Traditional Religions

TL;DR:
This Traditional Religions course explores long-standing, community-rooted belief systems passed down through generations, usually through oral tradition. They are deeply embedded in a people’s culture, history, and social structures. Common features include ancestor veneration, animism, ritual ceremonies, a connection to nature, and a belief in multiple gods or spirits. A personal note highlights the instructor’s experience in Haiti, where voodoo (vodou) is the dominant animistic religion.

Open Educational Resources

This page and the resources linked from it are Open Educational Resources (OER).

Scope of the Course

"Traditional religions" typically refer to belief systems, spiritual practices, and cultural customs that have been established over a long period within a particular community or society. These religions often have deep roots in the history and culture of a region or ethnic group and are passed down through generations via oral traditions, written texts, rituals, and ceremonies.

Traditional religions are diverse, but many share some of the following characteristics:

1. Traditional religions are usually thoroughly intertwined with the history, culture, and social structures of the communities that practice them. They are called "traditional religions" because they reflect the values, beliefs, and experiences of the people who have practiced them for centuries.
2. Many traditional religions rely heavily on oral tradition for the transmission of teachings, myths, and rituals from one generation to the next. Stories, songs, and rituals are passed down verbally rather than through written texts.
3. Traditional religions often include practices related to ancestor veneration and animism, in which natural objects, animals, or ancestors are believed to possess spiritual significance or supernatural powers.
4. Rituals and ceremonies play a major role in traditional religions. These practices mark important life events such as birth, coming of age, marriage, and death, as well as seasonal changes and agricultural cycles.
5. Many traditional religions stress a deep connection to nature and the natural world. This connection is often reflected in rituals, prayers, and beliefs that honor and respect the environment and its resources.
6. Some traditional religions recognize multiple gods or spirits, each with a particular domain of influence or power. Some also perceive the divine as present throughout the natural world.

Examples of traditional religions include various forms of Indigenous spirituality, such as Native American religions, African traditional religions, Australian Aboriginal religions, and the traditional religions of many Indigenous peoples in Asia and the Pacific Islands. Additionally, certain forms of Hinduism, Shinto, and Taoism could also be considered traditional religions due to their deep historical roots and cultural significance within their respective regions.

Additional materials will be available during the course. Students will study in detail the religions—often associated with tribal peoples—that are sometimes described as animistic.

I have a very personal interest in this subject because we spent four years in missionary service in Haiti, where Vodou is deeply embedded in the country’s religious and cultural life (also spelled Voodoo or Vodun). [ e-book on Haiti ]

The professor’s firsthand observations of a Haitian rara band [ read article ]

Case studies to be used in class:

• Ancestral feast in Africa — Should Christians participate?
• Communal feast — protection from evil spirits in Java
• Group conversion — a village wants to become Christian
• Sacrifice to the smallpox goddess — what should new Christians do?
• You must purify this house — A demand made of a missionary who killed bees

Are you doing some of your research on the internet? If so, be sure to cite those internet sources properly in your written work.

Acrostic: Animism

A – All of nature is believed to be infused with spiritual forces.
N – Nature spirits and ancestors are often venerated or appeased.
I – Interactions with spirits occur through rituals, offerings, and charms.
M – Magical practices are used to influence events and gain favor.
I – Individual and communal experiences of the supernatural shape daily life.
S – Sacred objects and symbols are believed to carry spiritual power.
M – Myths and oral traditions explain the origins and workings of the spirit world.

