Religious Practices in Africa

Question 1

native religion

Answer 1

• most African religions have a belief in a high god

- this high god is distant, retired, and uninvolved

Question 2

lesser spirits

Answer 2

• animistic
• believing that the world is full of lesser spirits
• lesser spirits are subject to prayer, flattery, and sacrifice
• all things are spirits or life forces
• lesser spirits are often personified in Gods or Goddesses
• offering of food or drinks

Question 3

ancestor

Answer 3

• spiritual force
• the dead enter into a spirit world and remain active in the lives of the living
• the living pray to ancestors to receive benefits and avoid harm
• ancestors enforce the moral code

Question 4

infertility by a couple

Answer 4

• worst punishment by ancestors

- ancestors know and can control the future

Question 5

religious leaders

Answer 5

• rituals performed by individuals, not priests

- some western African religions have priests and priestesses for maintaining temples