongering stuff. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. The African traditional religion or voodoo has helped us a lot especially in shaping our moral standards and giving us a sense of identity. We will find other channels to self destruct. There definitely are many factors leading to these statistical disparities, but religion no doubt plays a key role in all of it. Unsurprisingly, most of their religious holy books (Koran or Bible) have various verses which seem to support this aspect of treating women as second class members. Religion is doing more harm than good in Africa. Negative Effects of Religion1. Some so-called pastors and "anointed" men of God point these innocent children out as witches and wizards to be stoned to death. It is thus my hope that as a society we would do a critical and objective evaluation of how we over-emphasise the positives of religion, especially in our educational institutions and political circles, and rather focus our resources, especially time and money, on development-oriented goals. You cannot test nor verify it anywhere in the universe. In places where Africans had practiced a separate form of religion, had their own societal rules and ethical laws Western Christianity was imposed as a method of guised colonialism. The area of study is Buganda in Uganda. African religions, religious beliefs and practices of the peoples of Africa.It should be noted that any attempt to generalize about the nature of “African religions” risks wrongly implying that there is homogeneity among all African cultures.In fact, Africa is a vast continent encompassing both geographic variation and tremendous cultural diversity. This has led to verbal and sometimes physical confrontations leading to loss of property and even lives in places like Nigeria and the Central African Republic. Christianity and Islam are the cause of almost all the wars and tribal conflicts in Africa today. 4. Traditional African Family Family is the backbone and basic unit of every society. Children as young as 6 months old are being stoned to death, some roasted on fire, some buried alive all in the name of Christianity. Election of Speaker of the 8th Parliament, What to Look out For, Common core programme for JHS 1 to SHS 1 and its expectation, Hamile to Elubo - observations, rantings, and learnings from the 2020 general elections. 3. Added to the above, a lot of religious misunderstandings, misinterpretations and so-called prophecies have brought about conflicts among family members, leading to destruction, broken homes and even death. It is not uncommon to see church services from morning till evening in any part of the country, even on weekdays. Most of the things we talk about in religion are just assumptions that we claim to be true. Every poor man wants to start a church in Africa today. Why? People by nature tend to maintain the status quo which is challenged by the new generation. That is why even Jesus warned the Pharisees that they were hypocrites. Yet they are the highest contributors in terms of donations/offertories and the general sustenance of these groups. Religion is a major cause of physical conflicts and doctrinal disputes in Africa and the world as a whole. To put it in other words, while religion takes caution against the norms and the values related to globalization, it challenges the latter since it (religion) does not approve its hybridizing effects. Dr Bawumia to lead the NPP; Northerners & Zongos are watching. The Africans affected lost a large part of their sense of identity, self-respect, pride in their blackness etc. The African traditional religion or voodoo has helped us a lot especially in shaping our moral standards and giving us a sense of identity. However, when an incoming culture (in this case civilization/modernism) seeks 315 Impact of Globalization on Traditional African Religion and Cultural Conflict to totally replace the existing cultural value, it causes social frustration and generates maladjustment of group members to this new system which leads to the “demise” of the traditional society. Conflict is a universal phenomenon that is inevitable in human interaction. Most Africans today believe in these foreign religions and so-called men of God more than God Himself which is very sad. A lot of believers would rather spend their time attending one religious event or the other throughout the year at the expense of their work or source of livelihood. Religious dogma and practices are quite conservative or static. As Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula and later across North Africa and the Middle East, it had an aggregating effect. What is Christmas to the Mystic Christian? Some may call me the assistant "Lucifer" for making this post but I still believe sometimes we just have to say it the way it is. The African traditional It's much dangerous even with kids where they are indoctrinated from their homes, schools and churches to tow a certain line or face hell fire or danger in life. The sad thing however is that, most Africans today have eyes but they cannot see. 6. This article focuses on the religious encounter between European Christian Missionaries and the African traditional religious beliefs in East Africa. Religion can be loosely defined as a belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny. are all full of nothing but evil and it doesn't make sense at all to trust any of these religions more than God himself. Because it is "written" the devil or Lucifer is the root of all evil, we blame the devil for almost all our problems. The sad thing however is that, almost all these so-called men of God are full of nothing but evil. Added to the