An African Monotheism: The Igbe Religion of the Urhobo and the Economic Importance of Ore-Isi Festival

This article illustrates the religious diversity of coastal Nigeria by analyzing the Igbe religion, a monotheist religion practiced mainly by Urhobo speakers. The first part of the article situates Igbe within the concept of “Evolving Modern Religion” rather than “African Traditional Religion” because it has a founder and is a monotheist religion. It then provides the historical background to the emergence of Igbe religion and gives an overview to its organisation. The second part of the article describes the religion’s main Ore-Isi festival and explores its core values and the nostalgic experiences in the minds of Igbe adherents. The third section of the article analyses the social and economic benefits of the Ore-Isi festival and its implications for Delta State in particular and Nigeria ingeneral.

The Kélah Ritual of The Manggaraians in Flores-Eastern Indonesia and Its Theological Significance For Roman Catholics

This paper aims to discuss the theological significance of the traditional religious practice of the Manggaraians in Flores, eastern Indonesia called the Kélah Ritual. It is an aspect of the traditional religion of the Manggaraians. The authorities of the Catholic Church in Manggarai have been very tolerant toward the ritual and provide enough space for the Catholics to practice it. The Church, however, does not have a sufficient understanding of its theological significance due to insufficient previous studies on the subject. This paper demonstrates that the ritual has a deep theological significance. This study employed direct observation, direct participation in the Kélah Ritual in several places in Manggarai, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and questionnaires. The results of this research indicate that this ritual is a rite of passage about the human soul departing from this world to heaven conducted a few days or months after the body’s interment. It was on the day of the soul’s ascension to heaven where all of the family ancestors meet with God eternally. This research concludes that, with its theological meaning, the ritual conforms with the Catholic faith doctrine regarding the gradual departure of the human soul to heaven after its corporal death – purgatory. No soul goes right away to heaven when it is not 100% holy. The ritual, therefore, could be valued and officially incorporated into the Catholic faith tradition in order to enrich its worship to God.

Inkulturasi Iman Kristen dalam Konteks Budaya Batak: Suatu Tinjauan Misiologis

The encounter between Christian faith and Batak culture is an important issue in mission activities. This encounter certainly faces various problems and tensions that can only be overcome by communication between cultures. This article seeks to map the experience of encounter Christian faith with Batak culture and religion. The inculturation of the Christian faith that was carried out at the beginning of the Catholic mission activities in the Batak lands was how to introduce the concept of a Christian God to the Batak people who actually have their own concept of God in their traditional religion. The process of inculturation requires the transformation of traditional Toba Batak culture through Christianity. Likewise, the transformation of Christianity through traditional culture. That is, there must be a reciprocal relationship between the Christian tradition and concrete culture in the sense of critical correlation. Reciprocal relationships will certainly bring tension. This process of inculturation is permanent and the gospel is expressed in a cultural context. The gospel is not only expressed with cultural elements, but also becomes a force capable of changing the life patterns of the Toba Batak people.Key words: inculturation, Christian faith, Toba-Batak. AbstrakPertemuan antara iman Kristen dan kebudayaan Batak merupakan isu penting dalam kegiatan misi. Pertemuan ini tentu menghadapi berbagai persoalan dan ketegangan yang hanya bisa diatasi dengan komunikasi antara budaya. Artikel ini berupaya memetakan pengalaman pertemuan iman Kristen dengan budaya dan religi Batak. Upaya inkulturasi iman Kristen yang dilakukan pada awal kegiatan misi Katolik di tanah Batak adalah bagaimana memperkenalkan konsep Allah kristiani kepada orang Batak yang sebenarnya juga telah memiliki konsep tersendiri mengenai Allah dalam agama tradisional mereka. Proses Inkulturasi membutuhkan transformasi budaya tradisional Batak Toba melalui kekristenan. Demikian juga sebaliknya transformasi kekristenan melalui budaya tradisional. Artinya, mesti ada suatu relasi timbal balik antara tradisi kekristenan dengan budaya konkrit dalam arti korelasi kritis. Relasi timbal balik tentu akan membawa ketegangan. Proses inkulturasi ini berlangsung permanen dan Injil diungkapkan dalam konteks budaya. Injil tidak hanya diungkapkan dengan elemen-elemen budaya, tapi juga menjadi kekuatan yang mampu mengubah pola kehidupan orang Batak Toba

