http://www.thegrio.com/news/african-religions-gain-following-among-black-christians.php
Are blacks abandoning Christianity for African faiths?
Choir members sing during Easter
service in Harlem at Mount Olivet Baptist Church April 8, 2007 in New
York City. The historic church was built in 1907 and was originally a
synagogue. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The placement of fallen fragments of coconut helped William Jones decide on whether or not to go to graduate school.
The Yoruba priest that Jones had invited into his Brooklyn apartment
had examined the four coconut pieces he had strewn on the floor before
telling Jones that it would be OK for him to further his studies.
That was more than a decade ago and today, Jones, 42, is still a
practitioner of the Yoruba spiritual tradition. He said that
consultations with Yoruba priests leave him with a sense of inner peace.
"I go to see a priest or a 'babalawo' when I need clarity on something," said
Jones, a well-known digital artist.
It's the customized advice from babalawos (masters and diviners in
the Ifa Yoruba tradition) and Yoruba priests (practitioners of the
Yoruba spiritual tradition that have undergone the rites of initiation)
that attracted Jones to what is believed to be the indigenous spiritual
practice of the Yoruba ethnic group after realizing his dissatisfaction
with the generalized sermons offered at Christian churches.
Jones had attended predominantly African-American churches throughout
the earlier part of his life and had considered himself to be a
spiritual person. The Christian church just did not give him the
personal attention he wanted.
Another African-American, Ozahu Belagun, 37, could not accept the
Christian teaching of the metaphysical space for torture and
condemnation, known as 'hell.'
"How can you tell me I'm going to a place [hell] that you've never been?" Belagun asked.
"And how do you know that you're not going there?"
Belagun, known as Pompey Blocker before he acquired an indigenous
African name, has explored a variety of spiritual orientations. His
mother was a Jehovah's Witness. He practiced Islam for three years and
was inducted as a Freemason in 2005.
Now he practices voodoo and asserts that it's nothing like the hocus-pocus sorcery depicted in Hollywood films.
"I've always been connected to things that other people would shun
and say is evil," Belagun said, referring to the tradition of voodoo.
Voodoo is believed to have historic roots in present day Benin and
thus it shares similarities with other West African-derived religions.
The more popular of these are: Ifa Yoruba spiritual tradition, Palo, Candomble, Umbanda and Santeria (also known as Lukumi).
These practices are also known as orisha-centered religions because
all of them recognize spirit-deities, known as orishas. Orishas, also
spelled orixas or orisas, are spirits that control various natural
forces and principles, including: fertility, water and love. Orisha
literally translates in the Yoruba languages as 'owner of head," because
it is believed that followers eventually take on the personality of
designated orishas.
The Yoruba tradition has gained in popularity among blacks exploring
African spirituality because of its accessibility in America. The Yoruba
ethnic group is one of the largest three in Nigeria and those who have
immigrated to the United States, have brought the teachings of Orisha
and Ifa (the systemic basis of Yoruba spirituality) with them.
The fact is while West African-derived religions have historically
been looked down upon, research shows that more African-Americans are
exploring and adopting them. Many of these African-Americans were
Christians and have either completely abandoned the Christian doctrine,
like Jones, or are still incorporating Christianity with the West
African-derived religions to create a unique, sort of 'on-demand'
syncretism.
For example,
Oluwole Ifakunle, or Baba Ifakunle, said he receives phone calls from Christians soliciting his babalawo services.
"The first thing they ask is, 'you know how to read?'" Ifakunle said.
(Consultations during which babalawos and priests communicate with the
orishas through the use of items such as coconuts or cowrie shells are
known as readings.)
After that initial inquiry, he said the Christians usually go on to
explain that they are dealing with a problem that has not been resolved
the 'Christian way,' which includes praying with a pastor or fasting.
Ifakunle said that one Christian woman called him after
suffering from a series of what she believed were demonic nightmares.
But according to him, it's not only Christian parishioners who seek his
spiritual counsel.
He said that a number of Christian pastors and ministers have visited his Harlem-based shrine.
"They usually come to me when they want to increase their church membership," he said. "Then I'll do a ritual to help them."
Anthropologists say these examples of religious syncretism are
nothing new. Black slaves, particularly in present-day Haiti, hid their
African spiritual practices from slave owners by disguising and
incorporating them into the Roman Catholic religion they were often
forced to accept. In fact, voodoo orishas, called loas or lwas, were
reconfigured to mirror Roman Catholic saints and vice versa. So Papa
Legba (a powerful spirit intermediary) became St. Peter, St. Lazarus or
St. Anthony. Ayizan (the loa of trade and marketplace) became St. Clare
of Assisi.
So while syncretism has occurred throughout history, what is
relatively new is the heightened interest of West African-derived
religions in the United States.
"Since the '50s and '60s there has been an increase with more African-Americans embracing these religions," said
Sylvester Johnson, associate professor at Indiana University's religious studies department.
"Today, the practice in the
U.S. is mostly in urban areas."
