Animism is defined as “the belief that personal spiritual beings and impersonal spiritual forces have power over human affairs and, consequently, that human beings must discover what beings and forces are influencing them in order to determine future action and, frequently, to manipulate their power.”[1] In the Western world Animism is somewhat new (with the exception of Native Americans who have practiced it for many centuries) and growing in influence in the form of nature worship, the occult, and several other ideas or practices. But, in other parts of the world it has been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and takes various forms including those already named. In East Africa specifically it is found in the form of witch doctors, curses, making animal sacrifices to the spirits of departed ancestors, etc. Yes, it is ingrained in the culture. And, yes, it is still believed by many in the Church and is something to be contended with constantly. Some examples are as follows:
1. A member of the Church was out in the bush. He looked up into the sky and yelled for his friends to run back to the village. Why? Because he has just seen a witch flying across the sky. In actuality what has he seen? A falling star. But, he has been told all of his life that this is a witch.
2. In the book already cited, Van Rheenan tells of a Kenyan Christian by the name of Jonathan. He is cursed by a man for interfering in a dispute between this man and a neighbor. He believes the curse to have power over him and he eventually dies. His fellow Christians wonder why his faith in Christ was weak and he could not overcome the curse. This discourages them in their faith.
3. A man stood up at the Arusha congregation last year to confess sin in his life. He had returned home and, being the oldest son, he is considered to be the one responsible for keeping the spirits of dead relatives appeased. Some calamity had befallen the family and it was assumed that a dead grandfather had caused it. No sacrifice had been made to this departed loved one. So, the Christian chose to give in to family pressure and offered a chicken over the grandfather’s grave. He knew it was wrong and asked for forgiveness.
4. During the violence which resulted from the Kenyan elections of January 2008, much looting occurred. In one instance there was a warehouse which was broken into and looted. Many things were taken such as refrigerators and other large items. The people who owned the warehouse decided to put out the word that the items which had been stolen had been placed under a curse by a witch doctor. Much of the stolen merchandise was returned.
Stories like these could be told over and over. The challenge is to overcome these ideas with the Truth and work toward converting people to the Gospel. When we say converting, we mean totally converting them. We do not want to make what Van Rheenen calls a “christo-pagan.” We do not want to have someone think that since Christ has overcome the powers of darkness that they should become a Christian for the benefit of power over the spirits of the world. In that case, there is not one God, but many gods and the God we serve just happens to be more powerful than the rest. In addition, we want to convert them to Christ and have them understand that it’s not all about what they get out of it, but also about what they can contribute to it. They can bring glory to God and obey the Scriptures because it is the right thing to do, not because it is a way to overcome the so-called spirits, sickness, poverty, and any other problem that they have.
To help combat these ideas a project has been undertaken by myself and several others. Most of the graduate students of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching have each written the first draft of their own chapter in a book on Animism and all of its various facets. I will be editing this book. It will prayerfully be published in the next year or so. Please pray that it is accomplished in such a way that it will have a great impact upon the people of East Africa.
Very interesting, James. Thanks!
Richard Mansel