Things Fall Apart Religion

A new religion can change those who don’t know it. It could be for the better depending on the people and the religion. But in the book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, the arrival of the white man and Christian society they bring, destroyed the way of life for the Ibo tribe of Umuofia. As most know, Christianity is a religion of kindness, but when forced upon those who do not want to recognize it as their religion, it can upset the balance of a once stable community. The missionaries that came to Umuofia planned to better its people at first, but as you’ll soon find, it did just the opposite. First, Umuofia, a strong and proud tribe, met with white missionaries who they allowed to live there, which was the beginning to their downfall. The Ibo people did this because they liked the strange “chalk” men and
Brown continued to work so hard that he eventually became so weak that he had to leave, and in his stead, the strict and stereotypical Reverend James Smith who finalized the destruction of Umuofia as they know it. This is due to his demanding attitude towards the Ibo people. Instead of recognizing their religion and trying to let them understand his, he stubbornly told them that theirs was completely wrong. He set up a new court system that would judge crimes as he, and the just as cruel district commissioner, saw fit. These two were evil, and the tribe knew it. Their ways even influenced a converted tribesman to unmask one of the tribes “evil spirits of judgment”. The same man also killed and ate a blessed snake thought to be a forest spirit. That was the final straw, the Umuofia tribal counsel decided that they had to run these evil men out of their tribe. But even the act of burning down their main building didn’t make the white men leave. Instead, they arrested the counsel, and held them hostage until the tribe would pay the fine. They eventually gave in and paid the fine. With this act, the tribe had realized who was truly in