AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION

Ninkubukehia antu baria bakweja kiri mucemanio juju narua. Thaa iji nikaritana iguru ria antu ba Meru nuu bakaraga akui kirimana kia Kenya. Nkaritana iguru ria njira Ameru baturaga. Antu baba ni mugango jwa Meru.

AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION - ATR

Why African Traditional Religion Title• Primitive carries negative and demeaning

connotations• Basic implies simple or low on evolutionary

scale of religion• Traditional refers to emerging from the

cultural development• Religion is rooted in tradition rather than

scripture

CONTINENT OF AFRICAAFRICA

•Size: 11,608,000 sq. miles; second largest continent

•% of Earth’s Land: 20.2%

•Population: 855,000,000

•Number of Countries: 53

•World’s Longest River: Nile

•World’s Largest Desert: Sahara

•4,900 people die daily of AIDS

Map of World Religions

ATR World Status

• ATR: 190 million

• 3% of world population

• Seventh largest group• Christianity: 2 billion• Islam: 1.3 billion• Hinduism: 900 million• Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 850

million• Buddhism: 360 million• Chinese traditional religion: 225 million

Traditional to ChristianGrowth of Christianity in Sub-Sahara Africa

Population of Africa - 855,000,000

1900 1970 2003

8,756,000 117,069,000 360,059,000

It is estimated that by 2025 there will be 600,000,000 professing Christians

MERU COUNTRYSIDEMt. Kenya

•Height: 5,199 meters

•Meru: Along the east side north to the desert

Nyambene Hills

•The Nyambene Hills run from the eastern slope of Mt. Kenya northward about 20 miles

•The tops of certain hills are the traditional sites of sacred places of worship.

MERU COUNTRYSIDE

Looking out north from the Nyambene Hills to the open savannahs and desert

MERU COUNTRYSIDE

Meru at sunset and in the fog of the Nyambene Hills.

MERU COUNTRYSIDE

Among the Meru, Nyambene Hills where most of the people live on small farms

Crops

•The main food crops are corn, beans, potatoes, cabbage, and some fruits.

•The main cash crops for export are Tea, Coffee, and Miraa

TOWNS & MARKETS

Meru Town Market

Downtown Meru Town

Mutendwa (Meru Town) is the center of the Meru District and the largest town. Its population is around 40,000. The town has three main streets and a large market area.

Today there is now cell phone service and even an Internet Café.

MERU HOMES & VILLAGES

Meru Mud & Dung Homes

Meru Thatch Roof Huts

African Worldview - MeruGod

Distant

Spiritual Realm

World/Nature

Div

iner

Sorc

erer

Spiritual/PhysicalSpiritual/Physical

Ancestral Spirits

Supreme BeingMurungu – one GodWorship

Spiritual Realm-Evil spirits-Ancestral spirits

Religious Practitioners-Agwe (Prophet Rulers)-Diviners/Medicine Men-Sorcerers

Physical World-Elders/clans-Age sets/ceremonies-Sacrifices

ELEMENTS OF ATR

• Recognition and worship of one High God

• Importance of good relationships with ancestral spirits

• Importance of rites of passage and age sets for an organized society

• This worldly concerns and present spiritual realities involved daily

ATR POWERS• God (Murungu – Meru; Ngai – Kikuyu &

Maasai)• Associate with the sky (Yaruba – Olorun, owner

of sky)• All-powerful• All-knowing• Eternal spirit• A being• Good but sometimes capricious and/or distant• Creator of the world• Provider

• Lesser gods in Yaruba and some others

ATR POWERS• Ancestor spirits (living/dead)

• Assist living• Need to keep happy by maintaining traditions

and family values• Sometimes shrines (Giriama)• Mainly feared

• Nature spirits – could be evil ancestral spirits

• Evil spirits – could be evil ancestral spirits• Kikuyu say an epidemic is caused by them• Meru generally think God is behind epidemic

Meru Practitioners

• Medicine man

• Shaman or Diviner – medium for the spiritual powers

• Sorcerers• Some ATR have good and evil magic

• Agwe – Prophet Rulers (no longer active)

Meru Medicine Man (Muga)

Terms & Traditional Religion• Taboo – something untouchable because of

God’s holiness is present or untouchable because it is pervasively evil.

