The history of African Independent Churches (AICs) in Southern Africa goes back for more than a hundred years. They have proliferated geographically and demographically in Africa more than the mainline churches could ever have imagined. They have grown to be as widespread and as influential as the African mainline churches. The reason for this growth is that the AICs are the churches of African indigenous people. They are launched by Africans from a background of an African traditional and cultural frame of reference. The most significant reason is that the founders of these churches are not Westerners, but Africans. Western missionaries find it difficult to understand the AICs from their perspective. Thus the Western churches describe the AICs as sectarian, separatist, syncretist, nativitist, and so on. Nevertheless, some scholars are attempting to view the AICs in positive ways. The fact that these two different churches have never acknowledged each other as true churches is a big challenge for Christian missions in Namibia. Each group has been viewing and judging the other party through suspicious eyes from their own perspective, each driving the other to block the channel of reconciliation before the presence of God. With the aim of solving this problem, this thesis attempts to answer the following questions about the AICs in Namibia: • What are the reasons that the AICs in Namibia have been seceded from mission churches? • What are the activities in civil society in which the AICs in Namibia are currently involved? • Do the AICs engage in any activities which go against the Word of God? • What causes other churches to be suspicious of the AICs? • What level of enculturation is inherent to the AICs in Namibia? In other words, what is the relationship between the liturgies of the AIC and African traditional religion and African culture? • What makes the AICs in Namibia regard themselves as a church? Would it be possible for the AICs and the mainline churches in Namibia to cooperate in Christian missionary work? • What is a possible Korean missionary perspective on this particular situation? This will be dealt throughout this thesis from a Korean missionary missional perspective. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Science of Religion and Missiology / PhD / Unrestricted

Thesis (Ph. D. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Refer to document / University of Limpopo

The theme of gift has in recent years been subject to considerable commentary in diverse disciplines including philosophy, anthropology, sociology, religious studies and literary criticism. The vast majority of these studies focus on how or whether gift can be differentiated from exchange. In this dissertation I maintain that gift is a form of giving and receiving that is distinct from exchange or commerce, and that it need not create an obligation to return or reciprocate. This gift is given unilaterally to the need of the other and results in relatedness rather than indebtedness. This essay considers the characteristics of exchange and of gift, then reviews the thought of five writers on giving/receiving and reciprocation. This is followed by an overview of the gift theme in African Traditional Religion and the Judaic and Christian traditions, and a concluding chapter summarising thoughts on gift and self-interest, sharing, need, and gratitude. / Religious Studies & Arabic / M.A.(Religious Studies)

The study vacillates between the text, the reader and the author. Examining biography and such socio-cultural factors as marriage and cosmology, the reader is equipped with sufficient background which illuminates the ideology behind the text. The cosmological conceptions of the Northern Sotho shed some light on the poet's views on the child's first cry. These assumptions lay a foundation for the religious views expressed in his texts. The contradictions between African religion and Christianity help us comprehend the frustrations of secular and religious lives in our country. These also serve as linchpins towards understanding the pursuit of religious pluralism. The concept 'intertextuality' is explored. Cases of intratextuality and intertextuality which dispute the absolutist view in meaning composition highlight the interrelatedness of texts and how each relationship impacts on meaning. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

