When you see this topic, you may be wondering what is my position? There is a misconception that people in indigenous religion are worshiping their ancestors. Let us not confuse “worship” and “honour”. There is a way of showing respect to our ancestors, people we once lived and shared memories with. How come now that they’re no more they are called all sort of names?

If you loved and cherished your mother while she was still alive, now that she is no more is she now a demon? Did you really love her in the first place? So then what’s changed?

African indigenous practices or beliefs don’t worship the dead but they honour them.

For your information, we don’t even recognise ancestors that were doing bad things when they were still alive, we recognise those who did good in front of God’s eyes. As an African, you should know the difference between God and ancestors and stop putting your ancestors in a higher position than God.

African Spirituality teaches people to respect their ancestors and to honour them when needed. Why is it a bad thing when an African child is honouring their ancestors but it is never a bad thing when a white person goes to their mother’s or any of their family’s grave and talk to them? Sometimes they cremate the body and when they feel stressed or missing that person they talk to the ash. Isn’t that speaking to the dead?

Is it holier when it is not done by a black person? All the people who are written in the Bible are no more but they still receive praises to date. Why can’t we praise or honour ours? Why is it always bad when we talk to them through ceremonies that we perform?

You can see that I have got many question marks, this is for us to think about. We can’t always see faults in something that belongs to us, and feel good when something is about another race. People have got this belief that you can’t worship God and ancestors, who said they are being worshiped? Praising them is not a bad thing as long as you understand the distinction between God and ancestors. Praising means to show respect or expressing approval.

Praying, worshiping and honouring are three different things.

Before the arrival of missionaries, Africans didn’t know God? Then how come we have so many names to call him and these names are all in our languages? Each and every language has its name to call God.

What led people to say African Spirituality is worshiping ancestors is because they don’t know the distinction between the two. Then they put their ancestors on the higher level than God.

Yes, ancestors are capable of helping you when you are in trouble or they can protect you where they can. Reason being that ancestors are now on the spiritual dimension so they are able to see when bad things happen with their spiritual eyes.

Just like someone who died doing bad things, he/she can’t come back and fix their ways.

I am not here to convert anyone to African Spirituality, as long as you’re doing the right thing, keep at that and worship God.

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