Non-Theistic Religious World Views

“Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ,… and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope

and without God in the world” Eph 2:12

Animism: religion of non-literate tribal peoples

• Belief that personalized supernatural beings or souls inhabit all objects and govern their existence

• Est. 100 million tribal people in thousands of tribes on major continents and islands

• Simply stated: “Everything is alive,” “everything is conscious” or “everything has a soul.”

• In this world view humans are denizen, or part of nature, rather than superior to or separate from nature.

• In these societies, ritual is vital for survival – it wins favor of the spirits of one’s source of food, shelter and fertility and keeps malignant spirits away.

• “Good luck” is the result of spirits being pleased• Most animistic belief systems believe the spirit survives physical

death• Some believe the spirit pass to an easier world of abundant game

2180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Animism includes…• Rituals, such as rites of passage (relating to birth, puberty,

marriage, death, etc) are performed by shamans, “witchdoctor” or priests who usually are seen as possessing unusual powers (healing, curses, transmigration of soul as in a Jaguar).

• No distinction between physical and unseen spiritual world—what happens in one, effects the other. Physical world worshiped as Mother Earth, everything is alive.

• Clan feasts, magic, myths and legends, fertility cults, and fetishism • Priests/shamans/witch doctors, mana (“impersonal supernatural life

force that permeates universe”) and rules over all creation, though not controlled by gods or man

• Unseen forces include supernatural powers like fate, cosmic moral order, evil eye, magic and witchcraft.

• Impersonal energy forces or spirits in objects give the objects power to do good or evil

• Totemism and veneration of the dead

3180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Basic Themes in Animism• Community-centered life —Ancestors, living and

unborn are center of life. Life meaning is only in the context of a community

• Role of Spirit world —Humans surrounded by supernatural beings and forces, mostly hostile

• Focus on the present —seek to deal with success and failure, power and knowledge to control life

• Focus on power —life is constant struggle against spirits, other humans and supernatural forces—life goal is to control these forces

• Pragmatism —science and learning is only valuable if secures a good, meaningful life and protects from evil

4180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Basic Themes in Animism• Transformation and Transmigration —Spirits can

take the form of animals or plants; Shamans in a trance can travel distances (Jaguar), harm enemies and even to spirit world to find information, etc

• Holistic view of life —invoking good luck, avoiding bad luck involves every aspect of life (what you eat, dress, furniture, greetings, etc)

• Particularism —People are tied to their land, their “gods” gave it and give victories and defeats are attributed to territorial gods

• Fear —In a world of spirits, omens and spells, life is rarely secure. People turn to their ancestors, gods and spirits for protection

5180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Other Characteristics• Trance: altered state of consciousness or awareness.

Such altered states of consciousness include:– Channeling: receiving messages or inspiration from an invisible

spirit, e.g. angels or Jesus– Dreams: seeing things as though they were real, imagination– Premonitions: future events, often calamitous in nature are

foreknown via psychic experience– Euphoria: an intensely good feeling– Ecstasy: experience being outside of one’s self, a heightened

capacity for exceptional thought , profound emotional experience, extraordinary physical abilities or one might make a spiritual journey in an ecstatic trance with the cessation of voluntary bodily movement.

– Note: This is a major activity of shamans, who use trances to travel to other places, underworld to interact with spirits, clairvoyance and healing. These can be induce by drugs, rituals, music, dance, ascetic practices or visual designs as aids to mental disciplines – In Buddhism there will be 8 states of trances or “absorption” into Nirvana.

6180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Other Characteristics

• Clairvoyance or extra-sensory perception (ESP) is not unusual, where a person receives information through unexplainable means. This can be through “telepathy” (one mind to your mind without speaking) or “precognition” (gaining information about places and events in the future).

• Apparitions of spirits of the dead, God or Satan• Wraith, an apparition of a living person, as an

omen, that the person is about to die (e.g. Lord of the Rings)

• Hallucinations: false sensory perception of the unseen world, often intentionally induced by drugs.

7180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

• Teach that people possess immortal souls—at death soul is free to wander near the grave, continue to participate in the lives of the family

• Neglecting to reverence them could bring sever consequences– They are the founders of the family, clan or tribe and

remain interested. Must be consulted in decisions.– They help the living through dreams, necromancers

and visions– Some have accomplished great achievements which

must be celebrated- in time exaggerated to be gods– Animists believe that they protect the family– The spirits function as mediators between God and

the family

Necrolatry (worship of the dead)

8180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Necrolatry (worship of the dead)

• One’s happiness in the afterlife depends on the care given by one’s descendants—Forgotten by family means extinction!

