![]() Shrine visitation is strongest among the uneducated and in rural communities. Because many diseases are believed to have spiritual causes, traditional priests sometimes act as doctors or herbalists. Priests undergo vigorous training in the arts of medicine, divination and other related disciplines and are, therefore, consulted on a more regular basis by the public. The religious activities of chiefs and lineage heads are generally limited to the more routine biweekly and annual festivities, but traditional priests – given their association with specific shrines – are regarded as specialized practitioners through whom the spirits of the gods may grant directions. Such activities include the making of sacrifices and the pouring of libations. The religious functions, especially of chiefs and lineage heads, are clearly demonstrated during such periods as the Odwira of the Akan, Hogbetsotso / Tedudu of the Ewe, the Homowo of the Ga-Adangbe, or the Aboakyir of the Efutu (coastal Guan), when the people are organized in activities that renew and strengthen relations with their ancestors. To ensure that a natural balance is maintained between the world of the sacred and that of the profane, the roles of the chief within the state, family elders in relation to the lineage, and the priest within society, are crucial. Barrenness is, therefore, considered a great misfortune because it prevents ancestors from returning to life. Some ancestors may even be reincarnated to replenish the lineage. The ancestors are believed to be the most immediate link with the spiritual world, and they are thought to be constantly near, observing every thought and action of the living. Veneration of departed ancestors is a major characteristic of all traditional religions. Neglect, it is believed, might spell doom. The action of the living, for example, can affect the gods or spirits of the departed, while the support of family or “tribal” ancestors ensures prosperity of the lineage or state. A network of mutual relationships and responsibilities links the duals worlds of the mundane and the sacred. For all Ghanaian ethnic groups, the spirit world is considered to be as real as the world of the living. Ancestors and numerous other spirits are also recognized as part of the cosmological order. These gods are generally perceived as intermediaries between the Supreme Being and society. There are also the lesser gods that take “residency” in streams, rivers, trees and mountains. The Supreme Being is usually thought of as remote from daily religious life and is, therefore, not directly worshipped. The traditional cosmology expresses belief in a supreme being (referred to by the Akan as Nyame, or by the Ewe Mawu). Despite the presence of Christianity, traditional religions in Ghana have retained their influence because of their intimate relation to family loyalties and local mores. For this reason, l am writing on the topic, which says, “Comparing the concept of Spirit and Soul in the Traditional Religion of the Akan and Ewe Tribes to that of the Bible”. In the part two of my writing, l will expand on the world populated by spirits called Vodou alongside that of the Akan. ![]() In the Ewe thought they are called Vodou (Vodu or Vudu in Benin and Togo also Vodon, Vodoun, Voudou, or other phonetically equivalent spellings. ![]() This condition is under a traditional religion belief called the “trokosi” system or “wives of the ancestral gods.” These ancestral gods lived in the spiritual world, which according to ATR, is the world populated by spirits. Also, how the Christian organizations help free women and girls from the grip of slavery. ![]() Areas of interest to read in the part one was how Christianity has found an inroad into the lives of so many who were living in deep darkness and slavery to the evil powers. Highlights of the first writing were, the African Traditional Religion, the life of the ethnic groups in Ghana their beliefs, customs, ritual and taboos. ABSTRACT “PART II: Comparing the concept of Spirit and Soul in the Traditional Religion of the Akan and Ewe Tribes to that of the Bible” By Godwin Kwame Ofosuhene In the part one of my writing, with the titled “The concept of God in the traditional religion of Akan and Ewe ethnic groups compare to the Bible” - dated 31st May 2006, l explained how the Akan and Ewe ethnic groups of Ghana understood God in their traditional religious practices. ![]()
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