Lory Ice Religions of the WorldJournal 2 DATE @ & Essays

Lory Ice Religions of the WorldJournal 2 DATE \@ MMMM d, y January 22, 2017 Africa is home to various religions, cultural practices, and beliefs. Those that originated from the continent are generally termed traditional, although they have changed throughout the years. Today most Africans are either Christian or Muslim, even though in many cases those religions have been Africanized as they spread. Those that where transported out of Africa in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade brought with them their cultural beliefs. Due to the diversity of African cultures, they do have some characteristics in common. In most cases the cultures are all oral rather than scriptural, they share the belief in a supreme being, in spirits and other entities, reverence of ancestors, magic, and traditional medicine.Traditional African religions are less of faith traditions and more of lived traditions. They where more concerned with rituals, ceremonies, and lived practices. An example of t his is the rites of passage rituals. The details of these rites very among different societies, but these rites are however basic components of the society. As they help guide a person from one stage in life to the next, from birth to death and beyond. There are five major African initiation rites. The first being the rite of birth, followed by the rite of adulthood, which leads to the rite of marriage, eldership, and ancestorship. The rite of birth is the first of the initiation rites, and involves initiating the infant into the world through a ritual and naming ceremony. In many of these societies, like the Ashanti, the children are not given a name for the first week of life due to the high infant mortality rate. It is considered unwise for a family to become attached to a child that may pass. The baby isn't considered a baby until after the first week of life. The baby then can be named in a naming ceremony. Though because the mortality rate is so high, many of the cultures are very superstitious during the first year of the child's life, and carry out ritual to protect it from danger. The children are very connected to family, their community and ancestors. Many African cultures believe that the infant has come from the spirit world with important information for the community. The community and family then try to discover the infants mission through the consultation of a diviner, so that they can guide the child through their path in life. After the mission is determined then the infants name is given.The rite of adulthood is the second initiation rite. It is the most popular among the set of rites even to this day. Adulthood rites are usually done before puberty around the ages or 12-13. They preform these rituals to provide the teen with instruction about what will be expected of them during the next phase of their life. In all of these initiation ceremonies, a specific group of elders takes charge of the ritual. They often take the teen out of the com munity, away from concerns of everyday life, to teach them the ways of adulthood. Some of these rites of passage and initiations however have declined in recent traditions due to modern government. After the rite of adulthood the young person is considered an adult and therefore is expected to take on adult responsibilities, for instance getting married. The rite of marriage joins two families and joins the two missions of the couple. Not only are they expected to come together to procreate but they also come together for fulfill their missions in life. Because a man is forbidden to sleep with his wife while she is pregnant polygyny is considered acceptable in African culture. A person is not generally considered an adult until the have married and had children. The rite of eldership is the fourth initiation rite. It is important because it is the elders who represent tradition and wisdom of the past. An elder is someone who is given the highest status in African culture because the y have lived a life of purpose, that which is highly respected. The elder has had to go through the other three rites of passage, and be a living model