Summary Of The Spirituality Of African People By Pete Paris

The Spirituality of African Peoples Pete Paris opens his book, “The Spirituality of African Peoples” with a brief survey of how white male controlled universities in the U. S. were pressed to open their doors to African Americans and other minorities. These changes were ushered in by movements that opposed all types of undemocratic forms of thought and practices. There was the black power movement, the feminist movement, the Vietnam War protests, the free speech movement and the Civil Rights movement all co-existing in rejection to traditional forms of government and cultural practices. Likewise, similar movements were taking place around the world and especially in Africa. The message was the same that all voices in knowledge had a place

It can be said that secularity has no place in Africans experiences. All Africans believe in a self-existent supreme transcendent being that unites realms of nature, history and spirit. As well, the thought of Africans being polytheists has been a misnomer in that Africans believe that this supreme deity presides over lesser divinities, ancestral spirits, and the whole universe as creator and preserver. These sub divinities function in much the same way as angels in the Christian and Jewish cosmology. Therefore, monotheism is distinct quality at the heart of African traditional religions. Nevertheless, even though God is considered a distant deity, everyone knows of God’s willful and just existence. Additionally, God is not always masculine, but not always feminine. The gender of God is determined by the specific need at that particular time. Similarly, ancestral spirits can be either male or female, thereby demonstrating a less sexist position than their western religious

The king was look upon as the supreme leader who maintained the link between ancestors and the people. He was responsible for the ceremonial rituals that maintained harmony between the society and the natural environment. The king was strong, bold in warfare, cunning and lived a life of integrity. However, the position was important enough that should the king become ill and was unable to perform his duties or if he became a tyrant, it was not beyond the tribe to delicately remove him. Inasmuch, it was considered impossible for one who had become king to return to being a regular member of the community. Therefore, there was a process in which the king was persuaded to commit suicide or he was assassinated. The welfare of the tribe was priority over the welfare of an individual, even the king. It is believed that among African Americans this may be the reason the spiritual leader of the church is held in high esteem in