2013/03/01 by John K. Thornton · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #African history and culture analysis #Anthropological Studies and Insights #Colonialism, slavery, and trade #Syncretism (linguistics) #Christianity #Kingdom #History #Virginity test #Religious studies #Invocation #Sociology #Anthropology #Philosophy #Gender studies #Linguistics
paper · doi:10.1017/s0021853713000224
openalex publication_date 2013/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Abstract This article examines the way in which Christianity and Kongo religion merged to produce a syncretic result. After showing that the Kongo church grew up under the supervision and direction of Kongo authorities rather than missionaries, it will track how local educational systems and linguistic transformations accommodated the differences between the two religious traditions. In Kongo, many activities associated with the traditional religion were attacked as witchcraft without assigning any part of the traditional religion to this category. It also addresses how Kongo religious thinkers sidestepped questions of the fate of the dead and the virginity of Mary when harmonizing them would be too difficult.