Text in Afrikaans / Die eerste hoofstuk omskryf die begrip ngano, daarna volg 'n uiteensetting hoe die Venda mondelinge tradisie in die verlede gefunksioneer het en word die huidige aard en posisie van die verskynsel in die lewe van die gemeenskap gedefinieer. Veranderende sosio-ekonomiese en politieke kragte het die tradisionele lewenswyse van die Venda-mense in so 'n mate versteur dat die mondelinge tradisie en die stem van die storieverteller nie meer hoog waardeer word deur die moderne geslag nie. Die teoretiese uitgangspunt van hierdie tesis aanvaar dat religie 'n radikaal integrerend funksie het wat chaos in sinvolle patrone inkorporeer. Dialekties verbind aan die eerste beginsel van religie is die inherente drang van die mens se gees om alle gegewe limiete te transendeer. Vanuit hierdie fokus kan ngano as religieuse artikulasies interpreteer word wat chaos in sinvolle patrone uitdruk, en waarin oak opstand teen bestaande orde en tradisionele aannames uitgespreek word. In bree trekke skets die tweede hoofstuk die historiese agtergrond van die Venda-mense vanaf 800 nC tot en met die resente politieke veranderinge van 1994 in die Noordelike Provinsie. Die tweede deel van die hoofstuk bied 'n uiteensetting van hul religio-filosofiese agtergrond en tesame met die geskiedkundige gebeure dien dit as interpretatiewe konteks vir hierdie oeroue verhale wat van die een geslag na die ander oorgelewer is. In die volgende nege hoofstukke verskyn vyftig volksverhale wat in agt verskillende areas in Venda gedokumenteer is. Elke verhaal is vooraf voorsien van 'n opsomming van die inhoud van die verhaal asook 'n interpretasie van die verhaal deur die verteller self of verduidelikings van haar helpers. Die oorspronklike Venda-teks word gegee in die presiese woorde van die verteller met daarby die Afrikaanse vertaling. 'n Terna wat hehaaldelik voorkom is die opstand van die magteloses (die kind, die vrou of niksseggende persoon) teen magtiges (die koning, die man, dominerende familielede of tradisionele strukture). Ander gewilde temas is die ellende van hongersnood, die aanwending en voorkoms van toorkragte en bonatuurlike transformasies. Ten slotte is daar drie Sankambe-verhale waarin die fantastiese avonture van hasie, die aartbedrieer, wat op grand van blote vernuf oorleef, humoristies vertel word. Ofskoon daar duidelike artikulasies van verset en kritiek teen die tradisionele orde en teen magtiges is, waag ngano dit selde buite die tradisioneel religieus-filosofiese grense. / The first chapter outlines the concept ngano, thereafter the function of the Venda oral tradition in the past is described and the present nature and position of the phenomenon in community living is defined. Changing socio-economic and political forces disturbed traditional Venda life-style to such an extent that the oral tradition and the voice of the storyteller are not highly regarded by the modern generation. The theoretical point of departure of this thesis accepts the radical integrative function of religion ordering chaos into meaningful patterns. Dialectically tied to this first principle of religion is the inherent urgency of the human spirit to transcend all given limits. Viewed thus, ngano can be interpreted as religious utterances in which chaos is expressed in meaningful patterns and where resistance is articulated against existing order and traditional assumptions. Chapter two sketches the historical background of the Venda people from 800 AD up to recent political changes of 1994 in the Northern Province. The second part of this chapter presents an exposition of their religio-philosophic background which, together with the historical events provide an interpretative context for these ancient stories handed down from one generation to the next. Fifty folk tales (ngano) appear in the following nine chapters documented in eight different areas in Venda. Every narrative is introduced by a summary of the content of the story together with an interpretation by narrator and assistants. The Venda text is given first adhering as closely as possible to the original words of the narrator. Every line is followed by an Afrikaans translation. A recurring theme in ngano is the powerless (child, wife or insignificant person) resisting the powerful (king, husband/man, dominating family members or unyielding traditional structures). Other popular themes are the misery of famine, application and occurrence of witchcraft and supernatural transformations. Lastly three Sankambe-stories are documented in which the fantastic antics of the hare, the trickster in Venda folk tales who survives by sheer cunning, are humorously narrated. Although there are distinct expressions of resistance and criticism against the existing order and dominating powers, ngano seldom ventures beyond traditional religious and philosophic boundaries. / Religious Studies & Arabic / D. Litt et Phil. (Religious Studies)

