Figure 1.-- This idealistic young family is working as Christian missionaries in Africa. They are preaching a Christian doctrine of love and redemption. As part of their religious mission, they are involved in social programs. In contrast, Islamicits, mostly young men, are actively preaching a doctine of hate and intolerance and commiting unbelievable crimes, often targeting children. These Islamicists claim that there is a war against Islam. In fact Islamicists are waging a war against Christianity and other religions.

The Bantu people of West Africa seem to have began to move from polytheism to monotheism at a fairly early point. The idea of monotheism appeared in the person of the Sun God introduced by the Pharaoh Aknaten (around 1300 BC). Monotheism disappered, however, with the death of Aknatenm. Monotheism did not become entrenched in North Africa until Christianity began to become an important force in the Roman Empire (3rd century AD). Constantine's conversion led to the comversion of North Africa and the spread iof Christianity in East africa, especially Axum (modern Erutrea and Ethiopia). One of the greatest Christian scholsrs was St. Augustine who lived in North Africa. North African Christians resisted attemopts by the Emperor, inclusing the Council of Nicea to standardize Christian beliefs. North African Christians included Donatists, the Catholics, and then the Vandal Arians. The Christian divisions and attempts by the Byzantine emperors to force adoption of a standardizeed faith were factor in the Muslim victories in Egypt and the rest if North Africa (7th century). The Moors turned north into Spain and not south into Adrica. In the east, Axum blocked Islamic expansion beyond southern Egypt. The conquest of Egypt and the Levant, however, cut off the Egyptian Coptic Christians and those in Ethiopia from the rest of Christendom. Islam gradually moved across the Sahara and became entrenched in the northern grasslands areas of West Africa. Islam did not penetrate into the tropical rain forests of West and central Africa. South of the rain forests, Bantu religion remained dominant. Further south, in the Kalahari desert, the San people retained their own traditionl religion, similar to Bantu religious practices. Because Arab traders were active in the Indian Ocean, they mopved further down the coast of East africa, but did not move inland, except fot trade and slave raiding. The Europeans first reached beyond the Sahara (15th century), but they set up coastal trading posts and for the most part did not move inland. The first Europeans to move inland were missionries beginning in the early-19th century. Other Europeans folowed later as part of the Scrable for Africa (late-19th century). At this time, missionaries began wide scale conversions. Traditional religious practices which once dominated the continent have declined as both Islam and Christianity have spread in Africa. Africa today is dominated by two religions. Islam in the north and Christianity in the south. Traditional religious tend to hold on in isolated rural areas. And while they have declined, elements survive in both Islamic and Christian religious observation. Today Christianity are the two major monotheistic religions in Africa. Islamist claim that there is war against Islam. In fact, increasingly militany Islaicists are launching a war against Christianity and other religions. Money from oil rich Middle Eastern states is proving an increasingly estabilizing factor in Sub-Saharan Africa. Islamicists have prtpetrated unbelievable crimes in East Africa, the Sahel and now West Africa, often attacking children.

Ancient Monotheism

The Bantu people of West Africa seem to have began to move from polytheism to monotheism at a fairly early point. The idea of monotheism appeared in the person of the Sun God introduced by the Pharaoh Aknaten (around 1300 BC). Monotheism disappered, however, with the death of Aknatenm and the Egyotians returned to their old gods.

Roman Empire

Monotheism did not become entrenched in North Africa until Christianity began to become an important force in the Roman Empire (3rd century AD). Constantine's conversion led to the comversion of North Africa and the spread of Christianity in East Africa, especially Axum (modern Erutrea and Ethiopia). One of the greatest Christian scholsrs was St. Augustine who lived in North Africa. North African Christians resisted attemopts by the Emperor, inclusing the Council of Nicea to standardize Christian beliefs. North African Christians included Donatists, the Catholics, and then the Vandal Arians. Christianity in Ethiopia today has this Roman foundation. It became cut off from Western Christendom with the Islamic conquest of the Levant and Egypt.

Islam

The Christian divisions and attempts by the Byzantine emperors to force adoption of a standardizeed faith were factor in the Muslim victories in Egypt and the rest if North Africa (7th century). The Moors turned north into Spain and not south into Adrica. In the east, Axum blocked Islamic expansion beyond southern Egypt. The conquest of Egypt and the Levant, however, cut off the Egyptian Coptic Christians and those in Ethiopia from the rest of Christendom. Islam gradually moved across the Sahara and became entrenched in the northern grasslands areas of West Africa. Islam did not penetrate into the tropical rain forests of West and central Africa. South of the rain forests, Bantu religion remained dominant. Further south, in the Kalahari desert, the San people retained their own traditionl religion, similar to Bantu religious practices. Arab traders were active in the Indian Ocean, they moved further down the coast of East Africa. The slave trade was the major attraction. The Aabs at first did not move inland, except fot trade and slave raiding.

