Selected Aspects of African Religious Heritage Questions and Answers - Form 1 Topical CRE

QUESTIONS

1.      
   1. What was the role of ancestors in Traditional African Communities?
   2. Give the occasions when sacrifices were offered in Traditional African communities.
   3. State six aspects of traditional religion which have been integrated into the Christian faith
2. Mention the roles of diviners in Traditional African Communities.
3. Explain how people in the Traditional African Community prevented calamities from befalling them.
4.      
   1. Outline six roles of diviners in Traditional African society.
   2. Explain four reasons which made traditional African communities to offer sacrifices.
   3. Give six ways the Traditional Africans used to maintain their relationship with the ancestors
5.      
   1. State seven roles of the Ancestors to the living in Traditional African Communities.
   2. Write down seven teachings about God from the Traditional African myths of creation .
6.    
   1. Identify six causes of death in the Traditional African Community
   2. Explain how Africans demonstrated their belief that death was not the end of life
7.      
   1. Describe how God punished people in African Traditional Society.     
   2. Identify seven traditional African practices which demonstrated their belief in God.
   3. Outline five African understanding of evil.
8. Write down seven ways in which Traditional African communities demonstrated their respect towards the Ancestors.      
9.    
   1. Outline ways through which Africans venerated their ancestors
   2. Explain how a Christian can show patriotism during the recent post election chaos