above, many governments in Africa use religion as a vehicle to forment trouble or create disaffection among the populace, all to advance their political and parochial interests. Hence, this contribution examines religion as a factor that can be tapped into to mitigate negative effects of climate change, discussing climate change and religion in the context of development practice. Followers of traditional African religion believe that ancestors maintain a spiritual connection with their living relatives. Oral literature encompasses fables, folktales, legends myths and proverbs. Religion has no scientific basis whatsoever. Africans had religion but the way they practiced their religious beliefs were magical and fearful. Even among Muslims there are conflicts between Sunni and Shiite sects over practices, whereas among Christians there are doctrinal conflicts or misunderstandings among the various many denominations, including which is even the right day to congregate for worship. The book of Revelation clearly shows the reasons why Gods Kingdom ( Heavenly Goverment) in the hands of Christ Jesus will put the record straight once and for all times regarding his Fathers will and purpose for our beautiful earth. Most ancestral spirits are generally good and kind. Christianity promises that the Holy Spirit of God comes into the lives of all believers. how globalization impacted on the traditional African cultures, considering its adverse effects on: traditional African family; indigenous/traditional medicine; education as well as its economic and political dimension in Africa. People have different food preferences based on the region, climate and also culture. Most religious groups discriminate against women in so many ways, even though they usually form the bulk of the members of any sect or denomination. African societies and cultural practices over these years had commanded global attention as it concern health conditions of the people. People were afraid to unjustly attack and trample upon the rights of innocent people. I may be sounding like a devil but the truth is that, I do believe in God. Similarly, religious groups are fighting nonreligious ones. I cannot say the same about Islam and I cannot say the same about the other foreign religions in Africa today. Negative effects of modernization: Change in culture: Increased modernization has led to the creation of new technologies that go a long way in changing the socio-economic structure of the society. Religion is full of hypocrisy. A lot of these preachers are living in luxurious homes, driving the latest luxury cars, traveling to the most exotic holiday destinations with their families, educating their children in the most expensive schools, etc, whereas most of their followers can barely pay their utility bills and kids' fees even in public schools. 3 Leo Frobenius, The Voice of Africa, Vol. I pray for an end to election votes buying – Apostle Onyinah It is time we wake up and start thinking. However it plays the dominant role and there is little doubt that a less focus on religion and a major attention to science, technology and critical thinking will no doubt propel our development goals forward. Some may say we were illiterates for believing in ancestral spirits yet most of these so-called literates believe in saints forgetting that saints are also ancestral spirits. Africa needs unity and wisdom. Religion is the most popular business in Africa today. Non Africans should not pontificate; they've engineered two massive world wars and have prepared for a third. Westerners failed to accept that during the dawn of colonization, mission at first instance failed to convert Africans just because of language barrier, hence labelled African religion, pagan and depicted Africans as people without religion. Most of the religious sermons on our airwaves are usually warnings or threats to people to do or refrain from doing one thing or the other to avoid a curse or damnation from God. Of course, it has not in Europe or North America as well. Christianity has clearly not completely taken hold in Africa. Additionally a lot of religious adherents are made to believe that there is no need working harder on this earth to amass wealth, after all you will day one die soon and leave your possessions behind. In religion, we are made to believe that we were created by a God, who expects us to live and act according to certain given tenets so that we can be found worthy of his blessings, grace and love both here on earth and the afterlife. The words “effect”, “power”, “impression” and “influence” are the essence of the term “impact”. I do believe in God not Christianity. You only need to read the so called holy books and wonder whether the author is deliberately insulting your intelligence: such childish outdated fairy-tale nonsense that, obviously, might have had some effect on an ancient unsophisticated primitive mind. In some of these organizations, women cannot teach or preach to the congregation, or cannot lead groups. The African continent experienced its own form of training and learning before it was colonized and even before the arrival of the missionaries. Hence, it cannot be avoided in the interaction between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. The encounter between Christianity and African traditional cosmologies Why? A typical example is the on-going political campaign season in Ghana where the ruling NDC and the main opposition NPP have been inciting one religious group or the other to vote for its leaders to advance their personal political interests, all to the detriment of social cohesion. 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