Johnson attributes the concentration of African-American
practitioners of orisha-based religions in cities including Miami,
Houston, Dallas, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles,
Sacramento and New Orleans can be attributed to the black pride movement
of the 1960s and '70s.
In Atlanta, a city commonly referred to as the heart of the nation's
black middle class, black pride is still very evident today.
"Atlanta has attracted a lot of black professionals, who have tended
to lean toward a more black consciousness and afro-centric attitude,"
Johnson explained. The city has a number of Santeria and Yoruba
followers. Africanized churches like the
Shrine of the Black Madonna the
First Afrikan Church serve the needs of those desiring a more African cultural experience.
The research of
Harvard University African religious traditions professor Jacob Olupona
reflects a greater tolerance and appreciation for not only African
religions, but for other aspects of African culture. He said more
African-Americans are traveling to places like Senegal, Ghana and mostly
Nigeria where they gain a better understanding of indigenous spiritual
practices.
"Part of it is a search for one's roots and one's identity," Olupona explained.
While there are no concrete statistical data that quantifies the
number of African-American practitioners of orisha-based religions, 70
million is the often-quoted figure for the number of "African and New
World peoples who participate in, or are closely familiar with,
religious systems that include Ogun," based on research cited in the
highly acclaimed book, "Africa's Ogun: old world and new," by
anthropologist and professor Sandra Barnes.
Ogun is among the pantheon orishas.
In his book, "Orisa Devotion as World Religion," Olupona explains
that orisha devotion was preserved by captured Africans during the
transatlantic slave trade and is manifested in various forms throughout
the Americas.
Olupona notes the diversity among African-American followers of orisha-centered practices.
"It's not just the lower socioeconomic class of African-Americans,"
he said. "You have the middle-class and educated people and professors
who are adopting African religions."
One of these more educated individuals is
Dianne Diakité,
an associate professor at Emory University's religion department who
freely participates in Yoruba and other African-based religions.
She says that the recent spread of West African-derived religions in
the Unites States arises from the impact of African and Caribbean
immigrants.
However, the attitude she refers to as 'Afrophobia,' continues to generate fear about things related to African culture.
"Historical records indicate that most black churches and
missionaries of the 19th century understood African religious traditions
as a threat to the moral and cultural uplift of black communities and
described anyone practicing those religions as barbaric, primitive and
savage," Diakité said.
She explains that contemporary stereotypes and distortions have
characterized African religions as superstition, witchcraft and
fetishism.
'Afrophobia,' as Diakité describes it, is a consequence of slavery and colonialism.
But perhaps that fear, or at least a hesitation, may be justified
when investigating what is involved in West African-derived religions.
Animal sacrifices, secret initiations, the chanting of the names of
ancestors in libations, the personification of spirits in masquerades,
shaving of body hairs, spirit possessions and refrain from eating
tabooed foods are some of the aspects associated with the African
religions that may be difficult for some people to accept.
"A lot of African-Americans are not ready to make that transition yet," said Belagun.
"Christianity is basically a third generation belief system among
African-Americans-- they're Baptists and their mother was a Baptists and
then their grandmother was a Baptist."
When it comes to religion, African-Americans tend to take it quite seriously. The most recent
U.S. Religious Landscape Survey
conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Life
reported nearly eight in ten African-Americans, 79 percent, say religion
is very important in their lives, compared with 56 percent among the
general
U.S. adult population. 16 percent of
African-Americans attend evangelical Protestant churches and 59 percent
attended 'historically black Protestant churches.'
Among 'historically black churches'
85 percent say religion is very important.
30 percent of respondents among 'historically black churches' attended
religious services more than once a week and 80 percent said they prayed
daily.
Nearly two-thirds of members of historically black Protestant churches are Baptists.
Overall, not only are black Americans are most likely to report a
formal religious affiliation, but they are also the most religiously
committed racial or ethnic group in the nation, according to the survey.
However, the study also confirms that the United States is on the
verge of becoming a minority Protestant country. Even African-Americans
are exploring non-Christian alternatives.
The
2008 American Religious Identification Survey
found that those who claimed 'no religion' grew in every state within
the last 18 years. Between 1990 and 2008, the number of nonreligious
Americans nearly doubled, from 8 to 15 percent, according to the
ARIS study. Among African-Americans, the increase was also nearly double, from 6 percent to 11 percent.
So, while increasing numbers of African-Americans are denouncing
religion for atheism, others are adopting African religions, especially
those from West Africa.
A growing dissatisfaction with Christianity among African-Americans
seems to reflect disenchantment with the tradition of the black church.
"When you got churches full of pedophiles and crooks, people want to
see what else is out there for them," said Kenny Depeyster.
His reference to highly publicized scandals, including the
sexual harassment accusations against Georgia mega-church pastor, Bishop Eddie Long, notes that these cases are now 'bigger and in the public eye.'
