It can be helpful to distinguish between different worldviews (ways of seeing the world) held by different cultures – secular materialism, monotheism, polytheism, pantheism etc. There are certainly very major differences between the way someone in an urban, (post)modern, (post)industrial community might typically understand life and the worldview of the majority someone in rural India or the Amazon basin. However, it can also be helpful to see similarities – particularly this one: we are all animists at heart. Once you dig down into our very different cultures and once you peel away the layers of our very different personal psychologies, you find that we are all naturally inclined towards animism. As someone has put it, ‘Animism is our default setting.’ As Christians we pray that our minds are being renewed and reprogrammed with a True view of Reality but naturally speaking we are all born animists and that is where we are all inclined to fall back.
But can we really say that the Western CEO is an animist as much as the devotee of African Traditional Religion? Romans 1:25 describes the condition of the whole human race, North and South, East and West: ‘They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator’.
How do we see this in practice? I think there are a number of ways in which you can see animism bubbling up underneath ‘Western’ secular materialist humanist culture:
- Traditional folk religion persists in the form of little superstitions and rituals that even educated professionals observe. Many will not walk under a ladder or stay in room 13 at a hotel. Flowers are placed on graves out of ‘respect’ or ‘in remembrance’.
- There is a great openness to Eastern mysticism, occult, reincarnation and ‘alternative’ or ‘complementary’ medical therapies. In fact I just heard that the National Health Service in the UK is beginning to fund Reiki (Japanese originated energy channeling technique).
- Vast numbers of people in the West look at horoscopes. In fact it has been said that newspapers would go out of business if they didn’t contain star readings. Large numbers also believe in various conspiracy theories – what David Aaronovitch has telling called Voodoo Histories.
- It is very common to find secular humanists who talk of ‘living on’ through their children and grandchildren. It is not at all far from the traditional beliefs in some groups here in Kenya that a grandparent’s spirit is reborn in a grandchild.
But more importantly, animism isn’t just underneath secular materialism – secular materialism IS animism. They basically end up amounting to the same thing. At the very least there is a lot of convergence between the two:
- At a heart level western culture worships and serves created things rather than the Creator – money, education, freedom, tolerance, popularity, celebrity, football, youth, technology, music.
- At a philosophical level John Lennox has pointed out that Stephen Hawking ends up treating physical laws as gods by ascribing agency and creative power to them (laws can’t create matter out of nothing but having dismissed God that’s what Hawkings has to argue).
- Because both animism and secular materialism reject a Creator God and the concept of revelation, both inevitably end up believing that Truth is unknowable.
- As a result both Western cultures and animist cultures privilege ‘experience’ and emotional sensation over knowledge, wisdom and understanding. So many times before we left the UK for Kenya were we told, ‘Well it’ll be a great experience’ or ‘As long as you’re happy – that’s the main thing.’
- Again, because they reject the reality of Creator and creation, neither secular materialism nor animism have a concept of sin (certainly not in the sense of hell-deserving rebellion against your Maker) and so they have no place for salvation either (certainly not in the sense of a propitiation of that deserved wrath). Instead there are ‘problems’ that require pragmatic solutions. Life is lived according to ‘if it works for you’. The education system and almost all other government policies are geared towards the needs of The Economy. I recently heard that the UK government had issued guidelines for good parenting. Each one was based on ‘expert advice’ and ‘sound research’ – i.e. it works.
What do you think? Can you see the animism in our hearts and cultures… and churches?
What is your definition of animism?
Good question David. As soon as I posted I thought someone would ask that! I should have made that clear. I guess a fairly common defintion would be similar to that given by Darrow Miller in Discipling Nations: “A set of metaphysical assumptions that see the world as ultimately spiritual, in which the physical world is animated by spirits or gods. In some cases the physical world may be considered an illusion. Man’s highest good and ultimate goal is to return to spiritual oneness while the physical is denigrated.” I’m thinking of a rather broad definition such as that used by my friend Steven Musa-Kormayea (drawing on Christopaganism or indigenous Christianity? by Yamamori and Taber): “belief systems that attribute souls or spirits to animals, plants, objects, natural phenomena, geographical features, ancestors etc. – these are seen as mediators requiring homage.” I see something very similar in Romans 1:23, 25 – exchanging the glory of God for birds, animals etc. But I’ve also got in mind the specific manifestations of animism in the East African context where I’m based. It seems that there is a cluster of important concepts that are commonly found together in various animistic traditions: emphasis on ancestors, channeling/invoking/manipulating spiritual forces, problems ascribed to chaotic forces requiring appeasment. I’d be really interested what your (and others’) definiton would be.
Dear Dr Harker,
This is very interesting, and very true. Most Westerners, if they ever gave any thought to it, would say animism is something belonging to ‘primitave’ people. That is what school text books would say.