POSTSECULAR RELIGIOSITY AND ITS CONCEPTUAL VERSIONS: FROM "INVISIBLE RELIGION" TO "RELIGION WITHOUT ESSENCE"

The article is devoted to the theoretical reconstruction of the of the conceptual version of postsecular religiosity. All the theories clame that the traditional religion can survive today through cover-up it’s religious identity. This is accompanied by the marginalization of religious organizations and an increase in the influence of religion at the level of individual interest. Theological analysis is limited mainly by negative characteristics when describing post-secular religiosity: the devaluation of transcendence and the rejection of dualism (Daniel HervierLeger), the absence of doctrinal boundaries (Thomas Luckmann), the weakening of the ideological core of the doctrine (Roberto Cipriani). The author argues that post-secular religion is an implicit ideology in terms of the way it functions. In the late XX - early XXI century, a number of researchers (U. Eco, S. Zizek, G. Marcuse and others) noted that the imaginary post-ideology of modern society is associated with the formation of a specific type of ideology, which can be designated as "implicit". The post-Christian secular world is also "implicitly" religious. The author reveals the commonality of the processes taking place in the field of religion with the characteristics of the "post-ideological" world and concludes that the religiosity of the post-secular society is most productive to study precisely as part of an implicit ideology.

Biblical Concept of “Amen” Translated as “Ase” in Okun Language

The concept of “Amen” translated as “Ase” in Okun language is a term that cuts across nations, cultures and religions, even though it may be translated or transliterated differently in terms of linguistic and discourse structures. Amen could probably be assumed to be the commonest word of human speech. Its use among the three great religions—Christianity, Islam and Traditional religion—cannot be overemphasized. For instance, the Old Testament usage of it is always at the end of a speech, while in the New Testament, Jesus used it mostly at the beginning of his message to his audience. Paul the Apostle oftentimes used it at the end of his letters to close his doxological statements and greetings to the churches. And also, the term is being used as a seal of an oath for legal backing or pronouncement of a curse as it is in the book of Deuteronomy 27 and Nehemiah 5:13. Jeremiah at another instance used Amen as an affirmation of God’s statements of the blessings and the curses of the covenant in Jeremiah 11:5. In our contemporary time, the Christians use it intermittently in the middle of a message delivery to show complete agreement with the minister. Similarly, in the socio-cultural and religious settings of the Okun speakers, Ase is an African philosophical concept through which the Okun people affirm the power to make things happen and produce change. It is used most often at the end of the pronouncement of a blessing, prayers offered, declaration of curse on certain norms or laws if broken, or to prove the innocence of a person in a controversial issue. In any case, the meanings are similar or the same in accordance to the context in which they are being used culturally and religiously. As the saying goes, “As it was in the beginning, it is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen”; in Okun language it is Ase, ase. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen” (Psalm 41:13).

STRATIFIKASI SOSIAL, Kepemimpinan Tradisional Toraja dalam Dinamika Demokrasi Modern

Social stratification is part of Aluk in Torajan culture. The Aluk (as a religion) that is going to be described is Aluk Todolo; the name for the traditional religion before Christianity, Islam, and other new religions came to Toraja. According to the myth of Toraja, the whole of matter in this world originally began in the sky, including all the ancestors of creatures. This profane world is the image or the duplicate of the transcendent world. Leadership and social life also had been regulated above and downloaded through aluk to the human beings.In Torajanese myth, aluk was determined in the sky, consequently, aluk is divine. Puang Matua and all gods submit to aluk as a higher authority. Actually, Aluk Todolo is exceedingly greater than religion. That’s why (in this topic) social research has to be seen as a part of aluk.

