African Traditional Religion

This post or article discusses the religion originated from the African soil. Unlike Christianity and Islam which was introduced to Africans by the Europeans, the believers of the religion have not given the religion any name. Therfore, Afrcan Traditional Religion is used to describe the religion for people to know that it was originated from Africa. Refferring it as Traditional does not mean is a thing of the past.

The history of African Tradtional Religion is very difficult to talk about because it lacks documentation and it was also not founded. The Africans came about the belief of God through people's realization of their own limitations and also people's reflection of the universe.

Africans did not know God before contact with early missionaries. A. B. Ellis, a historian said the Akan(Akan is one of the many ethnic groups in Africa) idea of God is loan-god introduced by the missionaries because there was no direct worship to God and also No temples dedicated to the worship of God and also No priests dedicated to the worship of God.

Worship and Religious Practice
African Traditiona Religion is based on the following beliefs:

1. Belief in a Supreme God
   They believe that the Supreme God is the creator of the universe and also He is a sprit and therefore, can't be seen.

2. Belief in smaller gods or divinities
   They believe that this god is also created By the Supreme God. The lesser gods protect, guard, and help human beings.

3. Belief in Ancestors
   Ancestors are family members who led an exemplary lives and died honourably. They believe that the spirit of the dead continues to lie in the underworld(spirit world). It is believed that in the spirit world, the dead realatives becomes ancestral spirits and also have infuence on the living members of that family.