Rel 133: Elements Of Religious Traditions

Elements of Religious Traditions Paper University of Phoenix
World Religious Traditions 1
Rel/133
Dr. Jocelyn Thornton
April 27, 2011

This paper is intended to show how religion is perceived to have several common elements but in essence that is not a true statement based on the terminology used to describe “religious practices”. People believe that typically religions have overlapping themes such as: higher powers to worship, followers, codes of conduct or morals, and a place of worship, however not all do. Because the term religion arose in western society it mainly only focuses on western culture and may not fully encompass the beliefs of different cultures in other parts of
the world. Therefore there are no actual common elements of religion. Based on this assumption spiritual path can be a more descriptive title to be correctly applied across cultures. There are several issues in the study of religion. First of all we call many sets of beliefs religion because religion is an umbrella word that generically tries to cover all spiritual beliefs. Religion is supposed to mean the joining of our secular human world with a greater spiritual world. Religion in traditional dictionaries incomprehensibly and inaccurately attempts to define what scholars’ studies but constantly fall short. Basically because religions cannot all be described in the same ways they prove challenging to study.

The Igbo are a superficial religious group whom believe in a Compassionate leader, known as a Chukwu.
Chukwu is the infinitely powerful, indefinable, absolute supreme deity encompassing everything in space and space itself, in traditional Igbo spiritual belief system and Igbo mythology. Opposing this force for good is agbara, meaning spirit or natural being. Some of the people may be referred to as agbara in describing an almost impossible feat performed by them. Bekee wu agbara is another way of saying the white man is spirit. This is usually in amazement at the scientific inventions of the white man. Apart from the natural level of the universe, they also believe this it exists on another level that of spiritual forces, the alusi. The alusi are deities are forces for blessings or destruction, depending on the circumstances. The Igbo religious belief led them to kill those that might be shameful to the tribe. Social offences and unwittingly infringed privileges are punished. The Igbo people believe it is impossible for humans to conceive of the unlimited power of
Chukwu.

The Igbo people strongly believe the spirit of the ancestors keep a strong watch over them. Appreciation for the dead is shown by praying to them for their future well-being of the living. It is against the tribal law to speak badly of the spirits. The ancestors who lived well, died in socially approved ways and were given correct burial rites and reincarnated among the living and given the name ndichie. Ndichie is another name for the returners. Those Igbo people whom died of bad deaths and lack correct burial rites do not return to the world of the living or enter that world of the dead. They wander the lands homeless and express their grief by causing harm among the living. The funeral ceremonies and burials of the Igbo people are extremely complicated, the most elaborate of all being the funeral of the chief. Several kinds of deaths are considered shameful and in these cases, no burial is provided for these people. Women who die in childbirth, people who commit suicide, children who die before they lose their teeth, and those people who died in the sacred month are not granted funerals. They are simply thrown in the bushes. Single births were considered normal with the Igbo. Multiple births are considered to be of the animal world and are put to death like animals, along with children born with teeth, those born feet first and boys born with one testicle are all put to death and bodies disposed of in privacy.

Village life for the Ibo people is like many other villages in Africa, but still unique in an Ibo way.
Ibos live in villages that have anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand people comprised of numerous extended families. A very interesting thing about these villages is that there is no single ruler or king that controls the population. Decisions are made by including almost everyone in the village. There are established institutions such as a council of elders, a council of chiefs, the woman’s associations, and secret societies. The Ibos simultaneously emphasize individual actions and community living. The Igbo have developed elaborate masks for use in religious dances and masquerades.

The language of the Ibos is very interesting. It is derived from a group of languages commonly found in West Africa, the Kwa languages. It is based a lot on pitch, vocal inflections, and context when defining the meaning of a word. A single word can have numerous meanings depending on these factors. Idioms and proverbs play an important role in the Ibo language. Someone who does not use them in speech is considered a novice at speaking the
language.

There is a negative side to the Ibo culture, however. Since the British invaded and settled Ibo land in the beginning of the sixteenth century, things have changed drastically, mostly to the disadvantage of women. Today, women are considered second class citizens, and subservient to men, and sometimes treated as slaves. Women are also forced to study certain womanly subjects in school.

It has been said that the shaman can interpret the language of animals, charm them, and draw on their powers by wearing items taken from important animals, such as deer antlers, lion skins, and eagle feathers. Shamans must be treated with extraordinary care because of their special powers.
Within Igbo religion, special rituals mark significant life events. Daily ritual takes place in the home at a central shrine with wooden images of ancestors. These images receive regular offerings of food, drink, and sometimes the blood of sacrificial animals. Religious rites mark the naming of children, marriage, planting, and harvest.

Molloy, M (2010) Experiencing the Worlds Religion, Retrieved on April 27, 2011

Slattery, K (2001) Religion and the Igbo People, Retrieved on April 28, 2001

http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofEnglish/imperial/nigeria/religion.