Degree of Baccalaureate in Theology

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Browsing Degree of Baccalaureate in Theology by Subject "African"

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    African Traditional Healing: A Challenge To Pastoral Care of the Sick in Ghana
    (2011) Adu Yaw, Samuel
    The Akan community of the Southern Ghana is very traditional in nature. For several years, the lifestyle, thinking pattern, worldview, and cultural practices of the people has not changed much in spite of formal education and western influence. Although a lot has changed over the years as viewed from the periphery, the typical Akan knows that people still maintain their traditions and observe their customs. This research is something we have longed to do over the years. In the culture in which we grew up it was common that some Christians consulted one traditional healer, witch doctor, diviner, etc. during difficult times such as sickness, calamities, etc. It is also out of observation during my pastoral year experience in Ghana in 2008,2009. In our pastoral work, we visited the sick people at their homes, gave them Holy Communion and shared the word of God with them. My observation during that period was that some would visit one traditional healer or the other from time to time. As an African Christian, we would like to research in this area so as to understand this phenomenon to equip me in my future ministiy as a priest.
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    Catholic Church Facing the Challenge of the African Traditional Religion and the Question of Salvation
    (Tangaza University College, 2006-11) Nir Anselme Somda, Beter
    We see that many people in our home village and many other places in Africa are very exited to become Catholic Christians. We even sometimes miss teachers to instruct them. For the first year of catechumenate their numbers can reach almost 800 people for the whole parish. After following the required instruction, they receive the sacraments of initiation and become members of the Catholic Church. They confess that Jesus is the Saviour and recite the creed: I believe in the holy, Catholic Church... But we noticed that the same Christians coming to the Church every Sunday, are the very ones going to see diviners, witchdoctors and make sacrifices in order to succeed in their work, or to help their children to pass exams, or to get good health... Facing these facts we ask ourselves for which reason do they go back to their traditional practices though on the day of their baptism they confessed that Jesus is their Saviour and he saved them. This situation led me to start thinking that maybe it is because they do not experience the savific presence of Jesus by belonging to the Church or the Church does not accommodate them, meaning that they do not see the Church as the instrument established by Jesus for the salvation of the world. It looks like people see the Church as a social association or the provider for the poor. If they were totally convinced that the Church is the instrument of salvation, during the time of crises they would have remained in the Church while praying more intensely instead of going back to their former practices. So at the end of my theological studies, I tried to reflect on the main factors which push those converted Christians to go back to their former practices. I • • discovered that though the Church is the instrument of salvation it does not respond filly to the aspirations of the newly convened Christians: for example the element of diviners who can read the future of people, the element of offering sacrifice to obtain favour or the sacredness of the religion. People were trained to believe in what they do not understand. When the traditional doctors speak in words they do not understand they see the mystery and are easily drawn to believe in them. As a first step towards this study I did first a general reading of many books around the topic. I also discussed with some people about the topic. The fruit of that research, study and reflection are expressed in three chapters in this essay. The first Chapter will be the presentation of the notion of salvation and its relationship with the Catholic Church. We shall also talk about the ways through which God offers salvation to people. The second Chapter will look at salvation and the mediation of salvation in the African Traditional Religion. Wc shall also look at the position of the Catholic Church towards the African Traditional Religion. The third Chapter will look at the reason why people do go back to the African Traditional religion, the elements the Church can get from the African Traditional Religion in order to help the newly converted Christians (which aspects of Jesus and of the Church to develop more) and finally I shall give my personal point of view about African Traditional Religion and the Catholic Church. I foresee some limitations for this work. Since I am not an expert in African Traditional Religion, I will not be using a particular African Traditional Religion. Traditional Religion, I will not be using a particular African Traditional Religion. I am using the books in general on African Traditional Religion. The notion of Salvation is not understood totally in the metaphysical sense meaning we are not going to be discussing on sins and the mystical interventions. This work is intended to create an awareness of what is happening. When I will be writing a doctorate dissertation in the future, it will be more expanded and will be more scientifically done.