ANSWERS

1.        
   1.    
      • Provided protection from diseases and calamities
      • They blessed the living with livestock, rain and good health
      • Solved problems of the living by instructing them through dreams on what to do
      • Punished offenders and were the guardians of morality
      • They warned the living of impending danger
      • Mediators between the living and God
      • Helped people to become specialist
      • Ancestors provided people with a sense of identity
      • Thy are guardians of religious and cultural practices of the community
      • They received the souls of dead family members into the spiritual world(Any 7x1=7mks)
   2.    
      • Sacrifices were offered during planting time
      • Harvest time
      • When an epidemic broke out in the community
      • During the birth and naming of children
      • When drought and famine occurred
      • During initiation
      • During marriage
      • During funeral or burial /rituals 
      • When purification ceremonies were conducted
      • In time of wars, raids as the community asked for protection and victory   (Any 7x1=7mks)
   3.    
      • The use of vernacular have been adopted in worship in Christian churches
      • Traditional music instruments are used in Churches as Christians worship God through songs and dance
      • Christian churches perform cleansing rituals
      • Some churches are built using the Traditional African architectural designs
      • African tunes and melodies have been adopted in Christian songs
      • Some aspects of African marriage ceremony area accepted Christian church e.g. dowry , traditional marriage songs
2.    
   • Unveiling hidden information or mysteries
   • Explaining difficult situations.
   • Foretelling coming occurrences.
   • Interpreting dreams.
   • Advising medicine men.
   • Combating witchcraft and witches.
   • Interpreting the language of the spirits and occurrences like droughts and earthquakes.
   • They reveal the hidden information.
   • They can also play the role of palmists.
   • They act as mediators between God, spirits and the people.
3.      
   • Maintaining good relations with God and the spirit world.
   • Strict observance of customs and taboos.
   • Educating all children to abide by social norms.
   • Punishing wrongdoers.
   • Rewarding the morally upright.
   • Appeasing God with sacrifices.
   • Banishing evil people from the society.
   • Reconciling warring groups.
   • Compensating the victims of evil.
   • Treating each other well.
4.    
   1.    
      1. Predicted future occurrence
      2. They warned against calamities
      3. They advised people on various issues
      4. They interceded on behalf of the community in time of trouble
      5. He presided over religious ceremonies in the community
      6. They interpreted messages from the spirits world
      7. He comforted the sick, and the depressed in the community (needy)
      8. He identifies evil spirits causing trouble
      9. He was consulted in case of bareness or impotence
   2.    
      1. To thank God for the good he has done for them e.g. giving rain, children, harvests and health
      2. To ask for Gods forgiveness and mercy incase they had wronged him
      3. To ask for help from God during difficult times e.g. during drought, famine, war and floods  
      4. During the making of the covenant e.g. peace covenant, solving clan dispute so that God can be a witness
      5. For appeasing the spirit of ancestors
   3.    
      1. Building shrines for the ancestors
      2. Pouring libations to them.
      3. Naming their children after them
      4. Protection of their culture and ancestral land
      5. Obeying their wishes and wills revealed to them through dreams
      6. Appeasing them through sacrifices and offerings
      7. Inviting them to take part in celebrating of rituals
      8. Men approaching ancestors for their minor needs
      9. Approaching shrines with respect
5.    
   1.    
      1. They are guardians/head of their families as seen when are invited to ceremonies
      2. Encourage, bless and strengthen people during the rite of passage.
      3. They welcome those who die in the spiritual world.
      4. They guard the customs and traditions of families and communities against family and community
      5. They convey people wishes to god and vise versa
      6. They protect the community against harmful spirits.
      7. They advice the living members on both religious and sound matters through dreams, etc.
      8. They warn members of the impending danger.
   2.    
      1. Self existence /self originating self sufficient.
      2. The sole creator
      3. All  powerful/omnipotent.
      4. He is good/gives everything good to man.
      5. Requires obedience from  mom.
      6. He is a protector
      7. He is eternal/ever living/immortal
      8. He punishes evil elders/just God.
      9. God is a spirit /not represented by image /idols.
      10. He is the provider of everything/meets man’s need
      11. He is supreme.
6.    
   1.    
      1. Breaking taboos
      2. Being cursed by elders
      3. Breaking an oath
      4. Disrespecting ancestors and spirits
      5. Failure to sacrifice to God as required 
      6. Witchcraft
      7. Old age
   2.    
      1. Burying the dead with property
      2. Pouring libation to the dead
      3. Ancestral veneration
      4. Talking to the dead during funeral
      5. Inheriting the dead man’s wife and bearing children for him
      6. Belief in rebirth or reincamation of the dead
      7. Seeking advice from the dead
      8. Seeking communication from God through the ancestors
7.    
   1.    
      1. Through famine and drought
      2. Through floods and earth quakes
      3. Locust invasion
      4. Diseases like leprosy
      5. Defeat in wars
      6. Animal diseases like rinderpest
   2.    
      1. Praying to God
      2. Offering sacrifices
      3. Singing and dancing to God
      4. Building shrines for God
      5. Pronouncing blessings and curses in the name of God.
      6. Taking oaths in the name of God
      7. Teaching morals and taboos.
      8. Telling stories of creation
      9. Consulting prophets about Gods will
   3.    
      1. Africans believe God did not create evil 
      2. Dead ancestors offended by the living could cause evil
      3. Some communities attribute evil to evil spirits
      4. That magicians cause evil
      5. Lack of respect to the elders 
      6. Breaking of oaths
      7. Breaking of taboos
8.    
   • By praying through the ancestors  to God
   • By pouring of libation
   • By respecting the ancestors
   • By obeying the will/wishes of the ancestors
   • By naming children after the ancestors
   • By building shrines for the ancestors
   • By teaching children about the ancestors
   • By making sacrifices to the ancestors
   • By protecting land inherited by the ancestors
   • By involving their names
   • By thanking them after achievements
9.    
   1.    
      1. Pouring of liberations
      2. Consulting them through divines/ medicine men
      3. By invoking their names in prayers 
      4. By naming the children after them
      5. Inviting them during family ceremonies & rituals
      6. Conducting respective burials for them
      7. By observing the community’s traditions & customs
      8. Offering sacrifices to them
      9. Obeying their will
   2.    
      1. Preaching unity/ peace
      2. Praying for peace to prevail
      3. Giving material supports to the IDP’s
      4. Offering guidance & counseling services to the affected persons
      5. By serving as intermediaries in the political conflicts
      6. By not participating in destruction of life and property
      7. Condemning those who take part in fuelling chaos
      8. By reporting those who participate in the chaos