Social Status Retention in the Beyond: the Phobia of Man

Religions include the participation of a community of people who have a common spiritual belief system. It is possible to connect one's own spiritual views with those of others via different religious activities. As a result of social interaction, personal ideas may be shaped and deepened. Both religious ideas and human transpersonal experiences may convey the core of human existence. Religious ideas about life after death may affect how individuals conduct their lives in the here and now. This paper argues that human beings have the inborn drive for statuses. All religions of the world placed serious priority on them, so much: in the ranking of adherents and in the hereafter. Other social institutions see the necessity in statuses placements to enhance productivity, efficiency, proficiency, and profitability. Man in his imagination and realization of this, concludes that the right place to acquire the status is here on earth as the springboard to that of the beyond. He gets it first and this will be maintained in the beyond. By the beyond here we mean abodes after the earthly life. Christianity calls them paradise and hell, likewise Islam and Buddhism describe it as Nirvana. African Traditional Religion mentioned it as the home of the ancestors and the dead. Hinduism has its own as the several reincarnations where the individual soul strives to unite with the supreme Reality also called Brahman. This paper investigates Social Status in the Beyond.

Religious Functionalism: An Influential Tool for Harnessing Corruption in Ghana

One of the most influential and ever-expanding dimensions of almost every African society is religion. Every function political, legal, or economic, is intertwined with the ingredients of religion. In Ghana, it is socially, politically, and legally offensive to separate religion from communal exhibitions and, restrict it from individual performance. Amid the widely spread commitment to different religions by public officials, the reality of corruption alongside its destructive nature still infringes on the public administrative efficiency in Ghana. With regards to this submission, one question worth asking is, can religion, owing to its measurability, be operable in curbing corruption in a notoriously religious and corruption-spotted country like Ghana? In finding a response to this question, this paper argued that religious functionalism can be used as a practical tool in the fight against corruption in Ghana. Religious functionalism in its definitional postulation refers to activities that promote social integration, adhesive group formation, and social control that foster a moral framework that contributes to the development of a society. To achieve its objective and arrive at workable recommendations, the paper relied on library materials—drawing contents from the research papers relating to the subject matter. The paper recommended that in order to fight corruption in Ghana the functional dimensions of Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion should be emphasized. Specifically, the adherents of these religions owe a responsibility to their religious moral frameworks. If the Ghanaian society is ‘notoriously’ religious, it follows that religious functionalism is indispensable in the fight against corruption. Keywords: Functionalism, Corruption, Religion, Development.

Is Giriama Traditionalism a Religion? Negotiating Indigenous African Religiosity in ‘Interfaith’ Cooperation in Coastal Kenya

This article explores how Giriama elders represent their ‘traditional religion’ (dini ya jadi) through ‘interfaith’ cooperation with Christians and Muslims in the coastal Kenyan town of Malindi. Based on extensive ethnographic research, the article analyses how Giriama Traditionalism relates, in complex and ambivalent ways, to normative assumptions and ideals with regard to what religion entails, and in turn how Giriama elders seek recognition as representatives of a religion in this setting. Such claims are made in a context where Christians, Muslims, and state actors sometimes doubt whether Giriama Traditionalism is worthy of being called a ‘religion’ at all. The article demonstrates that although in the context of interfaith cooperation Christianity, Islam, and ‘Traditionalism’ are formally recognized as equal religions, this does not necessarily create a level playing field. Instead, it requires Giriama elders to appropriate terms, norms, and ideals that are not necessarily of their own making in order for Giriama Traditionalism to be recognized as a religion. Through this analysis, the article aims to contribute to theoretical debates about religious diversity in African contexts by demonstrating how negotiations about what properly counts as (good) religion in coastal Kenya are deeply informed by the copresence of Christianity, Islam, and indigenous African religiosity in one religious field.