OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. Africans were seen as worshipping strange god(s). - I renounce all false beliefs and philosophies inherited by my ancestors in the name of Jesus. b) venerating and communicating with spirits and ancestors The ancestral spirits have a link with the gods & dieties. (Eds. The body disappears, but the energy doesn’t go anywhere. Learn about the Seven African Powers and how you can begin working with them in African spirituality and folk magic. In African indigenous religions, the principal deities, spirits, gods, ancestors, and personal and impersonal forces are regarded as active agents in the created world, with theistic and nontheistic notions of supernatural forces embedded in the various cosmologies. Herero God of Creation. There may be spirits and ancestors floating around, but there’s only one God. Let the light I offer be a “beacon of hope” and serve as an escape and protective shield from the shadows of despair. Early missionaries made a complete pig’s ear of their research in this respect and seem to have delighted in cataloging as many ‘heathen’ Gods as … Ancestor worship. In terms of modeling, the main implication of these inconsistencies is the difficulty to generate quantitative evidence to support these models since multiple interpretations make it difficult to achieve consistency in the definition of observable, measurable variables that can be used to quantify cause-effect relationships. Ancestors can offer advice and bestow good fortune and honor to their living dependents, but they can also make demands, such as insisting that their shrines be properly maintained and propitiated. He adds that the word ancestor denotes a human being, and Africans worship God alone. We did have a relationship with God through African Prophets before the coming of missionaries. 4 Responsibility of the living towards God, spirits and ancestors. African spirituality is about liberation according to Adofo. African ancestors created all the initial intermediary Gods and Deities known to man. Deceased ancestors remain close by, as part of the family, sharing meals and maintaining an interest in family affairs -- just as before death. (2021). Their healers mainly use ukufemba as their medium of healing. The concept of god, divinities, ancestors, and spirits in African traditional religious ontology has been misunderstood by many scholars to the point of seeing Africans as people who did not know the supreme being nor worship him. In the native religion of the Yoruba people, Orisha (spelled òrìṣà in the Yoruba language, orichá in Cuban practice and orixá in Brazilian practice of Latin America) are spirits sent by Olodumare. Africans believed in existence of a supreme being who lived in mountains, clouds and the sky. The resulting five criteria from this investigation provide the means to effectively evaluate the quality and scope of conceptual models focused on technology integration while providing additional insight into applying these models in research and practice. In order to effectively use technology in education, appropriate conceptual understandings are needed to guide the integration process. Various research work has been carried out on concept based information retrieval to tackle the difficulties that are caused by the conventional keyword search and the semantic search systems. Ancestor cults and ancestor worship loom large in the anthropological image of sub-Saharan Africa. Comparatively viewed, African ancestor worship has a remarkably uniform structural framework. It is better to focus one’s attention on such entities as the ancestors who, while also retaining characteristics of In addition, the conceptual information that are extracted from the different sources for utilizing the semantic representation by the existing systems have been discussed. A.W. Selected Aspects In African Religious Heritage: African Concept Of God Selected Old Testament Prophets And Their Teachings Similarities Between The Traditional African Myths And The Biblical Accounts Of Creation SIN SINAI COVENANT: MOSES Spirits Spirits And Ancestors Steps In The Formation/ Sealing Of The Covenant This paper seeks to examine how Africans conceive of the Supreme Being, divinities and spirits. Ekpatt, A. O. O’Donovan (1995: 41) goes as far as suggesting that “there is probably no native-born African who is not aware of the existence of God”. Modern Africans, like their ancestors, do not worship Tu-SoS, which they variously call Olodumare, Osanobua, Chukwu. Gods, Spirits and Ancestors. relationship between the related keywords in terms of semantics to produce the accurate results which have paved the way for semantic search. (a) What was the role of ancestors in Traditional African Communities? We found that key elements that should be used in adoption models for agriculture include: a way to assess the performance of the proposed new technology (e.g., relative advantage, both economic and non-economic) in relation to the existing technology or practice in place, the process of learning about this advantage, the interaction between individual decision-making and external influences, and characteristics of potential adopters affecting their attitudes towards the technology. Only those who lived a full measure of life, cultivated moral values, and achieved social distinction attain this status. Access scientific knowledge from anywhere. We conducted a review of conceptual models to clarify the concepts and approaches used in the practice of modeling adoption in agriculture. Many communities have invocations uttered through out the day Nature or Attributes of god Attributes of God as understood by the African people a) God is Good – Nearly all-African communities describe God as being good to all people and things. African Concept of God, Spirits and Ancestors. We described general adoption conceptual models originating from sociology, psychology, economics, and marketing and reviewed examples of models specifically defined for the study of adoption in agriculture. ... Herero Spirit of Ancestors. African Supreme God. Njambi. The Ndebele believe that uMlimo is the oldest ancestor and the consult him through amadhlozi. There is no heaven or hell.”