Christianity In Things Fall Apart

Matthew the Apostle once spread Jesus’ words, saying,“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.” One of the most considerable goals of Christianity is to share the word of God with non-believers. However, more often than not, bringing an entirely new religion to a group can create certain benefits but can also create chaos and confusion. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Christianity guides Igbo society by providing acceptance for those who do not fit in with the norms while harming it by tearing down previous customs and traditions and creating a divide among clan members.

Firstly,

Firstly, when the clan grants the white men a plot of land in the Evil Forest to build their church, they originally do this because, “[They] expected them all to be dead within four days. The first day passed and the second and third and fourth, and none of them died. Everyone was puzzled. And then it became known that the white man’s fetish had unbelievable power. It was said that he wore glasses on his eyes so that he could see and talk to evil spirits” (149). Due to prior Igbo superstitions, the clan believes that anyone who steps foot in this forest will die. However, the missionaries completely erase this superstition, which in turn causes doubt among the people. This equates to further confusion and erases the beliefs they had in place. The osu next demonstrate the theme of dismantling prior Igbo beliefs. Notoriously, the clan does not allow them to shave off their hair. Therefore, they worry that doing what Mr. Kiaga requests, to shave, will bring about their deaths. However, the missionary exclaims, “‘You fear that you will die. Why should that be? How are you different from other men who shaved their hair?’” (157). Indeed, after they cut their hair, the osu do not die. This causes further uncertainty and forces members of their respective clans to question if what they are taught is actually the truth. The final course of

The unrest the former osu create, who have become the most zealous Christian adherents of all the converts, is a prime example, as “Three converts had gone into the village and boasted openly that all the Gods were dead and impotent and that they were prepared to defy them by burning all their shrines'' (154). Not only is this an example of verbal conflict, but the converts threaten violence, which foreshadows the violence that will ensue. The converts’ radical and extreme passion for their newfound religion causes even more chaos and doubt among the once-peaceful clan. This divide is next displayed when Okonkwo visits Obierika after he returns from exile. Obierika recounts the numerous things that the Christians have done, which includes how “[They] have won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. [They] have put a knife on things that held us together and we have fallen apart” (176). These words are very heavy from a well-respected clan member. For him to believe that the clan has already fallen apart, even before the climax of the novel, is devastating. He declares that this is especially due to the Christians, who cut down the things that have held the clan together and throw them into a state of turmoil. The last way that Christianity destroys Igbo society is through conflicts. As mentioned earlier, the foreshadowing of physical unsettlement, violence, and disrespect