Considerando a existência de poucos estudos sobre os iorubás e o fato de constituirmos uma sociedade de marcante presença africana, esta investigação debate, entre outros temas, pertença grupal, relações étnico-raciais e liberdade de crença no Brasil. Tendo por objeto de estudo a metamorfose identitária de sacerdotisas e sacerdotes não-africanos do coletivo Egbé Oduduwa, inspirada no convívio com lideranças religiosas iorubás, nascidas e residentes em Abeokutá (Ogun State, Nigeria), a pesquisa foi realizada em espaços de prática da Religião Tradicional Iorubá em Mongaguá (São Paulo, Brasil), Pium (Tocantins, Brasil), Abeokutá, Liubliana (Liubliana, Eslovênia) e La Coruña (Galícia, Espanha). O percurso teórico desta investigação permitiu traçar um panorama de estudos sobre as religiões de matrizes africanas no Brasil e reunir dados sobre: raça-etnia como bases ideológicas do colonialismo e do pós-colonialismo; caminhos de enfrentamento do racismo e marcos do pensamento psicológico brasileiro. As definições de Psicologia da Religião adotadas, próprias das Ciências Psi no continente africano, particularmente na Nigéria e África do Sul, privilegiaram a ótica negro-africana. O percurso das investigações em campo permitiu aprofundar conhecimentos sobre a concepção iorubá de universo, tempo e pessoa e a Religião Tradicional Iorubá como princípios socializadores. O procedimento de coleta de dados incluiu observação participante, entrevistas com as lideranças religiosas que compuseram a amostra de pesquisa e diálogos com informantes orais; para sua análise os dados foram organizados em torno de eixos temáticos emergentes das falas das lideranças entrevistadas; a interpretação dos dados foi realizada com base na sabedoria iorubá veiculada por tradicionalistas da palavra oral e em relevantes expoentes do pensamento científico africano e europeu. Além de estimular e subsidiar debates sobre a construção de uma psicologia inspirada em saberes tradicionais, entre os quais os negro-africanos, se pode concluir, com base no corpo teórico de referência e no conteúdo dos diálogos entabulados, que sociedades tradicionais têm muito a oferecer ao processo contínuo de (re)construção teórico-metodológica dos Saberes Psi, e que o conhecimento desses Saberes Ancestrais pode instrumentalizar agentes sociais em seus esforços por combater a discriminação étnico-racial , em favor da Justiça e da Paz / Considering the existence of few studies on the Yorubás and the fact that we constitute a society with a strong African presence, this research debates, among other subjects, group membership, ethnic-racial relations and freedom of belief in Brazil. The object of study was the identity metamorphosis of the collective Egbé Oduduwanon-African priests, inspired by the relationship with Yoruba religious leaders born and resident in Abeokuta (Ogun State, Nigeria). The research was carried out in spaces of practice of Yoruba Traditional Religion in Mongagua (São Paulo, Brazil), Pium (Tocantins, Brazil), Abeokuta, Ljubljana (Ljubljana, Slovenia) and La Coruña (Galicia, Spain). The theoretical course of this investigation allowed to draw a panorama of studies on African matrices of Brazilian religions and to gather data on: race-ethnicity as ideological bases of colonialism and post-colonialism; fight against racism and historic landmarks of Brazilian psychological thinking. The definitions of Psychology of Religion adopted, proper to the Psi Sciences on the African continent, particularly in Nigeria and South Africa, favored the Black African optics. The course of the investigations in the field allowed to deepen knowledge on the Yoruba conception of universe, time and person and the Traditional Religion Yoruba as socializers principles. The data collection included participant observation, interviews with the religious leaders who composed the research sample and dialogues with oral informants; for their analysis the data were organized around thematic axes emerging from the speeches of the leaderships interviewed; the data´s interpretation were carried out on the basis of Yoruba wisdom conveyed by traditionalists of the oral word and in relevant exponents of African and European scientific thought. Besides stimulating and subsidizing debates on the construction of a Psychology inspired by traditional knowledge, among them Black Africans, based on the theoretical body of reference and the content of the dialogues one can conclude that traditional societies have much to offer to the continuous process of theoretical and methodological (re)construction of the Psi knowledge, and that the knowledge of these Ancestral Knowledge can instrumentalize social agents in their efforts to combat ethnic-racial discrimination in favor of Justice and Peace

