San Vs Abrahamic Religion

In my essay I will be comparing the beliefs and practices of one African religion the ‘San’ and one Abrahamic religion ‘Christianity’.

The San has an understanding of a creator God, but there view is that the creator God is distant from man. It is believed in the San man has often made covenants with God. They believe that there are the supreme gods associated with life and the rising sun and lesser gods which they associate with illness and death. The San believe that the Shamans have contact with lesser gods when they are performing trance dance. The San had no sacred scriptures, but transmitted their indigenous religion by means of oral stories, songs, ritual dances and paintings.

In Christianity God is the covenant maker and He gives

They try to avoid places where someone was buried. But if they arrive on such a place they will throw some pebbles on the grave and quietly say few words to the spirits to ensure good luck. They never step on the grave as they believe that spirits are still active in the area above the grave. The San also believe in some other supernatural beings and spirits of the dead. The San people believe that after death the soul goes to the great god’s house in the sky. They believe that the dead person continues to influence the life of those

The spirits, and lesser gods, are usually the spirits that communicate with humans on earth. These spirits do not carry the desires of humans to the Creator God.

In Christianity promises that the Holy Spirit of God comes into the lives of all believers

In Christianity possession of the Holy Spirit of God is both the sign of being “sons of God” and the source of power and comfort. Christians believe that Christ Jesus, God’s own son, takes the “groaning” of humans to God. They believe that Christ took the sin of the whole world upon Himself when He was crucified on the cross. Anyone who now believes in Christ becomes the Righteousness of God in Christ and is stands forgiven before God their ‘Father’.

For the San sin is mostly concerned with transgression of morals or community norms. There is a difference in the severity or degree of a sin. If one does harm to someone in their own ethnic group, it is a more serious sin than if one commits it against someone of another group. Sacrifices are offered in African Traditional Religion in order placate, appease, or ask favours of the spirits. They are often offered when a wrong is committed. The Sans’ tradition is specific to their ethnic group. They are not motivated to teach another ethnic group its forms of religion and convert