However, a few years ago, some South African friends visited us here in the north west of England. One of them is the son of a Zulu chief. He walked through the large graveyard of our parish church and laughed: ‘You see,’ he said, ‘ancestor worship is not an African thing. It is a pagan thing! Look how the people are worshipping their ancestors, bu decorating their graves with flowers and objects. It is just the same! Only you Westerners won’t make animal sacrifices – you just sacrifice flowers!’
It was a brilliant comment and observation. One of my favourite books is the autobiography of John Paton, missionary to the New Hebredes when they were cannibal islands. Some men from our church read that last year, and from it we learnt more about people around us than from any church growth books, because our society has so much in common! Our society is tribal, lawless, superstitious, occultic, creation-worshipping, child-sacrificing… There is little difference. They do not want the good news of Jesus, because they love ’emotional sensation over knowledge.’ And the biggest problem we have is that, unlike the cannibals, our society think they already know all about Jesus, and are therefore doubly inclined not to listen to us. But mostly they are in utter ignorance of him.
Well, I acknowledge its a tough topic to address and i can only say what i know in simple terms;
I believe the words used by Paul in Romans 1: 24 “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie….” Even without going further it shows us the truth was with them/us and thats why he says.. they exchanged.. in the begining. What this means to me is that if at all the animism which to me is a different view of looking at a fallen man is the case then below it lies another layer where Adam comes in; as a perfect man in Genesis 1 and 2 after which the entire World falls into the sinfulness – the fall of man -, this is real death as God himself had warned man that he would surely die after eating of the fruit, meaning the spiritual world which was perfect got destroyed and our fellowship with our true God was broken and so man started all again in search for the perfect spiritual position and fellowship with God which he lost already and its at this point that people took/take different roads in the attempt to go back to the original perfect state. God; as Paul says in Romans 1: 19-20 did not take away the evidence of Himself; Him being the only source of the perfect path to spiritual perfection, however man has been ignoring him and trying all ways to regain it -the lost position but he has refused given up His pride and arrogance and still seeks to come up with his own path to perfectionism rather than the one God has placed in Christ Jesus – the Way, the Truth and the Life. I would say that all other worldviews are human created and doomed to fail if they dont go back through the only WAY which is Jesus. Amen. Newton Gatambia
Thanks for this Newton. You’re right – the original ‘default position’ for Adam and Eve was a true understanding of the world, themselves and their Creator. And as you say there is enough evidence in the world and enough of the image of God remaining in us to know the Truth. It is just that as fallen people we all instantly, instinctively, invariably suppress the Truth and exchange it for something like animism (or animism plus some other worldview on top). Being born again, God has begun the job of restoring the image of God (Christ-likeness) in us and a major part of that is having our minds restored to the original default position of the Truth. Maybe we’ll post something on all this in a bit.
Dear Andy,
For the few days I have been here in Northampton, I have tried hard to understand the people here plus their culture. It’s been a subject of constant discussion with my supervisor who lived in South Africa for a number of years and we’ve been able to draw some similarities between the African mindset & the Western mindset: there’s something that takes the place of God, plus some fear of unknown. The other day, there’s a man who told us of how he has had this feeling that his late aunt (who died 4 years ago) is there with him in everything he does & everywhere he goes & that he thinks that she went to heaven because she was a good person. Ask him the criteria he uses to define good & bad, then it opens another chapter of discussion.
I agree with Mark on his view regarding the dead. I was surprised to learn that most people here have this feeling that when a good person dies, it is not the end of him, he will be still there being felt though invisible. Where is the difference between this belief & the African, I wonder!!
Another thing is celebrity worship. A good example is Justin Bieber!! Oh my, even a 3 year-old can sing to you a Justin Bieber’s song!! There are close to 37 million beliebers (as they call themselves) on facebook & close to 14 million on twitter.
If you tell a ‘westerner’ that they practice sorcery & witchcraft, you’ll be skinned alive but this is exactly what ‘Halloween’ is.
Hi Fidel,
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at your comment – what British people believe is sad as well as crazy!
There was a funeral here in Leyland last week, where the grandchildren of the lady who died said it was all fine, because she was now an angel in heaven looking down on them. This is typical of the groundless folk-religion that people live by. The comedian Peter Kay hits the nail on the head in a little routine he has about funerals. The mourners are round the graveside, when a Walkers Crisps packet blows past in the wind. One lady cries, ‘It’s Ethel! It’s Ethel! She loved Wasker’s Crisps!’
A few years ago a butterfly was trapped inside the window in the church building where my parents go. One lady cried out: ‘It’s Audrey!’ My dad was right to snap back, ‘It’s a church, not a Buddhist temple!’ Even people in so-called churches have a mix of any vague religion. All aspects of animism, I think.
Anyway, happy Halloween. (Joking.)
What is your defination of “WE” here if I may ask?