The theme of gift has in recent years been subject to considerable commentary in diverse disciplines including philosophy, anthropology, sociology, religious studies and literary criticism. The vast majority of these studies focus on how or whether gift can be differentiated from exchange. In this dissertation I maintain that gift is a form of giving and receiving that is distinct from exchange or commerce, and that it need not create an obligation to return or reciprocate. This gift is given unilaterally to the need of the other and results in relatedness rather than indebtedness. This essay considers the characteristics of exchange and of gift, then reviews the thought of five writers on giving/receiving and reciprocation. This is followed by an overview of the gift theme in African Traditional Religion and the Judaic and Christian traditions, and a concluding chapter summarising thoughts on gift and self-interest, sharing, need, and gratitude. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A.(Religious Studies)

The study vacillates between the text, the reader and the author. Examining biography and such socio-cultural factors as marriage and cosmology, the reader is equipped with sufficient background which illuminates the ideology behind the text. The cosmological conceptions of the Northern Sotho shed some light on the poet's views on the child's first cry. These assumptions lay a foundation for the religious views expressed in his texts. The contradictions between African religion and Christianity help us comprehend the frustrations of secular and religious lives in our country. These also serve as linchpins towards understanding the pursuit of religious pluralism. The concept 'intertextuality' is explored. Cases of intratextuality and intertextuality which dispute the absolutist view in meaning composition highlight the interrelatedness of texts and how each relationship impacts on meaning. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

Text in Afrikaans / Die eerste hoofstuk omskryf die begrip ngano, daarna volg 'n uiteensetting hoe die Venda mondelinge tradisie in die verlede gefunksioneer het en word die huidige aard en posisie van die verskynsel in die lewe van die gemeenskap gedefinieer. Veranderende sosio-ekonomiese en politieke kragte het die tradisionele lewenswyse van die Venda-mense in so 'n mate versteur dat die mondelinge tradisie en die stem van die storieverteller nie meer hoog waardeer word deur die moderne geslag nie. Die teoretiese uitgangspunt van hierdie tesis aanvaar dat religie 'n radikaal integrerend funksie het wat chaos in sinvolle patrone inkorporeer. Dialekties verbind aan die eerste beginsel van religie is die inherente drang van die mens se gees om alle gegewe limiete te transendeer. Vanuit hierdie fokus kan ngano as religieuse artikulasies interpreteer word wat chaos in sinvolle patrone uitdruk, en waarin oak opstand teen bestaande orde en tradisionele aannames uitgespreek word. In bree trekke skets die tweede hoofstuk die historiese agtergrond van die Venda-mense vanaf 800 nC tot en met die resente politieke veranderinge van 1994 in die Noordelike Provinsie. Die tweede deel van die hoofstuk bied 'n uiteensetting van hul religio-filosofiese agtergrond en tesame met die geskiedkundige gebeure dien dit as interpretatiewe konteks vir hierdie oeroue verhale wat van die een geslag na die ander oorgelewer is. In die volgende nege hoofstukke verskyn vyftig volksverhale wat in agt verskillende areas in Venda gedokumenteer is. Elke verhaal is vooraf voorsien van 'n opsomming van die inhoud van die verhaal asook 'n interpretasie van die verhaal deur die verteller self of verduidelikings van haar helpers. Die oorspronklike Venda-teks word gegee in die presiese woorde van die verteller met daarby die Afrikaanse vertaling. 'n Terna wat hehaaldelik voorkom is die opstand van die magteloses (die kind, die vrou of niksseggende persoon) teen magtiges (die koning, die man, dominerende familielede of tradisionele strukture). Ander gewilde temas is die ellende van hongersnood, die aanwending en voorkoms van toorkragte en bonatuurlike transformasies. Ten slotte is daar drie Sankambe-verhale waarin die fantastiese avonture van hasie, die aartbedrieer, wat op grand van blote vernuf oorleef, humoristies vertel word. Ofskoon daar duidelike artikulasies van verset en kritiek teen die tradisionele orde en teen magtiges is, waag ngano dit selde buite die tradisioneel religieus-filosofiese grense. / The first chapter outlines the concept ngano, thereafter the function of the Venda oral tradition in the past is described and the present nature and position of the phenomenon in community living is defined. Changing socio-economic and political forces disturbed traditional Venda life-style to such an extent that the oral tradition and the voice of the storyteller are not highly regarded by the modern generation. The theoretical point of departure of this thesis accepts the radical integrative function of religion ordering chaos into meaningful patterns. Dialectically tied to this first principle of religion is the inherent urgency of the human spirit to transcend all given limits. Viewed thus, ngano can be interpreted as religious utterances in which chaos is expressed in meaningful patterns and where resistance is articulated against existing order and traditional assumptions. Chapter two sketches the historical background of the Venda people from 800 AD up to recent political changes of 1994 in the Northern Province. The second part of this chapter presents an exposition of their religio-philosophic background which, together with the historical events provide an interpretative context for these ancient stories handed down from one generation to the next. Fifty folk tales (ngano) appear in the following nine chapters documented in eight different areas in Venda. Every narrative is introduced by a summary of the content of the story together with an interpretation by narrator and assistants. The Venda text is given first adhering as closely as possible to the original words of the narrator. Every line is followed by an Afrikaans translation. A recurring theme in ngano is the powerless (child, wife or insignificant person) resisting the powerful (king, husband/man, dominating family members or unyielding traditional structures). Other popular themes are the misery of famine, application and occurrence of witchcraft and supernatural transformations. Lastly three Sankambe-stories are documented in which the fantastic antics of the hare, the trickster in Venda folk tales who survives by sheer cunning, are humorously narrated. Although there are distinct expressions of resistance and criticism against the existing order and dominating powers, ngano seldom ventures beyond traditional religious and philosophic boundaries. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt et Phil. (Religious Studies)