More acrostics on this site

Course Syllabus

MISS 5103/SOC 5103

Requirements

1. Regular attendance. An important component of this course is what goes on in the classroom: lectures, presentations, interactions, and discussions. Therefore, unexcused absences will reduce the final course grade.
2. Read all textbooks in their entirety. At each examination, you will be asked whether you completed the assigned readings.
3. Three written papers on assigned topics related to the course content. These should be typed, double-spaced, and include a bibliography of sources consulted. Quotes and other material needing documentation do not require full footnotes or endnotes. Rather, they can be done in the style of sociological and anthropological theses, e.g., (Kiev, 134). In this case, Kiev is the name of the author being cited, and 134 is the page on which the citation is found.
   • An impressive paper would be one based on an interview with someone involved in a tribal or traditional religion. Such a paper, while primarily field research, should also have a foundation of library research.
   • A suggested bibliography of sources in the university library is included. You need not, however, confine yourself to these sources.
4. Written video reflections. Whenever videos are shown in class, you must write an analysis or reflection of at least one page and turn it in by the next class period.
5. Read Paul Hiebert's article, "The Flaw of the Excluded Middle." It can be found in the 1982 bound copy of Missiology or in the third edition of Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Turn in a one-page reaction/summary.

Grading

The letter grade for the course will generally be assigned according to the standard breakdown (A=90% or above, B=80% or above, etc.). The following percentages will be used to compute the course grade:

• 4 exams at 100 points each: 400 points — CP10, CP19, CX1, CX4, CX5, CX6
• 3 papers at 100 points each: 300 points — CP1, CP2, CP10, CX4, CX5, CX6
• Review of Hiebert's article: 10 points — CP19, CX5, CX6
• Video reflections: 10 points each — CP19, CX4, CX5, CX6
• Attendance: 100 points — CP10, CX1, CX4, CX5, CX6

Assignments submitted late will be subject to a grade reduction.

Course Calendar

Bibliography

This bibliography is not exhaustive. It is simply a sampling of what is available in the library.

Periodicals

Adeney, Miriam. "What is 'Natural' About Witchcraft and Sorcery?" Missiology. 1974: 377-95.
Atkinson, Jane Monnig. "The Effectiveness of Shamans in an Indonesian Ritual," American Anthropologist. June, 1987, p. 342.
Booth, William. "Voodoo Science," Science. April 15, 1988. p. 274.
Brown, Kenneth I. "Worshiping with the Church of the Lord (Aladura)," Practical Anthropology. 1966: 59–84.
_______. "Forms of Baptism in the African Independent Churches of Tropical Africa," Practical Anthropology. 1972: 169-192.
Carpenter, Mark. "The Bible vs 'Brazilian Reality'," Christianity Today. December 13, 1985, p. 50.
Devillers, Carole. "Haiti's Voodoo Pilgrimages of Spirits and Saints," National Geographic. March, 1985, p. 395.
Gilliland, Dean. "Phenomenology as Mission Method," Missiology. 1979, 4:451-459.
Hiebert, Paul G. "The Flaw of the Excluded Middle," Missiology. 1982, 1:35.
Holmes, Lowell D. "Cults, Cargo and Christianity: Samoan Responses to Western Religion," Missiology. 1980, 4:471–487.
Kapenzi, G. Z. "Shona and Navaho: A Comparative Study of Beliefs and Practices," Missiology. 1974, 4:489–495.
Katz, Susan. "A Pantheon of Spirits: Haiti's Voodoo Mixes Faith and Magic," Newsweek. February 24, 1986, p. 64.
Levine, Art. "Mystics on Main Street: While Skeptics Cast Doubts, Psychics Count Dollars," U.S. News and World Report. February 9, 1987, p. 67.
Loewen, Jacob A. "Mythology and Missions," Practical Anthropology. 1969: 147-192.
McGregor, Donald E. "New Guinea Myths and Scriptural Similarities," Missiology. 1974, 1:35.
O'Brien, Patricia. "Prehistoric Evidence for Pawnee Cosmology," American Anthropologist. Vol. 88, 939–946.
Osborne, Kenneth B. "A Christian Graveyard Cult in the New Guinea Highlands," Practical Anthropology. 1970: 10-15.
Partain, Jack. "Christians and Their Ancestors: A Dilemma of African Theology," Christian Century. November 26, 1986, p. 1066.
Roberts, John M., Saburo Morita, and L. Keith Brown. "Personal Categories for Japanese Sacred Places and Gods," American Anthropologist. Vol. 88, Dec. 1986, pp. 807–824.
Saliba, John A. "Myth and Religious Man in Contemporary Anthropology." Missiology. 1973, 3:281.
Sass, Louis. "Voodoo Therapy: Do you believe in magic?" Vogue. Sept., 1986, p. 296.
Shaw, Daniel. "Every Person a Shaman," Missiology. 1981, 3:359–366.
Singleton, Michael. "Signs and Spiritual Direction: the Pastoral Counseling of the Possessed," Missiology. 1977, 2:185-194.
Taber, Floyd W. "How Real Are Dreams?" Practical Anthropology. 1972: 108–109.
Thornton, John K. "On the Trail of Voodoo: African Christianity in Africa and the Americas," The Americas: A Quarterly Review of Inter-American Cultural History, vol. 44, Jan. 1988, p. 261.
Tippett, Alan R. "The Evangelization of Animists," in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, ed. Ralph Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, pp. 629–640.
Toliver, Ralph. "Syncretism: A Specter Among Philippine Protestants," Practical Anthropology. 1970: 210–219.
Turner, Harold W. "Old and New Religions Among North American Indians," Missiology. 1973, 2:47.
Turner, Charles V. "The Sinasina Stone Bowl Cult," Practical Anthropology. 1970: 28-48.
Van Rheenen, Gailyn. "Cultural Conceptions of Power in Biblical Perspective," Missiology, January 1993.
Welton, Michael. "Themes in African Traditional Belief and Ritual," Practical Anthropology. 1971:1–18.
Wright, Michael. "Some Observations on Thai Animism," Practical Anthropology. 1968: 1–7.
Yancey, Philip. "Tree Trunks and Other Trivial Pursuits," Christianity Today, May 17, 1985, p. 8.

