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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Neo-witchcraft mentality in popular Christianity
Author:Akrong, Abraham
Year:2000
Periodical:Research Review (ISSN 0855-4412)
Volume:16
Issue:1
Pages:1-12
Language:English
Notes:biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:Ghana
West Africa
Subjects:Baptist Church
magic
religion
Superstition
Religious practice
Traditional culture
Christianity
Abstract:The belief in witchcraft and practices associated with it has in recent times gained prominence in Ghana, especially in Neopentecostal and Charismatic Churches. The result is that in Ghanaian popular culture Christianity is now perceived as a religion which has the power to deal with the old threat of witchcraft. The author discusses the relationship between the emerging neo-witchcraft mentality in the Charismatic movement in Ghana and the traditional African metaphysical construction of the world, arguing that popular Christianity is simply blending the agentive causal principle of African philosophy with aspects of Biblical apocalyptic dualism and presenting this as a new discovery about life that makes it meaningful. This neo-witchcraft mentality, however, creates a radical dualism, which transcends both traditional African dualism and the limited Biblical apocalyptic dualism. Charismatic theology has a demonology with Satan at the head very much like a being equal to God. This entails a simplistic world view in which everything can be explained in terms of the forces of good and evil. The magical world view which neo-witchcraft mentality reinforces leads to passivity and acceptance of the status quo. Bibliogr. [ASC Leiden abstract]
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