The African Traditional Religious Ontology of God, Divinities, and Spirits

View Sample PDF

Author(s): John Mwangi (Mount Kenya University, Kenya)and Loizer W. Mwakio (Mount Kenya University, Kenya)
Copyright: 2021
Pages: 21
Source title: Phenomenological Approaches to Religion and Spirituality
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Essien D. Essien (University of Uyo, Nigeria)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-4595-9.ch003

Keywords: Information Science Reference / Religious Studies / Social Sciences & Humanities

Purchase

View The African Traditional Religious Ontology of God, Divinities, and Spirits on the publisher's website for pricing and purchasing information.

Abstract

Earlier scholars of religion argued that Africans were animists and polytheists who didn't have the concept of a supreme being because they did not see clearly the distinction between the supreme being and divinities. It's recent that indigenous scholars disputed this and redefined the relationship as ‘diffused monotheism'. God seemed to be remote to the Africans' daily affairs of life, and African culture of respect and honor had a role in this. The authors attempt to present a reality of an accurate outlook of the obscure yet clear religious ontology of God, divinities, and spirits in the African indigenous religion. Durkheim asserted religion divided society into two categories, the profane and the sacred; nevertheless, in the African religious ontology, the two are intermixed in everyday experiences. On the flip-side, to overlook the concept of spirit being in the African worldview is to proscribe an African religious belief system.

The IRMA Community

Research IRM

The African Traditional Religious Ontology of God, Divinities, and Spirits

Purchase

Abstract

Related Content

IRMA Sponsors