• Feel the need to keep them favorably inclined toward the living by following appropriate rituals, dances or diet

• This is especially true of those who die unnaturally– Such a spirit might return to “haunt” the living as a

“ghost” searching for a body to inhabit or bring harm

– By appropriate ceremonies they can help them on to the land of the dead

9180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Spirit Worship• Most animistic religions teach a Supreme God, but

he has withdrawn from creation and cannot be known personally. Once was close but His anger with man made Him removed Himself

• He then left men to their own devices and lesser gods or spirits to accomplish His purposes

• A host of evil spirits inhabit the earth, air, fire, storms, business, marriage, death, water, trees, mountains and animal life

• The whole of life is governed by taboos and rituals designed to placate, manipulate and keep away the spirits

10180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Shamanism• The witch doctor (black or white) serves as

mediator, but can live separate from tribe• He knows the proper sacrifices and

incantations or rituals that will please the spirits

• Called upon in times of sickness• In many tribes he is the chief (if “white” witch

doctor, that is, a healer)• Some rituals can last 24 hours or longer and

must be followed without error or become an offense

11180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Basic Practices of Animism1. Numerous taboos or prohibitions, to

preserve the harmony between spirit and physical world

2. Sacred places of worship or contact with spirit world

3. Sacred things possess power and are potentially dangerous (stones, jewelry, plants, insects, carved images)

4. Sacred actions includes sacrifices of animals or plants. Shamans perform sacred rites, omens (origin of “God bless you” after a sneeze)

12180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Basic Practices of Animism5. Sacred words —many oaths, curses and blessings,

spells of white and black witchcraft possess sacred power, mana.

6. Sacred persons —witches use their powers for good and evil, to protect their community, heal or kill enemies, inject foreign bodies. Many believe they can transpose themselves into animals, i.e. Jaguar

7. Sacred rituals —performed regularly either by head of family or witchdoctor; can be brief or a long enactment of a legend in a dance

8. Practice of magic and divination —casting of spells and communication with spirit world is reserved for shamans

13180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Magic• Often the “spirit” is not a personal thing, but an

impersonal force of nature• Magical beliefs and practices are developed to use

these forces resident in nature for their own purposes• Imitative magic seeks to bring harm to an enemy by

attacking a representation of him (voodoo doll)• Contagious magic depend on the connection between

a person and something associated with him (hair clippings, nail parings, or feces)

• Magic is used for good as well – blood of hunted animal can be drunk for strength.

• Cannibalism is practiced to gain the power of the enemy

14180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Fetishism

• A natural object believed to have supernatural powers, or an object created by people that has power over people. (i.e. Voodoo)

• Charms, amulets or fetishes are seen as inhabited by spiritual energy or force (not a personal spirit)

• Such charms are not limited to animistic tribes

• Many have superstitious charms for good luck

15180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Naturism• Personification and worship of forces of nature

(sun, moon, stars, fire, volcanoes, storms or animals)

• Ideas are evident in “higher” religions, such as sacred cow of Hindus or sacred mountain of Japanese Shinto

• Sometimes hard to distinguish magical practices and naturism (except in later nature is actually worshipped)

• Commonly naturism develops into idolatry and polytheism

• Much of naturism relates to fertility in agriculture and sexual relations – rituals and sacrifices are intended to guarantee fertility

16180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Totemism• The totem is usually an animal or other

naturalistic figure that spiritually represents a person or a clan

• Comes from American Indian word for “brother-sister-kin” – to emphasize the unity of the clan with some sacred plant or animal

• This is the aspect of the continuity between human life and nature around him

• The totem animal or plant is sacred to the tribe and must not be eaten except at special ceremonial feasts, if at all

17180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Conclusion of Animism• The whole life is pervaded with fear which governs nearly all

activities• May have a concept of a Creator God, but he is aloof and

indifferent from human affairs• No absolutes of morality—sin is seen as violation of culture,

taboos, custom and natural forces• Lack of personal relationship with God causes a fatalistic

attitude since all events of life are predetermined and controlled by nature or demons

• Rom 1:21-25 imply Noah’s descendants once knew God, but degenerated into animistic practices

• Houghton, “The common essence of heathenism is not a denying of God…but an ignoring of Him in worship of natural powers and mysterious demonic powers through magic and magical sacrifices and ceremonies.” (A.T. Houghton, “Animism” in The World’s Religions, ed. J. N. D. Anderson, 1st ed. (1951), p. 9.

18180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups

Overcoming Animism• Fear is the major disposition

–One is never sure if a taboo has been broken–Animism includes feared practices: sorcery, magic, voodoo, curses

• Converts will only be free when their minds are transformed with God’s Word –There is only one God: Isa 43:10, “You are my witnesses and my servant

whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.” There is no pantheon of gods

–In the Bible God forbids the animistic practices of witchcraft, necromancy, magic and worship of foreign spirits Deut 18:10

–No need to live in fear of hostile spirit beings and spells (Col 2:15, He “disarmed the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

–Psa 91:1, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God whom I trust.’”

19180 million Animists in 2,550 people groups