African Religion offers new images and symbols of reconciliation that may enhance existing Christian reconciliation metaphors and liturgies. Traditionally, Christians understood reconciliation through the images of either Augustine’s victory model, Anselm’s objective model or Abelard’s subjective model. While these images offered valuable insights, they are limited and increasingly difficult to understand in our modern context. Postmodern philosophy presents theologians with the possibility of deconstructing dominant discourses in order to consider new possibilities. This approach is eminently applicable to the traditional Christian reconciliation models. A comparative study of Western Christian and African reconciliation myths, rituals and concepts is used to deconstruct the accepted positions on the matter of reconciliation. Interviews with four African theologians, John Mbiti, Agrippa Khathide, Daniel Ngubane and Tinyiko Maluleke, reveal that African Christians have often understood reconciliation in more and different ways than those available in traditional Christian thought. They often derived their ideas from African Traditional Religion as well as the modern liberation struggle. In studying African Traditional Religion, it becomes clear that that African religion offers very different options to traditional Christianity with regard to its view on God, ancestors and spirits, life force, and of special importance for this study, shame, guilt and sin. African religion’s this-worldly focus views reconciliation as taking place on a mostly human level rather than between humans and God. African reconciliation rituals can be classified according to the purpose or the myths behind them. Some rituals are intended to create or restore community, while others are meant to propitiate or at least transfer guilt. A third grouping of rituals have the purpose of either expelling or accepting (and thus in a certain sense neutralising) evil (or perceived evil) in the community. Other rituals have a number of intentions, and can use unlikely rituals like open rebellion or dance to bring about reconciliation. A comparison between two religions should treat the religions equally. An investigation that examines both the integrating and transcending possibilities of religions can highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the various reconciliation models without reference to some sort of supernatural reality. The anthropological and social sciences also offer valuable insights into the possible structure of reconciliation. And the South African context demands some minimum requirements for reconciliation in this country. When all these criteria are used to evaluate African and Christian reconciliation models, new possibilities emerge. Different models show themselves to be useful in different contexts. Some African models can improve our understanding of reconciliation between humans and God, while others fit the social context of South Africa. It seems that African thought and religion has a lot to offer to the study of reconciliation. The African emphasis on this-worldliness and community, the use of rituals and symbols, as well as Africa’s still-coherent myths presents new and exciting perspectives. These insights and models can be incorporated into Christian liturgies and rituals that will deepen Christians’ understanding and celebration of reconciliation. / Thesis (DD (Science of Religion and Missiology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Science of Religion and Missiology / unrestricted