Understanding Religions and Indigenous Sacred Ways

Week 1 Discussion for World Religions – REL212

“Understanding Religions and Indigenous Sacred Ways”

Unlike many of the world’s major religions, indigenous religions often centers their spirituality within the context of the natural world and on particular geographic features, including bodies of water, trees, mountains, animals and everything is perceived as being alive with sacred existence.

The word indigenous means originated in, and thus the term indigenous religion means the original religion of a place. Indigenous religions in the majority include those not considered to be ‘world religions’, such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, but instead are often rural in nature, do not seek converts, and identify with specific ethnic groups.

One aspect of indigenous religions that exists in a similar form in a traditional mainstream religion is  African indigenous tradition is conceived as continuum, that follows the process of birth, death and rebirth, the same as Christians, we are born, we die and we have eternal life with Christ Jesus.

Religion has been the basic foundation of life, saturating all aspects of human existence. The definition of religion would be the belief of a higher power that is in control of all things and knows all things. Religion is useful in society because religious beliefs contribute to moral beliefs. Religion also inoculates against social problems such as drug abuse, divorce and suicide.

Understanding religious beliefs other than my own is a key element of tolerance, since faith often define a significant part of a person’s identity, it’s the clay that molds us into the people we become. I have been faced with many friends that are Jehovah Witnesses. I remember as a kids making fun of them knocking on my door but as an adult I respect their faith and I expect them to respect mine.

Fisher, M. P. (2014). Living religions (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/understanding-other-religious-beliefs

http://interfaith-centre.org/iic-resources/lectures/african-indigenous-religions-and-inter-religious-relationship