Essay On African Religion

511 Words2 Pages

African American Religion

A basic understanding of African religions will provide an awareness of African customs, the African view of death and life beyond death. In many cases the african religion is polytheistic on their day to day practices.However, they believe in The High God where is overriding beliefs that beyond gods, spirits one god exists. Despite the general belief in a Supreme Being, cults to the “High God” are notably absent from many African religions; prayers of petition or sacrificial offerings are directed toward secondary divinities, who are messengers and intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. In many countries in Africa people pray to different gods and goddess. In West Africa theirs a lot of animism, where they pray to the sky and the earth and the seas. In many African customs theirs rituals, sacrifices, ancestors worship and rites of passage. African religions emphasize maintaining a harmonious relationship with the divine powers, and their rituals attempt to harness cosmic powers and channel them for good. Ritual is the means by …show more content…

They are regarded asa great cloud of witnesses who watch the spectacle of life and times. More important, the dead are believed to be able to interfere in the affairs of the living. They can help a person, a family, or an entire nation if they wanted. They also believe the dead can communicate with the living from time to time. They feel the dead can provide a message within a dream with no interoperation. So, someone would have to go to a (diviner) are ritual specialists who have mastered a technique for reading signs that communicate the will of the divinities. In conclusion African religion provides a unique and vital support to their religion. Africans have a basic understanding of African religions will provide an awareness of African customs, the African view of death and life beyond

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