- Dalian Adofo. Attachment to these spirits is still extremely strong and much of the Shona behavior and ethical conduct can be explained by this belief. This paper aims at elucidating various representation of text that is responsible for retrieving relevant search results, approaches along with the evaluation that are carried out in conceptual information retrieval, the challenges faced by the existing research to expatiate requirements of future research. Igala mythology. Basics. An examination of the characteristics of Nana Nyame reveals a traditional African worldview that has respect for the plurality, mystery, and the relational nature of God, ultimate reality, and existence itself. I offer guidance to my ancestors and spirits by way of the Guardian Angels and Protective Spirits who by the power and order of God will assist them in their greater act of evolution. And so is the same for the spirit of our ancestors. The model incorporates a rule-based expert system and four modules, Basically keywords are used to index and retrieve the documents for the user query in a conventional information retrieval systems. 2 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, becaus e many false prophets have gone out into the world. The most significant similarity between the African God and the Biblical God is the fundamental belief in a deity. Satan has always sought to supplant God, and he uses lies about worshiping other gods and even ancestors to try to lead people away from the truth of God’s existence. Animism builds the core concept of traditional African religions, this includes the worship of tutelary deities, nature worship, ancestor worship and the belief in an afterlife.While some religions adopted a pantheistic worldview, most follow a polytheistic system with various gods, spirits and other supernatural beings. Mbiti (1969:178) disputes the use of the term worship, yet he accepts that in the worship of God, in some cases, sacrifices and offerings are directed to one or more of the following: God, spirits and the living dead (ancestors). 3 The role of God, spirits and ancestors. This power originates from God but is possessed hierarchically by divinities, spirits, and the living dead, and it is available to some people, in various degrees. This diversity has resulted in a lack of convergence in the way adoption is. For it is through the love, the will, and the power of God that all souls are saved. Most ancestral spirits are generally good and kind. The spirit world is believed to be a radically different world, it is also a carbon copy of the countries where [the ancestors] lived in this life ( Tore. The Shona individual owes all the goodness and decency that go to make up his Unhu to the vadzimu. Death is not a sufficient condition for becoming an ancestor. The Orishas are a group of spirits originating from Yorubaland, which is a region in Africa spanning Nigeria, Benin and Togo. Though the spirit world is a radically different world, it is also a "carbon copy of the countries where [the ancestors] lived in this life" (John S. Mbiti, Concepts of God in Africa [SPCK, 1970], p. 259). God (Supreme Being): There is a widespread belief in God who is believed to be supreme and above all; God is essentially a spirit and is recognized as such in all the African tribes. This is a universal belief among Africans. Ancestor worship and belief is an extension of a belief in and respect for elders. Our Ancestral spirits. All rights reserved. The concept of God, divinities and spirits in African traditional religious ontology has been so misunderstood by many scholars to the point of seeing Africans as people who did not know the Supreme Being nor worship Him. Very simple and basic daily efforts can help alleviate our ancestral distress and give momentum to ancestral spirits in their afterlife. The belief remains that there is an interaction between the invisible and visible worlds (2007;377). (c) State six aspects of traditional … It is common knowledge that the African preachers of the leading denominations consult witch doctors. Findings from this review can be considered by adoption researchers and modelers in their work to assist policy and extension efforts to improve the uptake of future beneficial agricultural innovations. Enekpe. Ontology: A set of concepts and categories in a subject area or domain that shows their properties and the relations between them. They create a sense of security for the community. In addition to the belief in deity, the Supreme Being of Africa largely overlaps conceptually with the identity and work of the biblical God. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that does not acknowledg e Jesus is not from God. I give praise to the universe I give praise to mother earth I give praise to all of nature and its beings I give praise to all my guiding spirits I give praise to my ancestors I give praise to all that came before me in this struggle I give praise to my elders I give praise to all those who have cared for me, protected me, guided me and loved me I give praise to…. ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication. The ancestor is a human being that fulfilled his/her destiny, or God-given purpose, in life and achieves metaphysical completion in death. As such, they are ministers of god with derived power. defined, explained, and measured, causing agricultural extension and policy to rely on a body of literature that is often not able to offer clear recommendations on the variables or mechanisms that can be used to design interventions. Samson Mudzudza. - I bind and rebuke all familiar spirits and spirit guides that would try to operate in my life from ancestors in the name of Jesus. We also broadly assessed the ability of conceptual models to support building numerical models. Among the visible beings were humans, animals and plants. The believed to be Go’s lieutenants who are given ministerial functions by God. Ancestors and wilderness Spirits. The ancestors are close to the humans and serve as their custodians. I believe this assertion to be correct and so the question, “How do African concepts of God relate to the God of the Bible?” is most worthy of our consideration. The above concept share light to the way some Africans communicate in life, Ancestors: The ancestors, according to Quarcome (1987) are the heroes and heroines of the various tribes who are believed to have acquired extra-human powers in the afterlife which enables to intervene in the lives of the living members of the society. In defining the religious worldview of Africa, Mbiti stresses the fact that the spirit world of the African people is very densely populated with spirit beings, spirits and the living-dead or the spirits of the ancestors (Mbiti, 1969:75). In Africa, the world was believed to be inhabited by beings both visible and invisible. Concepts of God in Africa book. Atheistic tendencies in Africa are minimal. Gods are often known by several names. He is believed to be the creator of the world the sovereign ruler of the whole universe and all that is in it – man, animal, and plants. (iii) They are guardians of morality and punish those who break taboos and customs. Qualities Of God SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Selected Aspects In African Religious Heritage: African Concept Of God Selected Old Testament Prophets And Their Teachings Shepherds Sinai Covenant: Moses Spirits And Ancestors Spread Of Christianity St. Luke Gospel Technology And Environment The Bible The Galilean Ministry THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT We have tried to collect as many Holy Aliases as possible. The Jews too do not worship En-Sof. Africans rather see the divinities as special beings, offspring, and/or apparitional beings who receive their authority from the supreme being to serve in the unitary theocratic system of the supreme being's government. The African continent includes so many countries, regions, languages, tribes, cultures and crossovers that the sheer diversity of prevailing Gods would seem overwhelming if there weren’t a few handy shortcuts. Mbiti (1969:178) disputes the use of the term worship, yet he accepts that in the worship of God, in some cases, sacrifices and offerings are directed to one or more of the following: God, spirits and the living dead (ancestors). Conceptual models are of relevance as they can bridge theory with practical applications. In the hierarchically ordered world of African Traditional Religion, God is the ancestor, par excellence. - I break all curses on my finances from any ancestors that cheated or mishandled money in the name of Jesus. In his argument on ancestor-worship he stated that 'there are ancestors who have become anthropomorphic gods, who coexist with the deification of natural phenomena and who 8.2. Ancestor worship is based on the belief that our ancestors become spirits when they die. In his book, ‘The living dead and the living God,’ Klaus Nurnberger (2007: 37) says that “Effective authority must be existentially present. Nothing was wrong with our ancestral original forms of deities, but it was a reminder to Eurocentric that they were not the originators of the concept of god. There are many arguments when it comes to believing in ancestors, and believing in God. The spirit beings are usually divided into two categories: (1) the spirits of the dead elders (the ancestors) and (2) the non-human spirit beings. Additionally, manual interventions are required for determining the, Models can provide a structured way to think about adoption and provide a method to investigate the impacts of different factors in the adoption process. Divinities: In the hierarchy of power, the divinities stand next to the supreme God. © 2008-2021 ResearchGate GmbH. He adds that the word ancestor denotes a human being, and Africans worship God alone. Educational Technology Research and Development. Integrating 3D Modeling, Sustainability and Cost Estimating at the Conceptual Design Stage of Bridge... An Art of Review on Conceptual based Information Retrieval, Understanding the Adoption of Innovations in Agriculture: A Review of Selected Conceptual Models, In book: Phenomenological Approaches to Religion and Spirituality (pp.18-43). Concepts of God, Divinities, Ancestors, and Spirits in African Traditional Religious Thought: Conceptual Analysis. These models can be seen as simplified versions of theories for practical application or as condensed wisdoms of practice that need to be further investigated theoretically and empirically. Gods are often known by several names. 5 Traditional African ways of: a) worshipping God. The Spirit of Ancestors in African Traditional Religion How the spirits of ancestors can be a blessing or harmful and The Power and importance of ancestors in African traditional society Ancestors in African Traditional religion are very important in that they were once alive and now they are in the spirit and they do not die again. 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