Ancestors In The African Context Religion Essay

Ancestors In The African Context Religion Essay In Africa, the world was believed to be inhabited by beings both visible and invisible. Among the visible beings were humans, animals and plants. The invisible things included deities, divinities and ancestors. The belief remains that there is an interaction between the invisible and visible worlds (2007;377). In this essay we will focus on ancestors (the â€Å"living-dead†) and its role in South Africa and the role of the Church. We will also look at reasons behind the strong presence of ancestor practices within Africa. Ancestors Wikipedia defines an ancestor as: â€Å"†¦a parent or (recursively) the parent of an ancestor (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent, and so forth)† (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestor ,17 March 2011). In other words, an ancestor is a person who is deceased and of whom you are a descendent. An ancestor is also someone who is remote or distant. Using online resources like http://www.ancestor.co.za or http://a ncestry24.com a person can explore the history of ancestors. It’s possible with the use of medical DNA tests to reveal links to ancestors, much like it is used today to relate relatives. Some ancestors are considered to play an active role in the lives of the living and are therefore called the living-dead. In this essay we will focus solely on this â€Å"type† of ancestor group. Ancestors in the African context One of the main reasons why ancestor practices play such a prominent role in African religions is because Africa languishes under the yoke of the fear of spirits. Their views of the spirit-world is contrasted in many aspects against the New Testament teachings. In the African spirit world for example, spirits appear rather as disorganised and competitive (2007;397). This is contrasted against the highly organised view in Ephesians 6. In fact, the authorities and cosmic powers in the Pauline letters allude to the way in which supernatural beings, as it were, inc arnate themselves in structures. Whether it be a political, religious or intellectual structure. These structures are there for holding man in bondage but over which Christ has triumphed and which he now wants to employ in his service on earth. In traditional Africa however, ancestors are never referred to, nor considered, as evil spirits In these religions there is also the concept of a God, or Supreme Being, although it cannot be proved conclusively in all cases. Although there is the concept of evil forces, it’s not the same as the Christian view in the sense that there exists a single-ruler over all evil powers. In Christianity this single ruler is called Satan, among other names. In the Bible God’s angels are depicted as creatures, holy and uncorrupted spirits with a free will, and therefore not necessarily impervious to temptation and sin (1999;68). There are also scriptural indications of an angelic fall, under the leadership of Satan. Good angels are portrayed as powerful agencies for the carrying out of God’s will, there is also a well orchestrated army of evil agencies who counterfeit the activities of those good angels (1999;69). Satan is the evil one which represents the embodiment of antithesis to the will and purpose of God (1999;71). The book of Revelation is notable for its presentation of the absolute power which God exercises over the world and restriction of evil (1999;72).