Depeyster is a 'palero,' a follower of the Palo spiritual tradition
that is believed to have emerged from the Congo basin region in central
Africa. Palo was carried to the New World via the slave trade and was
preserved by Afro-Latino communities in the United States. Today,
African-Americans are also a part of the tradition. Depeyster has been a
palero for about 16 years.
Christianity, he said, was not emphasized in his family.
But for Yoruba spiritual practitioner, William "Baba Bill" Mathews,
62, Christianity was a strong influence in his family's life. Mathews
eventually left the church because he felt it lacked spirituality.
He remembers an incident as a 7-year-old boy one Sunday when he had told his grandmother that he did not want to go to church.
"My grandmother smacked me on my head and she said, 'why don't I want to go to God's house?'" Mathews recalls.
"I told her, 'God don't live there; God lives in nature.'"
According to Mathews, that childhood premonition was his calling into
orisha. He openly practices Yoruba spirituality saying that it is no
longer something to be ashamed of.
"During slavery, the blacks had to hide what they were doing, but that is no more," he said.
Mathew appreciates the simplicity of West African-derived religions
and its accessibility regardless of one's educational status. He says
Christianity has become highbrow and "difficult to understand."
According to him, that's why the Yoruba tradition has grown "leaps and
bounds" in the United States.
Mathews and his wife recently visited the
Oyotunji African Village in northern Beaufort County,
S.C.
Organized in the 1970s by the late Efuntola Oseijeman Adefunmi in an
attempt to reclaim ancestral Yoruba customs and tradition, the Oyotunji
village serves as a tourist attraction and a mecca for African-American
followers of orisha-centered religions.
Adefunmi, an African-American born in 1928 as Walter King, served as a
spiritual father for many blacks seeking knowledge about orishas. His
historical significance and cultural relevance is well cited among
religious scholars. The Oyotunji community that he founded is said to be
North America's oldest, authentic African village.
"The Oyotunji community is a utopia," Olupona said. "It is a symbol
of the black power movement that took place in this country in the
1970s."
Reverend Terri Adisa, an interfaith spiritualist, asserts that
African-Americans can find more spirituality in Oyotunji village than in
a typical black Christian church. She says the church has moved away
from teaching members how to apply practical spiritual principles toward
a more superficial doctrine.
"Christianity today is not about God, it's about 'church-ianity," Adisa said, referencing a term that is gaining popularity.
"It's about how to act and behave and dress in church," she said,
"but when you get to the parking lot you're cussing at each other."
That disapproval of what Adisa perceives as a lack of sound spiritual
commitment is not unlike the views of other African-Americans who have
chosen to follow an African religion. Similarly, another Yoruba priest
said that the Christian phrase of "being born again," is really another
way to say "hypocrite."
Paleros, Yoruba spiritualists, voodoo practitioners and other
followers of orisha-centered religions seem to be attracted to the
tradition because they say it brings results. They enjoy going to a
priest (which varies in name according to the tradition) and having the
priest indicate their symptoms and the solutions.
"It's like going to a doctor," Jones said.
Nonetheless, that 'doctor-like' treatment may not suit everyone.
Christianity still dominates in black America, but the ones who have
ventured beyond say they are satisfied, at least for now.
Reactions
Show more reactions
Reactions AMERICAN AFRICANS SITE-
Subscribe
We’ve
recently been made aware that some people were not given the option to
sign up for our American Africans newsletter/updates. If you ARE
interested in receiving news, updates and messages from American
Africans please click this link http://eepurl.com/cuoy1 and complete the brief form.
Thank you and we hope to hear from you soon!
Subscribe
We’ve
recently been made aware that some people were not given the option to
sign up for our American Africans newsletter/updates. If you ARE
interested in receiving news, updates and messages from American
Africans please click this link http://eepurl.com/cuoy1 and complete the brief form.
Thank you and we hope to hear from you soon!
Share Your Story
American Africans is filming in the following cities:
- Cleveland, OH
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Sheldon (Oyotunji), South Carolina
- Atlanta, GA
- Tallahassee, FL
- New York, NY
- Philadelphia, PA
- Washington, DC
- Los Angeles, CA
We are currently looking for people to interview who fit into the following categories:
- African Americans who adopted African names, cultural traditions and
religions as a direct result of being involved in the Black Nationalist
and Pan African Movements of the 1960’s and 70’s, had families and
raised their children in this manner.
- People who were raised in African centered households, to be
considered a member of this group you must have an African name (legal
or adopted by your parents) and your parents practiced an African
religion.
- Members of today’s third wave Black Nationalist/Pan African Movement
who while not raised in an African centered household have chosen to
keep African traditions alive either through participating in lively
African dance and drumming classes, changing their names or adopting
African religious practices.
- Scholars, journalists, etc… who have studied and/or written about this phenomenon of the African centered lifestyle in America.
Lastly, we would love to visit (and film) ceremonies, dance classes
and other events in the above mentioned cities so please email us a
calendar of events and make us aware of the ongoing nature of these
events.
Please contact us at: americanafricans@gmail.com
Posts
