Intersection of African Traditional Religion and Christianity: Thoughts for the Promotion of Mutual Relations
Among some Christian quarters, there is a strong belief that it is outrageous and even blasphemous to compare African traditional religion with Christianity. This is based on the understanding that the comparison of Christianity with African Traditional Religion can desecrate Christianity. Little wonder then, some Christian scholars have described African Traditional Religion in derogatory terms: paganism, fetishism, heathenism, animism, polytheism, idolatry, etc., in juxtaposition to Christianity. This notwithstanding, Joseph Raz has argued that value is the great uniter and the common bond of mankind. It is from this understanding that this paper emerges. It argues that African Traditional Religion and Christianity have a good range of ethical and religious values in common, which reveals that Christianity is not alien to Africans. This is not in any way a denial of the obvious areas of divergence between the two religions. For this paper, the comparative method of analysis was employed by the author. The paper submits that such similarities are possible given that there was already the seed of Christianity in African traditional values and religion, even before the arrival of missionaries to Africa.
Keywords: african, christianity, intersection, mutual, promotion, relations, religion, thoughts, traditional