Comparing ReligiousFigures in Various African Groupsvs. in the U.S.
...ing, for this reason the majority of homes in America, including Santa Cruz do not believe they have shrines. However, for the sake of this paper we will define altars and shrines the way many Africans do. The altars/shrines of both cultures are very similar. It is rare to find an official shrine in Christian homes but when a Bible is placed on a fireplace this would make the fireplace a shrine. In addition, Christian religious figures are usually placed together. In my home, for instance, we have a table with images of the holy family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Although they are not prayed to or worshiped ritually like the shrines in African culture, they do remind my family of our faith and God. Unlike traditional African shrines, the religious figures displayed in my house are not surrounded by decorations. The shrines that are found in African homes are decorated and made very elaborate. Ann Daramola’s family is native to Nigeria. In an Interview with Ann and her father, Jacob, I discussed the significance and importance of decorated altars. Although the Daramola family are now fully converted Christians they were happy to explain that the decorations are a sign of respect to the gods and deities. Christians worship God by going to mass or singing hyms, but in Nigeria decorating altars is a sign of worshiping and having faith in their deities. The most common article found in shrines in the West are sacred text. Usually, even if a Christian family is not that religious, they will most likely have a Bible. The most common image seen in a Christian home is the Bible. The Bible is usually placed somewhere everyone can see it. I have visited many homes where the Bible is placed next to family pictures. In my home the family Bible is placed in the living room for everyone to see, but it is placed there because that is the traditional place to put it. Jen Chapman’s family does the same thing. She told me that the reason her family did this is to show the importance of faith within her family, and to show that God is part of their family also. Although the Bible is usually placed on an elevated surface, showing respect, in the Kongo their sacred text is usually placed on the floor. The point of this is, “where one kneels to seek the insights and protection of the dead”(Thomson, 28). To the people of the Kongo the heavens represent God and a higher power, whereas the earth and the floor represent ancestors and the living. The Bible and the Sacred Texts used in Africa are both for the most part surrounded by other sacred images. In the African tribes that practice ancestor worship anthropomorphic images representing ancestors or other deities surround sacred texts or are placed next to one another on an altar. In African societies where Christianity has become adopted, African traditional images are placed next to Christian images, “Christian figures are placed alongside older gods (Parrinder, Africa’s Three Religions, 20). The anthropomorphic images are a way for Africans to think of divine powers, and give face to an idea. When talking to Ann Daramola she pointed out that religious figures are representations of human but they are not accurate human forms. In fertility images the emphasis of the image is, “breast, belly, hips, and the baby”. Religious figures in Christianity are very descriptive. To sculpt any member of the holy family vaguely would be disrespectful. There are, however, different ways the holy family is portrayed. Jesus, for instance, can be shown as a young boy or an adult. If Christianity is not represented in human form they can be represented in symbols of each person. Jesus is the most common figure seen in Christianity. Jesus is symbolized in fish, in tools because he was a carpenter, and through a crucifix because he died on the cross. Although Mary alone is worshiped by Catholics, figures of Mary with Jesus can be seen in Christian homes. When Mary is shown by herself her hands are usually out stretched or with her hands together showing that she is praying for us. Like in African religions, Christians pray to their images. Both African and Christians do not worship the image itself, but worship what the images symbolize. Images and Symbols are very powerful tools used in the prayer and the worship of both cultures. Very faith-filled Christians believe that God will provide them with what they asked him for, and if he does it is because they were selfish and its wasn’t God’s will. Various African groups also believe this is the case when they pray to their ancestors or worship their deities. When someone from Nigeria would want a favor from the gods they would go to an “herbalist” and herbalist would perform acts of “juju”, better know...