African-American religions

The religions of people of African descent living in the Western Hemisphere. African Americans have had and continue to have a vibrant and rich religious life. African-American religions in the Caribbean and South America often preserve and adapt African traditions (see AFRICAN RELIGIONS). Good examples are VOODOO from Haiti, SANTERÍA from Cuba, Candomble in Brazil, and Winti in Suriname. They often combine African and European practices. This combining is sometimes called "syncretization" or "creolization." Many traditional religions interact loosely with ROMAN CATHOLICISM. Those who practice them WORSHIP African deities and spirits in conjunction with Catholic SAINTS. All traditional religions expect the deities and spirits to help with problems and diffi - culties in everyday life. The deities and spirits may reveal themselves through a medium. Worshippers may also seek advice from a diviner. The religions of African Americans in the United States developed differently. There the dominant religious tradition was PROTESTANTISM. Unlike Catholicism, Protestantism does not venerate saints who can be identifi ed with African gods and spirits. (In Africa, the high god is usually distant and as a result not worshipped.) In addition, African Americans enslaved in the United States often did not have the opportunity to form their own relatively isolated communities, as they did in the Caribbean and South America. By 1800 many African Americans in the United States were turning to Protestantism. They tended to favor forms that emphasized conversion experiences rather than a LITURGY. As a result, they became Methodists and Baptists (see METHODISM and BAPTIST CHURCHES). On occasion these African Americans founded their own denominations. For example, several black Methodist congregations formed the American Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816. In smaller numbers, African Americans in the United States also joined the more liturgical churches, such as the EPISCOPALIAN or ANGLICAN and Catholic churches. African Americans obviously benefi ted greatly from the movement to abolish slavery. Black as well as white ministers were abolitionists. After the Civil War and Emancipation, African Americans participated in the Holiness movements. Like prewar Baptists and Methodists, these movements emphasized religious experience. Then, at the turn of the century, African Americans were instrumental in forming PENTECOSTALISM. Gospel music is a well-known product of these movements. In the mid-20th century, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led by a Baptist minister, Martin Luther KING Jr., helped end legal segregation in the southern United States. Traditional Christianity did not meet the needs of all African Americans in the United States. Some rejected it because of its connection with the former slave owners. African nationalist movements provided one important alternative. After Emancipation some African Americans called for a return to Africa. In the early 20th century, Marcus Garvey (1887–1940) emphasized black separatism and pride. The best known black nationalist movement is the Nation of Islam (see ISLAM, NATION OF). It was organized in the 1930s by Wallace Fard and Elijah Muhammad. Until a visit to Mecca in 1964, MALCOLM X was its most effective spokesperson. Rastafarianism, a movement from Jamaica, is famous for its music, reggae. It saw the former emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie (1892–1975), as a savior for African Americans. Before his coronation, Haile Selassie was called Ras Tafari. Other African-American alternatives to traditional Christianity have also emerged. JUDAISM has attracted some African Americans. They identifi ed with the story of the EXODUS, in which the Hebrew slaves were freed from captivity in Egypt. Some have founded Jewish sects. Other African-American movements have borrowed and adapted elements from Christianity. A good example is Father Divine (c. 1880–1965), who used elements of traditional Christianity while preaching that he himself was God. African Americans have also found religious inspiration in traditional African religions. A good example is KWANZAA. Created in 1966, it is a year-end festival that celebrates family values from an African perspective.