In microform:

"Christian response to the phenomenon of witchcraft in Ghana," an MA thesis by Vincent Boi-Nai.
"Elements of a strategy for the evangelization of Rastafarians with special reference to Jamaica," an MA thesis by Laurie Lind.

Books

Beals, Ralph L., and Harry Hoijer. An Introduction to Anthropology, pp. 434–470.
Bessy, Maurice. A Pictorial History of Magic and the Supernatural.
Conn, Harvie. Eternal Word and Changing Worlds.
De Waal Malefijt, Annemarie. Religion and Culture.
Durkheim, Emile. Elementary Forms of Religious Life.
Diederich, Bernard, and Al Burt. Papa Doc and the Tonton Macoutes, pp. 345–357.
Eliade, Mircea. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy.
Frazer, James George. The New Golden Bough. (Found in "reference" section)
Gehman, Richard J. African Traditional Religion in Biblical Perspective.
Haviland, William A. Anthropology, pp. 535–560.
Hiebert, Paul G. Cultural Anthropology, pp. 371–396.
Keesing, Roger M. Cultural Anthropology, pp. 385–405.
Kottak, Conrad Phillip. Cultural Anthropology, pp. 260–284.
Leach, Maria, ed. Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend, 1972. (Located in "Reference" section)
Leslie, Charles, ed. Anthropology of Folk Religion.
Lessa, W. A., and E. Z. Vogt, editors. Reader in Comparative Religions.
Levy-Bruhl, Lucien. Primitives and the Supernatural.
Lowie, Robert. Primitive Religion.
Melton, J. Gordon. Magic, Witchcraft and Paganism in America. ("Reference" section)
Nevius, John L. Demon Possession.
Nida, Eugene A., and William A. Smalley. Introducing Animism.
Taylor, Robert B. Cultural Ways, pp. 229–246.

Check also the 20-volume series Peoples of the Earth located in the "reference" section.

How do I go about learning their language?

The gospel can never become contextualized until it is expressed in a people's native (or heart) language. [ more ]

Tempted to cheat on some schoolwork? Before you do, read Southern Nazarene University's academic integrity policy.

— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu

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More on traditional religions for you

• World map showing where there are concentrations of animistic and tribal religions
• Are the "heathen" lost? Answers to an oft-asked question
• 10/40 Window explanation and map
• Communal feast — protection from evil spirits in Java
• Case studies involving animistic beliefs
• Spirit possession in Haitian Voodoo