Christian Missionaries

The Europeans first reached beyond the Sahara (15th century), but they set up coastal trading posts and for the most part did not move inland. The first Europeans to move inland were missionries beginning in the early-19th century. Other Europeans folowed later as part of the Scrable for Africa (late-19th century). Except for Ethiopia, Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa is entirely the work of modern missionaries, mostlt begininning in the 19th century. At this time, missionaries began wide scale conversions. The main Christian denomionations participated in the African missionaty mission, both Catholic and Protestant. The denominations involved were influenced by the religious afiunity of the colonial power. By the 19th century. the colonia popwers were not keeping minority denominations out, but generlly speaking the majority denomination of the colomial poer became the majority denomination in the colonies. br>

Voodoo

Voodoo/Vodou is a monotheistic religion that practiced primarily by ethnic Aftricans in the wider Caribbean. Voodoo developed from trditional religious believes that captured African people brought with them when they were transported to slavery in the Americas. Slave masters attempted to prevent African cultural practices, especially religion. As a result they could not practice their native religions. The slaves thus commonly practiced Christinanity, mostly Catholocism, but many began to worship their traditional gods, but refer to them as Catholic saints. They also performed traditionl rituals using Catholic reliquaries and imagery. It a syncretic or amalgamation of already existing religions. The religion appeas to hsve become more formlized in Haiti as a result of the sucessful slave rebellion (1791-1804). It became establishd in New Orleans, perhaps because the color bar was not as strict there as the rest of the South. Voodoo merges Catholic and African beliefs to form a unique set of rituals that include Voodoo dolls and symbolic drawings.​ There are many Voodoo variants. It spread to other Caribbean islands and today is also practiced in Miami with the growth of the Haitain minority. The greatest number of captive Africans were transported to Brazil and enslaved there. As far as we can tell, Voodoo did not become established there. Slaves from Western Africa (Dahoney) appear to have played an important role in the deveopment of Voodoo. That is the are of the moderm country of Benin. Voodoo is an recognized religion there. religion of the Dahomey region of West Africa (the modern day nation of Benin. Voodoo has not have had a major impact on the rest of Africa. There is a related religion which has been adopted wihin the Hispanic community--Santería (Regla de Ocha/Lucumí). The originins are similar--the Yoruba people of West Africa (Nigeria and Benin). It seems to have develoed primarily among the slaves in Cuba, but has spread and we notice practioners among the Hispanic community in Latin America, including Mexico. Santería has not developed in Africa.

Modern Africa

Traditional religious practices which once dominated the continent have declined as both Islam and Christianity have spread in Africa. There is some Hindu practiced among the Indian immigrants in East Africa, but this has not spread among the African popoukation. Africa today is dominated by two religions. Islam in the north and Christianity in the south. Traditional religious tend to hold on in isolated rural areas. And while they have declined, traditioinal religious elements survive in both Islamic and Christian religious observation. Today Christianity and Islam are the two major monotheistic religions in Africa. The Christian denominations were at first mostly the mainline churches of the colonial powers. Interestingly, the African churches tend to retain some more of the original Biblical teachings than their modern European mother churches which have become increasingly liberal. Rgw African churches have been less affected by the liberalism and the retreat from metaphysical teachings prevalent in modern Europe. The most dynamic churches in Africa, however, tend to be the Protestant evanglical churches unrelated to the 19th-20th century missionary effort. Islam in the north has been affected by developments in the Middle East. African Islam is being radicalized by the increasingly fundamentlist teachings coming out of thde Middle East. A mnajor factor here is the wealth of the oil states and the Whabbi belkieves prevalent there, especially Saudi Arabia. A small amount of money can gave a major impact in the relatively poor African countries. Islamists claim that there is war against Islam. In fact, increasingly militany Islaicists are launching a war against Christianity and other religions. Money from oil rich Middle Eastern states is proving an increasingly estabilizing factor in Sub-Saharan Africa. Islamicists have perpetrated unbelievable crimes in East Africa, the Sahel and now West Africa, often attacking children. Groups like Boko Haram are causing havoc, attacking Christia schoolls, killing tghe boys and kidnapping the girls.

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Created: 1:18 AM 4/18/2015
Last updated: 8:18 PM 9/19/2018