Comparative Religion

Comparative Religion

African Religion Study Questions
1. African idea of a High God is similar to that of Native American religions because they both believe that beyond all of the minor gods, goddesses, spirits, and ancestors there is one High God who created and in some sense still governs the universe. A difference between the two is that Native Americans tend to worship every living and nonliving thing whereas Africans only worship Gods.

2. The roles of ancestors in African religion are to watch the spectacle of life and actively participate in the affairs of the living, they can help a person, family, or nation if they want to, they are consulted before the birth of a child, at the beginning of the agricultural season, and even before battles or political conflicts.

3. The most common form of sacrifice in the African religion is the animal sacrifice which is used on a more serious occasion.

4. The puberty rights of males include ritual circumcision, this tests their courage for adulthood. The puberty rights of females include circumcision. After puberty rights and initiation, young people are considered adults and are expected to perform the responsibilities and privileges of the adult life.

5. Divination is seeking knowledge by supernatural mean; prophecy or premonition. Examples include: memorization of 1,024 poems then picks the one that is most meaningful, casting dice and gazing into a bowl of water, also spiritual curer,

6. African religions changed because modernization and urbanization have decreased the importance of place and ethnicity in the lives of many Africans, the practice of voodoo cults are found in many urban areas.

7. Rites of passage are important points on the pathway of life which are marked and celebrated with ritual. These passage points are most often birth, puberty, marriage, and death.