Essay On African Religion

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

which a person negotiates responsible relationships with other members of the community, with the ancestors, with the spiritual forces of nature, and with the gods.Shrines and altars are generally not imposing or even permanent structures and can be as insubstantial as a small marker in a private courtyard. The right relations with the divinities are maintained through prayers, offerings, and sacrifices, especially blood sacrifices. The shedding of blood in ritual sacrifice, which is believed to release the vital force that sustains life, precedes most ceremonies in which blessings are sought from the ancestors or divinities. Ancestors also serve as mediators by providing access to spiritual guidance and power. Only those who lived a full measure of life, cultivated moral values, and achieved social distinction attain this status. Therefore ancestors are consulted before battle, agricultural season and child birth. In Africa rites of passage such as puberty, marriage and death. Children are regarded as a blessings from the world of the spirits. African region tends to surround death with a great deal of ritual, purpose is to make newly dead as comfortable as possible.
In African religion they view death as scared and high regard and concern for the dead apparent.

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

death.