A History Of Religion In Africa Essay free essay sample

, Research Paper Religion in Africa My assignment is to compose about the assorted faiths that are situated in Africa and faiths African-Americans preach. There are many different faiths in Africa because there are assorted parts and states in Africa. Besides Africa and its dwellers have been around for many, many old ages. One ground that there are so many different faiths. The first and most widespread faith I am traveling to speak about is Christianity. Christianity was introduced into Northern Africa in the first century. It subsequently spread to the parts of Ethiopia and Sudan around the 4th century. Christianity was able to last in Ethiopia because of the Coptic Church but in other countries, Islam became more popular. Christian religion was introduced back into Africa with the rise of European abroad enlargement in the 15th century. Christian religion penetrated into Africa on two different channels, the first by the Evangelist St. Mark to Alexandria. From there it spread to take down Egypt and so to Theibad, Upper Egypt and Nubia. It besides penetrated b Roman soldiers and merchandisers. These people brought the Gospel to Carthage where it shortly spread to Proconsular Africa, the Byzacene state and Numidia. Unfortunately, Christianity in Africa was invariably under the onslaught of split and unorthodoxy. Many groups who did this were the Gnostics, Monophysites, Arians, Pelegians, Manicheans, Novatians, and Donatists. These groups divided and enfeebled Christianity. Protestantism has, and still makes considerable attempts to foster their faith in Africa. Almost every state where there is a major Protestant population has taken portion in missional work in Africa. These states are Germany, Norway, Sweden, England, Holland, Switzerland, France, and The United States of America. From Germany, many people of the Berlin Missions traveled to the Orange River Colony, Griqualand, the Transvaal and many other topographic points including the Togoland, the Goldcoast and besides the Zulus. The Swedish are established in the Italian settlement of Erythracea and the Norwegians have an of import mission in Betsileo. The English though, have had a long history of missions in Africa. Some of the more of import 1s are: The London Missionary Society, which was established in 1795. This church was chiefly felt in South Africa with Moffat and Dr. Livingstone. Besides was the Universities Mission Society, which was based in Zanzibar. The Gallic Protestants were successful in the Northeastern Cape Colony, and in the Gallic Congo where the replaced the American Presbyterians in 1892. Lets non bury America though ; the Methodist Episcopal Church, The Baptist church and the Presbyterian Church are all in Africa from America. The Methodists began the settlement of Liberia in 1820 but was merely able to set up a lasting Bishopric there until 1858. The Baptist churchs have missions in Monrovia, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Lagos. Presbyterians are really influential besides. In Egypt about every small town on the Nile is non without one of their schools. In visible radiation of this, you can see that Christian Religions from all parts of the universe flourished in Africa. The 2nd most widespread faith in Africa is Islam. Islam was introduced to Northern Africa in the 7th century. In the undermentioned centuries it spread along the eastern African seashore and into the grasslands of Western Africa. By the twentieth though, Islam had penetrated into the staying parts of Africa. Today, a Mussulman is able to go from Monrovia to Batavia without puting pes on # 8220 ; heathen # 8221 ; dirt. Three stages of Islam enlargement into Africa may be distinguished. The first subdivision is between 638-1050. Between these times, the Arabs spread Islam along the whole Mediterranean seashore, from Egypt to Morocco. In the 9th and 10th centuries though, the enlargement started to hold. Besides there were still Bishops at Carthage, Hippo and Constantine in the 11th century. The 2nd stage was between 1050-1750. One of import thing to cognize from Thursday is stage is that the population of Northern Africa was forced 14 times with force to encompass Islamism and it returned 14 times to its ain faith. The last subdivision of the expansionism of Islam in Africa day of the months to the present clip. Here is an estimation of the figure of Islamic people in different parts of Africa. 4,070,000 in Algeria, 1,500,000 in Tunis, 10,000,000 in Morocco, 6,800,000 in Gallic Western Africa, and 3,000,000 in the Wadai and Sudan. Nudism, Animism and Fetishism are three more faiths found in Africa. Nudism is the worship paid to body natural objects such as the sky, the Moon, the mountains etc. The Hottentots and the Bantu are two such African groups who gave worship to the Moon, the Sun and assorted other objects. Animism is the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess psyches. It can be said that Animism is the faith of a great portion of Africa. The Negritos, Hottentots, Bantus of the South and E, many of the Nigritians and most of the Hamites are said to be Animists. They worship neither fetishes, graven images, nor material images. They believe in the endurance of the liquors of the asleep and the demand of honouring them. Fetishism is the belief that an object has cryptic, charming power and has unquestioning fear or devotedness. Anything may go a fetish such as images, castanetss, figures etc. Fetishism is chiefly found in the West. Livingstone one pointed out that it seems that the Africans seem to go more superstitious as you go deeper into the forest state. Fetishism is practically non-existent among the Hottentots, the Nigritians, The Bantus of the E, The Negritos and the Hamites. Another less well-known faith that originated in Africa is Rastafarian. The major belief for Rastafarians is that Haile Selassie is the life God for the black race. Ras Tafari was the old name of Selassie when he was the Emperor of Ethiopia. Selassie was non a Rastafarian but instead a Christian. Although Haile Selassie was reported dead, the Rastafarians do non believe it. The Lion of Judah represents Haile Selassie because the king of beasts is king of all animals as Selassie was the male monarch of all male monarchs to them. Rastafarians do non believe in an hereafter but Africa, Ethiopia specifically is considered Rasta # 8217 ; s heaven on Earth. Rastafarians are vegetarians and wear # 8217 ; t eat anything that has touched chemicals or comes from a can. A Rasta # 8217 ; s hair ( dreadlocks ) symbolizes their roots, contrasting the blond expression of the white adult male. Although there are more faiths present in Africa, we are traveling to look at a subdivision of African and interrupt down its spiritual population. The Ivory Coast is a really profoundly spiritual country. Muslims represent 23 per centum of the population, Christians represent twelve per centum and Animists boast a bulk of 65 per centum of the population. Thirteen per centum of the Ivorian population doesn # 8217 ; t belong to a faith. In Nigeria, about fourty-eight per centum of Nigerias dwellers pattern the Muslim religion and 34 per centum of Nigerians are Christians. The staying 18 per centum of the Nigerian population pattern assorted traditional faiths. In Liberia, approximately 10 per centum of the population are Christians, chiefly Protestant. Twenty per centum of Liberia is Muslim and about 70 per centum follow traditional faiths. In decision, many different types of faith inhabit Africa. Many of these faiths day of the month back far in history and have a widely respected forthcoming. Much of the African population is really spiritual and few do non pattern a belief. Although many faiths, rather a few of the African population still stays with some of its original faiths such as animism, nudism, and fetichism. Although I did non cover all of the faiths I covered a bulk of the chief 1s and saw that Africans, have been profoundly spiritual for many, many centuries. I am happy to state I learned rather a few things about faith in Africa.