• Totem – clan seeing themselves related to a particular animal or some other life form and enjoy the special traits of that animal or life form.• Protect against inbreeding• Food distribution because cannot eat your

totem• Some have totem feast where they do eat but rare

Meru Culture• Historical Tradition

• Red cloths people• The prophet and Exodus

• Rights of Passage• Birth• Adulthood• Marriage (bride price, polygamy, family unity, patrilocal)• Death (strength to ancestors, unity of family

• Social Structure• Age Sets (circumcision group)• Marriage (gukuraga)• Meru leaders (warrior, marriage, jr. elder, sr. elder)• Njuri Ncheke (council of elders)

Meru Physical Realm

• Age-sets• Child• Warrior or Marriage for women• New Elder• 2nd Level Elder• High Level Elder

• Clans

• Organization (Elders)

• Sacrifices (Holy places and offerings)

Traditional Male CircumciserMutaani

Boys Circumcision GroupAt the Gaaru

African Worldview – Batutsi, Bahutu, & Batwa

GodDistant

Spiritual Realm

World/Nature

Div

iner

Sorc

erer

Spiritual/PhysicalSpiritual/Physical

Ancestral Spirits

Missions, Africa,and the Unreached

Sub-Sahara Africa

&

the 10/40 Window

There are 12,000 ethno-linguistic groups (nations)

Most are in Africa and Asia.

Africa/Asia 4,800,000,000 72%North America 315,000,000 5%Other Continents 1,585,000,000 23%World Population 6,700,000,000

60% of all the people groups are in Africa & Asia

10/40 Window10/40 Window

▶The term “10/40 Window” describes a rectangular shaped geographical area that is 10 by 40 degrees north of the equator.

▶It includes 60 countries with more than 2 billion people (over 1/3 of world)

▶The majority of the unreached people live in this area (less than 2% evangelical)

▶It is home to the world’s major non-Christian religions – Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism

▶The poorest of the poor live within this window

▶Only 8% of the missionary personnel work in this area

10/40 Window10/40 Window

Brahman - India Burmese - Myanmar Chamar - India

Jat Muslim - Pakistan Han - China Japanese - Japan

Unreached Peoples for Which Jesus Also Died

55,000,00055,000,000 30,000,00030,000,000 48,000,00048,000,000

28,000,00028,000,000 36,000,00036,000,000 122,000,000122,000,000

Other Unreached Peoples• Shaikh of Bangladesh – 130,000,000

• Shaikh of India – 70,000,000

• Yadava of India – 55,000,000

• Turks of Turkey – 50,000,000

• Rajput of Inda – 40,000,000

• Hakka of China – 34,000,000

Unreached Areas

10/40 Window

Primary Locations of Muslims

Primary Location of Christians

Sub-Sahara Africa

Why

Emphasize

Sub-Sahara Africa Missions?

God is Giving the Growth in Sub-Sahara AfricaGod is Giving the Growth in Sub-Sahara Africa

Sub-Sahara Africa• The number of churches and Christians continue to grow –

1,400,000 of a population 855,000,000 (1 to 600)

• U.S. Membership – 1,300,000 of a population of 300,000,000 (1 to 230)

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

1989 1992 1994 1997 2000 2009

Church of Christ Membership:Africa

0200,000400,000600,000800,000

1,000,0001,200,0001,400,0001,600,0001,800,000

1980 1990 1994 1997 2000 2008

Church of Christ: U.S.

MembersAdherents

Sub-Sahara Africa

Meru, KenyaTanzania

Togo

183 Missionaries Serving in Africa

Population of almost 1 Billion in 55 countries & 2,010 languages

Sub-Sahara Africa

• Christians from Sub-Sahara Africa have the potential to become the evangelistic force for the future to the unreached areas of the world.• Philip Ganta in the Middle East• Kenyan missionaries to Sudan

African Christians’ AdvantagesAfrican Christians’ Advantages

Work in Sub-Sahara Africa

• Continue to plant churches in other people groups

• Assist in the training of leaders• Assist in church maturation• Assist in providing self-supporting trades• Provide opportunities for higher education• Assist and partner for mission outreach

Purpose:Raise-up missionaries for unreached areas

COOKING

Meals:

Usually Corn, beans, potatoes, onions and greens boiled together

Nkima – Millet cakes and greens

Meal Preparations

TRANSPORTING GOODS