Hi Jerry. I’m suggesting that ‘we’ is all of us – humanity – at least in terms of the natural sinful nature – our natural non-Christian way of thinking and feeling and behaving. So often I hear the stereotypes, ‘Africans are very relgious but Westerners aren’t’. I think that’s takataka. We are all naturally religious. As someone has said, we are all constantly worshipping, every waking moment, it’s just a case of what are we worshipping. And naturally-speaking (apart from the Spirit and the grace of God) I think we (all) incline to worship created things and see life as a chaotic dance of angels and demons, fate and fortune. We (all) naturally incline to something like animism. What do you think Jerry? How do you find Birmingham?
Andy,
I do appreciate you so much for the contribution on animism, i do agree with you in line with the defination especailly with your last statement…”it’s just a case of what we are worshipping” Figuring out what the Samaritan woman implied when she commented to Christ, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem”…It is not just a matter of worshipping wherever or whatever but worshipping the Holy Father in spirit and truth.
This helps in understanding the many traditions we have in both Africa n western countries…ranging from what horoscopes say about our daily lives to our traditional superstitions which to a great extend captivate us. And so is with the secular world where scientists, capitalists and ecumenists believe that it’s by their own cability they do n achieve what they want-in the long run worship themselves or images and so miss on God, the Creator.
I like the debate on Fidel’s case and Simpson…much about ancestral worship not just being an African thing but a world thing and that a dead man has influence on what sorrounds those who are still living…this shows us that: Animism is real in the mindset of people. Darrow Miller in Discipling Nations says that worldviews emanet from ideas which lead to habits/character, the ideas are passed in different ways.
Ecc 9:5,6 is a remind “For the living know that they will die but the dead know nothing…their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished,; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.’
Eventually,what Newton says about the fall of man-changing of spiritual position, explains how we are all animists. Then, what can help us is what Christ says “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” Jn 17:3
Thanks for this Andy, I totally resonate with your thoughts. Please allow me to make two further observations. I would be very interested in your response…
One similarity I observed is that the witch doctor in Africa is the same as the psychiatrist in the West. Both claim to have special ‘guru like’ knowledge. Both claim to know the answers to life’s problems. The witch doctor dispenses ‘muti’ and the psychiatrist writes a prescription. Both medicate. The only difference is that in the West we make our paganism look respectable we dress it up in science and not Spiritism.
Another observation is that where there is paganism, Satan paralyses the mind. People are unable to think. In the West people are so distracted by television, computers, iphones, ipads, face book, shops, adverts, things, their image, their homes, their holidays etc. that there is no time to sit down and reflect and take stock. There is always a noise, something to keep the mind racing from one thing to the next, that the mind is unable to think thoughts that may matter, the mind is unable to go deeper than the superficial – have you noticed the kinds of things people post on face book. Trivia. In Africa people are unable to think because of illiteracy, a lack of books and education, thinking about anything other than where the next meal is coming from is a luxury many cannot afford. I am told by the Rwandan ladies that I teach the bible to that I ask too many questions. Many of these ladies are illiterate. Their minds cannot cope with having to think about the answers to too many deep questions. People in Rwanda may not be able to think beyond the green hill that they live on but in the West people are no different. The only difference is that the people in the West have money and education so they are able to think beyond survival – they have that luxury, they do not have to spend all day thinking about where they will get food to feed their children and so they think about themselves, their own success, their job, their home, their extension, their children’s education, their next holiday etc. Like the African pagan, their minds remain small and local. Both mindsets are impoverished.
And there by the grace of God go I. Set free to think – it is only the Lord that holds the knowledge and wisdom to life and its challenges, not the witch doctor or psychiatrist. And it is only the Lord that can set our minds free from the captivity on sin, by renewing our minds. The Lord Jesus switches our minds on and raises our horizons beyond ourselves and our own world to the global world he has created.
Thanks Felix for those very helpful verses and Nancy for your analysis. I think on the subject of psychiatry it is worth distinguishing between the practice in itself and its sociological function (how it is viewed and used and the role it plays in a community). What the practice of psychiatry or psychotherapy actually involves can range (in my experience) across a broad spectrum from genuine (and necessary) medicine and helpful wisdom at one end to nonsense and psycho-babble at the other end. In terms of sociological function within Western culture(s) I suspect that you may be right – the role of the psychotherapist in secular societies may often and broadly-speaking (though obviously not in every individual case) mirror the role of the shaman in traditional animistic cultures. But we need to look inside the church as well. Steven Musa-Kormayea has talked of a crusade in the Gambia by an internationally famous evangelist-healer where sick people attending viewed the speaker very much as a marabout (witch doctor). In churches north and south are we sometimes equally guilty of handing out quick-fix spiritual prescriptions and pragmatic gospel-less ‘solutions’?
Wa wa wa wa. I will not miss any other of this blog posts. I will set it as one of my default sites. I have been missing a lot. Thanks Andy and the rest for this views. They help as to think serioulsy about our walk of Faith.
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