Kali on a cracker. This ignorance is on the front page of the NYT.
Those other churches might argue that such a focus on witchcraft is a relic of Africans’ old beliefs, a dangerously pagan preoccupation. But scholars say this is Christianity made profoundly African. Spiritual Warfare considers itself Pentecostal, and like many other Pentecostals, worshipers see the battle between God and Satan, or what they also call the Bible against witchcraft, shaping the world.
“Religion for them is not like in the West,” said Jacob K. Olupona, professor of African religious traditions at the Harvard Divinity School. “It’s not simply seen as meaning and reference to a transcendental order. Religion is seen as something that works. It has a utilitarian view, and people are looking for solutions in different angles and different ways.”
The Spiritual Warfare congregants here said that because their ancestors were not Christians, they were cursed, Africa is cursed and the sins of their fathers are now visited upon all the children.
Angela's trying to do something about an aspect of this problem.
4 comments:
Weel, this is the sort of attitude we're up against all the time over here.
The 'witches' they have in mind do not, actually, exsist of course - but we do.
It's a pretty fight, but nobody in their right mind will suggest we dont' lay claim to the title of Witch.
(about 5 people in the entire Pagan community think that's what we should do-renounce the word 'witch', but they're being led by a known psycopath ).
Love,
Terri in Joburg
Thanks for the mention! But the link you have posted leads to Atrios' blog, not mine.
ex-fundie Mr. madamab told me last night that the Mormons believe that non-Caucasians have dark skin because they turned their backs on God. they are, in fact, "of Satan."
it was only very recently that the Mormons started accepting teh brown people into the church. they are still evil from birth, but they can be redeemed by joining the LDS.
and of course, when Jesus returns, He will lead the people from two places: Jerusalem and....Missouri.
but witches are weird. riiiiiggggggghhhhht.
Hey now, there is nothing inherently improper, improbable, obscene or ludicrous about a deity prefering Missouri to Jerusalem. The climate is better for one thing, the people (or their descendants, ahem) are pleasant enough, assuming you stay away from Cardinals fans that is.
And indeed Missouri has one thing about it that make it inherently preferable to J'lem as a site of Divine governance, which is that nobody else is claiming the same land for the purpose. The joint is now like three brothers forced to live in the same bedroom, where they fight constantly over who gets the top bunk and which has to sleep in the trundle bed.
I will convert to Deism the day that an earthquake (preceded of course by several weeks of mild tremors to alert people to evacuate) sinks the whole damn place--Jerusalem I mean, not Missouri-- or at least the wretched Dome of the Rock/Solomon's Temple complex, about 100 ft. below sea level, where the Jordan River can fill it up and provide a nice reservoir, and nobody else can live there for a few millenia until the land rises again.
==xan
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