Showing papers on "Supreme Being published in 2009"

African Traditional Religion

Abstract: The African continent is home to more than 6,000 different ethnic and cultural groups, each with its own religious customs. Yet, these many traditions have common foundations, including an almost universal belief in a Supreme Being, a close interconnection between the sacred and the nonsacred, and a rich oral tradition that passes religious and ethical teachings down through the generations. For centuries, the indigenous religions of Africa were in danger of extinction as other beliefs, primarily Christianity and Islam, threatened to oppress the various sects. Today, a vibrant resurgence of African traditional religion can be encountered everywhere in Africa, and leaders of African religion can openly organize and render spiritual and healing services without hindrances. In a clear and comprehensive manner, ""African Traditional Religion, Third Edition"" explores the many manifestations of African belief and their expressions, in the past and in the present, as well as the hopes for the future. Coverage includes: the various sects of African religion; effects of the African continent; rituals and beliefs; the arrival of colonists and missionaries; and the spread of African religion to other countries.

Missionary interventions in Zulu religious practices : the term for the Supreme Being

Abstract: The traditional Zulu people conducted their religious practices orally and in their appeals to a Supreme Being used the terms uNkulunkulu (the Great­Great­One) or uMvelinqangi (the First­to­Appear) interchangeably. However, with the translation of the Bible into isi­ Zulu, the concept of the Supreme Being that was originally known by the Zulu people was changed and cast into a Christian mould. This paper explains these interventions in terms of Toury’s work. By using a corpus­based approach, the linguistic choices of the transla­ tors will be analysed to demonstrate that the earliest translators adopted the norms of the source text and culture, while in the latest translations the norms of the target culture were adhered to.

The Relationship Between People and Supernatural Beings in Yoruba Traditional Culture

Abstract: The Yoruba Traditional Religion (YTR) which is vibrant and influential among the Yoruba speaking people of Western Nigeria has had a deep influence on the culture of the people. The influence of the religion seems to have gone beyond the geographical boundary of the Yoruba in Nigeria, for though the religion originates from Western Nigeria, it claims millions of adherents throughout the world. It is practiced in one form or the other in the Republic of Benin and Togo in West Africa, and its presence is felt in Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guyana, Jamaica, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Vincent (Emeagwali 1999:1, 2). The Yoruba believe that the universe consists of two planes of existence, the visible and the invisible planes. Based on their view, while supernatural beings such as the Supreme Being, deities, and ancestors inhabit the invisible plane, other living beings like humans and animals inhabit the visible plane. Moreover, the two planes are constantly interacting with each other in ongoing relationships (Gbadegesin 1991:85-88). The main focus of this article deals with the relationship between humans who inhabit the visible plane and the supernatural beings who inhabit the invisible plane with an emphasis on the relationship of the Yoruba Supreme Being with people. However, in order to show the significance of divinities and ancestors among the Yoruba, the article will also briefly discuss the relationship between humans and the lesser deities by seeking answers to the following questions: What kinds of relationships exist between humans and the supernatural beings? What effect do these relationships have on people? What Joseph Adyinka O lanrewaju i s senior lecturer in Sys temat i c Theology at the Religious Studies Department of Babcock University, Nigeria.

The God Question: What Famous Thinkers from Plato to Dawkins Have Said About the Divine

Abstract: Does God Exist? Without doubt, the greatest question to face humanity in its history, the controversy rages on today with a recent spate of books on both sides of the divide. However, this debate is not a new phenomenon. For centuries, our greatest philosophers, from Aristotle to Nietzsche, have sought to clarify the idea of a Supreme Being and examine the unique conundrums that He raises. Revealing the thoughts of history's biggest philosophers on the biggest question of all, The God Question will help you make your own mind up. Presenting pithy arguments from the faithful, atheistic, and downright heretical, Pessin's light-hearted prose will give you a captivating insight into a wide array of God-related puzzles, whether or not you are religiously inclined.

An ecclesiological analysis of the Church of God and Saints of Christ and its impact on Bulhoek massacre

Abstract: A tragic massacre in May 1921, commonly referred to as the Bulhoek Massacre, was associated with the ecclesiology of the Church of God and Saints of Christ, founded by Enoch Mgijima. If it were not for the theology of eschatology that this church adhered to, the so-called Bulhoek Massacre would not have happened. The theology of eschatology which Mgijima was focussing on caused the ecclesiology of the amaSirayeli to be the victims of the circumstances. Dulles defines ecclesiology as the church in the process of self actualisation. There is self understanding of worshippers. In the case of the Church of God and Saints of Christ, such self-understanding caused the Bulhoek Massacre. It is said that when people fervently believe in an Ultimate Being, whether such belief is a construction in their minds or a reality, then those people will be willing to defend their belief and die for, if it needs to be. For such a believer, it is because of the hope for a better life in the future that they are willing to even defy earthly authorities. When that believer follows a voice of the supernatural, which is revealed only to him and sounds much louder, much clearer and more authoritative than human voices, it is then that he cannot be void. Such an authoritative voice may be transmitted either through ancestors, known as the living dead, or directly from the Supreme Being. In the case of the said church, it is both. Secondly, an ecclesiology of the Church of God and Saints of Christ should be understood in the light of their mother church in America under the leadership of Crowdy the founder. Such ecclesiology should also be understood against the religious backdrop of the African Initiated Churches (AIC). These two factors, the mother church in America and the religion of the African Initiated Churches, will be the main components that drive this thesis, and thus illuminate the spark in the said church. Owing to the proliferation of the African Initiated Churches in the continent of Africa, there is a wide speculation that Africa, of the 21st century, will be the centre of World Christianity. Whether this is just a dream or a reality remains to be realized. But the fact remains that, these churches continue to be a religious force that forms part of the church history in Africa. While this thesis will constantly be referring to the 1921 events, an ecclesiology of the said church is a present phenomenon because the church survived the massacre and is still active today. The two researchers, Robert Edgar from Los Angeles University in the USA, and Martin Mandew from the University of Natal, completed their doctoral theses on the Bulhoek Massacre. Edgar was researching on, The Fifth Seal. Enoch Mgijima, The amaSirayeli Bulhoek Massacre, 1921. Mandew concentrated on, War, Memory and Salvation, The Bulhoek Massacre and the Construction of a Contextual Soteriology. Since both researchers come from a distance, and are unable to speak the language of the people they were researching, there were of obviously…

Reason, Religion, and Democracy: Democracy and Religion

Abstract: Have we learned that democracy, with everything in any way associated with it, is nothing other than stupidity, scandal, dissoluteness, robbery, theft, and murder? (August Vilmar, nineteenth-century German theologian) The bitter and venomous taste of Western liberal democracy, which the United States has hypocritically been trying to portray through its propaganda as a healing remedy, has hurt the body and soul of the Islamic Ummah and burned the hearts of Muslims. (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran) This chapter discusses the compatibility of liberal democratic institutions and religious beliefs. Before exploring this issue, however, it is necessary to define the term religious . We construe it to mean “Devoted to religion: exhibiting the spiritual or practical effects of religion, following the requirements of a religion; pious, godly, devout.” Thus, religious implies more than just belief in a god. A religious person's beliefs affect the way she thinks and acts in both her private and public life. A Deist believes in a god and might, therefore, think of himself as religious. However, he will not pray to his god nor be guided by any strictures laid down by it. His decisions regarding what is good for himself and his community will be unaffected by his belief in a supreme being who created the universe. A Deist is thus not religious in the way we employ this term.