StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
It does not matter what religion one is affiliated with, the fact still remains the message is the same. People dwell on issues surrounding religion to find out which one is better; some even…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.7% of users find it useful
Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa"

Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa Synopsis Religion plays an intricate role in the co-existence of people in the world, today. It does not matter what religion one is affiliated with, the fact still remains the message is the same. People dwell on issues surrounding religion to find out which one is better; some even commit murder in the name of religion. However, it is such issues that religion seeks to address. People should stay together in harmony believing in a Supreme Being, regardless of which name He goes by, and which Holy Book to believe.

This paper will examine religion in the African setting, and its evolution through time.Question 2 During the pre-colonial period, Africans used their traditional methods of worship. However, the coming of the Portuguese to most parts of the African continent encouraged the acceptance of Christianity (Azevedo 406). They advocated for the acceptance of Christianity as a way of life. Another reason why Christianity spread more wildly was the effect of colonization. Missionaries could access the most remote areas in Africa which helped convert a large number of Africans (Azevedo 405).

Lastly, the impact Christianity had on education and health was immense (Azevedo 406). This made it easy to accept Christianity in Africa. This element was appealing to the African people, thus leading them to accept the spread of Christianity. Islam, on the other hand, came about as a result of some personal reasons. People wanted a religion that would make them have a common identity. For all the heterogeneous individuals, this seemed like the perfect religion to follow. Political instability also played a part in the acceptance of Islam.

People needed to be affiliated with Islam for fear of persecution. Many African/Arab nations needed to have a base for social and political organization (Azevedo 413). This is one element that made Islam particularly attractive, and popular in today’s world. Question 3 There were some shortcomings of the Christian religion in the colonial period. One of them was the missionaries little attempt to train African clergy (Azevedo 406). Another problem they faced was racism. The institution’s racist attitude made it hard for missionaries to connect with the Africans on a personal level.

The biggest problem was the perception Africans had about the Church. They believed that the Church was in Cahoots with colonial authorities (Azevedo 407). This made it even harder for the Church to spread the religion. These issues are disappearing in today’s Church. The Church is becoming more action-oriented. This implies that they are striving to preserve some of the cultural elements of African traditions, which are not condemned by the Gospel (Azevedo 408). Racism is also something of the past in some areas.

In today’s churches, high positions are held by Africans. At some point, there was the possibility of the pope heading the Catholic Church (Azevedo 409).Question 4 Saint Augustine was a theologian with different ways of looking at things, and views about things. He was ordained a priest and later a cardinal in Africa after his time in Rome and Milan. He is famous for wrestling with the mystery surrounding the Holy Trinity (Azevedo 404). His theory on the Trinity was that it was about self-awareness.

He insinuated that understanding the Trinity would enable man see themselves as made in God’s image. He died in the year 430, and his works significantly influenced the likes of Luther. Origen was born in 186 and educated on Christian scriptures at a tender age. His father was beheaded during religious persecutions. He supported his family after taking a teaching job. During his service to Christianity, he wrote books about living a Christian life. He encouraged people to live a Christian life despite the prosecutions that were rampant at the time.

Tertullian laid down the foundation of the Christian religion. He converted to Christianity as he was attracted to how martyrs lived. His works focused on Christian living and defended the Christian faith. He founded a church based on some of the beliefs he had, which made him famous among other African theologians. Work CitedAzevedo, Mario. Africana Studies: Religion in Africa. London: Macmillan Publishers, 2005. Print.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa Essay”, n.d.)
Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1603278-reaction-paper-to-azevedo-religion-in-africa
(Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa Essay)
Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa Essay. https://studentshare.org/history/1603278-reaction-paper-to-azevedo-religion-in-africa.
“Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1603278-reaction-paper-to-azevedo-religion-in-africa.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Reaction Paper to Azevedo: Religion in Africa

Candombl Religion

The popularity of Candomblé is due to the combination of many religions into one, making it agreeable to a variety of potential followers and one of the most sough-out religions in africa and Europe.... Candomblé, also known as Animism, is a religion that is centered in Brazil, but is practiced in many countries throughout the world, generating more than two million followers.... … Candomblé, also known as Animism, is a religion that is centered in Brazil, but is practiced in many countries throughout the world, generating more than two million followers....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Occultism in Africa

Running head: OCCULTISM in africa Occultism in africa (name) (school) (date) Occultism in africa Introduction Occultism easily evokes images and ideas of the mystical, the magical, and the strange.... hellip; in africa, elements of the occult have been seen for many years and have been studied by various scholars and anthropologists.... This paper shall study occultism in africa.... Initially, a general background of occultism shall be presented, followed by a brief discussion on the entry of occultism in africa....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Perfectionism Indirect Correlation With Hours of Sleep at Night

Perfectionism correlates indirectly with hours of sleep at night Professor Perfectionism is a natural tendency of students whose intellectual capacity cannot psycho-emotionally tolerate to garner a low score in exam, quizzes and in other related tests.... hellip; Most of them toil hard at night to completely understand their subjects and lessons at schools to better equip them in responding to test and academic measures....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Report on religious traditions Religion is Tenrikyo

Some would even argue that it is still not a separate religion, but remains a branch or sect of Shinto.... According to Dempsey ( 2013) although there are now followers in many countries, this new religion began in Japan in the mid-19th century, and is based upon revelations to a woman called Nakayama Miki, known to her followers as Oyasama....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Economy and Infrastructure in South Africa

South africa can be considered as an economic powerhouse of africa leading the whole continent in the production of minerals and industrial outputs and producing a huge proportion of the total electricity requirement of africa.... The country's economy is a well-diversified… The country possesses well-groomed industry in respect of different consumer and investment goods and therefore, alone produces one-fifth of the total production of the continent africa South africa is in the upward phase of its business cycle....
4 Pages (1000 words) Term Paper

Connections in Middle Eastern Music and Religion

In the Jewish religion, spiritual music has been embraced without controversy and has been part of the religion.... The present paper "Connections in Middle Eastern Music and religion" seeks to describe the contribution and role of music in the religion of Islam.... hellip; Music plays a key role in religion.... Jewish women participated in music either as composers or cantors and brought new dimension on ancient view points of the Jewish religion....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

Christianity in Africa

This research paper describes Christianity in africa.... The explanations why this particular Christianity was brief in existence would be quite informative for current church heads in africa: it was unsuccessful in infiltrating African core metaphor; and it used up its existence on internal conflicts, a number of which did not approach the special gospel virtues (Sundkler & Steed 2000).... The former claims from the once-thriving Christianity in the northern part of africa, which brought into being eminent prelates as well as theologians whereas the latter specifies the almost meticulous adoption of customary hospitality in majority of African cultures and the existence, before the missionary evangelization, of a criterion of morality as great as that which is expressed in the Christian proclamation of truths, particularly as indicated in the Gospels, of the realm....
11 Pages (2750 words) Research Paper

Role of Music in the Religion of Voudun

According to Chesi (46), voodoo is an efficient and well-organized religion in the region.... The aim of this research is to describe the concept of Voodoo religion that is spread across West africa and the role of music in it.... It is mainly practiced in the coastal religions of the countries in West africa especially covering the countries from Ghana to Nigeria.... hellip; religion can be defined as a collection of various cultures, beliefs, and practices of various people in the world and their spiritual and moral values....
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us