Laudato sie, mi Signore, cun tutte le tue creature.
Praised are you, my Lord, with all your creatures.
“Cantico delle creature” by San Francesco D’Assisi
Sometimes as outsiders we use the term “animism” disparagingly to refer to the system of belief that sees spiritual causes for all material events.
Here is the Oxford Dictionary definition of animism:
1. the attribution of a living soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena.
2. the belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe.
Most Christians would probably reject 1. but accept 2. So in a certain sense Christianity is a form of animism. In fact the whole of Judeo-Christian belief is suffused with both these senses of animism. We shouldn’t confuse “animism” with the idea of “animate” things. Rather, we’re referring to the idea of a spiritual entity inhabiting objects both animate and inanimate. In this context, Jesus’ rebuking of the fig tree and his casting evil spirits into pigs are both examples of an animistic worldview.
The Old Testament likewise is suffused with animistic thought. Rocks are spoken to. Donkeys speak. Voices come out of burning bushes. Seas and rivers are parted with a command.
As children of the Enlightenment, we view the world through the twin lenses of rationalism and empiricism. But both these isms are based on materialism, the idea that nothing exists except matter and its movements. Unconsciously we read the Bible and practice our religion in a materialist framework. And then we create a curious little division in our theology between “miracles” that happened in the Bible and the spiritual absence in modern life.
It was during the Enlightenment that the spiritual illumination that infused daily life began to dim. However, here in Africa, Enlightenment thinking made few inroads. Animism is the predominant worldview even among the most well-educated and deeply spiritual Christians, this world is simply the battleground for unseen forces both good and bad that determine the course of everyday events.
In the West, I suspect that this might explain a resurgence or “emergence” recently in medieval Christian thought. The postmodern Christianity that is currently gaining traction takes as its departure the mystic tradition leading to St. Francis and rejects the rationalism of Calvin’s Institutes. Perhaps this explains the relative anemia of mission work based on theological education while churches of African origin explode through syncretism of African concepts of spirituality wedded to Pentecostal experiential religion.
In this case, I think materialism is the log in our own eye and we ought to be hesitant to point out the speck of syncretism in our African brothers eye until we’ve first dealt with our own syncretism of Western rationalism with Christian beliefs.
If you are interested in exploring African Christian spirituality I recommend to you two books:
- An African Prayer Book edited by Desmond Tutu
- Leaf and Bone: African Praise Poems edited by Judith Gleason
It would be wonderful if there were an African Daily Prayer book similar to Celtic Daily Prayer. The recently released “African Bible Commentary” gives one hope that more collaborations of African Christian theologians and scholars will be followed by collaborations of African Christian mystics and artists.
The Spirituality of African Peoples by Peter J. Paris is also quite good.
[...] Ker’s post on “Christian animism” has got me thinking about worldview issues. In particular, I’m thinking about how the [...]
and there’s the great christmans text, ‘o magnum mysterium’ where the animals do all the praising.
I suppose. I liked your earlier, now self-censored Tutu post better. I like maple syrup on my pancakes, not in my blog feed.
For the rest, I’m more impressed by those who appreciate both Francis and Calvin. Luther succeeded. He praised Francis, and said we do well to imitate his faith, but not necessarily his example. Of course, if more people followed his example as well, the world would be a far better place.
actually, while i fervently disagreed with much of your position in the tutu post, i also was glad you got feisty.
except the part about barnie. that was totally uncalled for.
I got two very intimidating messages from people in my organization threatening to break my kneecaps if I didn’t take down that post. So, I chickened out.
I enjoy getting feisty especially when it offends the Brits.
And you are perhaps the only person in the universe blind to the harm Barney has done to America’s youth. Look at the test scores! Consider the crime rate! Teletubbies in Britain has had a similar effect.
Back to the subject at hand, I think I’d rather go to a church that gives me the willies than puts me to sleep. Religion ought to invoke mysteries.
you really must love annie dillard’s stuff. she writes over the top about sleepy churches, sleepy thinking, sleepy faith, and sleepy lifestyles. if she was my girlfriend i know my life would be full of vibrant tension. in a good way.
but i’d always be nervous. in a good way.
as for barney, he is the only, admit the only, carnivorous dinosaur with flat cuspidy teeth. can’t wait to see what paleontologists make of it 50 million years from now. entire scientific theories will dissappear overnight. sleepy scholars will get into huge flame wars. dogs and cats will sleep together.
all over a saurian who sings (badly) about pumpernickel bread.
peace–
scott
I started reading one of her books then Kurk Gayle made me stop and read another one first. Then I got addicted to watching old Monk episodes.
[...] Or perhaps you’re more interested in hermeneutical questions raised by anthropological and/or cross-cultural issues. If so, I invite your comments on my post, “How to Read the Bible like a Pagan,” which was provoked by David Ker’s post at Lingamish on “Christian animism.” [...]
[...] interactions between Lingamish and Dr. Platypus have led to an interesting brainchild. My post on Christian Animism inspired Dr. Platypus’ How to Read the Bible like a [...]
As a Anthropologist and a Christian struggling to find balance, This is very helpful.
Approximately, a year after you had these thoughts they are providing me closure today.
I have been a student of biblical context/exegesis for a few years now, yet this intelligent little post has been an important piece to the puzzle.
I hope those books you recommended will expand on the subject.
Thanks!