This is a spiritual view of the world governed by the law of the spirit. This law reflects the preponderance and the dominance of the spiritual reality in the traditional African beliefs and worldviews. The whole of creation is replete with the dominant and pervasive presence of the impersonal powers and forces, spirit beings, many divinities and gods. Thus, “this world in essence is spiritual rather than material” and “life is saturated with supernatural possibilities”. Steyne describes this view further by saying: “Everything in life can be influenced by and responds to the world of spirits. Whatever happens in the physical realm has a spiritual co-ordinate and, likewise, whatever transpires in the spiritual realm has direct bearing on the physical world. Man is related to and dependent upon the unseen. For this reason all of life is to be understood spiritually. The correct response to any situation is spiritual, whether the matter is a family affair, sickness, or ceremonial practice” (Steyne, 1990:59).
This religious worldview is called spiritualism and it is pervasive and dominates the entire life of man. The reason for this spiritual pervasiveness and dominance is stated thus: “The whole universe is interconnected through the will and the power contained in both animate and inanimate objects. Everything man is, does, handles, projects and interacts with is interpenetrated with the spiritual. His socio-cultural structures, down to their finest details, are under the control of the spiritual powers or forces. Nothing in man’s environment escapes the influence or the manipulation of the spirit world. The world is more spiritual than it is physical and it is spiritually upheld. If life is affected by spirits, then it is of utmost importance to maintain good relations with the spirits and secure their favor” (Steyne, 1990:37).
Steyne used various concepts and terms to describe the traditional religious worldview. In traditional religious worldview, the “question of meaning” in life is dominated by the spiritual emphasis. “Life’s questions and answers revolve around the spiritual rather than the physical”. It is on account of this spiritual view of life, that “when personal resources fail, religious specialists will divine and supply satisfactory meanings”. Traditional Africans both recognise and understand this quest for meaning in the everyday happenings of life and would want to find out what lies behind every incident in life, such as “catastrophes, natural disasters, disease, untimely death and the other exigencies of life”. One must look “beyond the obvious” in order to find the spiritual “reasons” or causes in life. Because “the unseen is present in all phenomena”.
The penetrating power of the law of the spirit gives the traditional worldview a pantheistic conception of the source and the effect of the mystical and spirit powers and forces, while the presence of a myriad spirits and divinities, result in a polytheistic conception. Certain moral laws govern the inter-relationship and integration of spirit beings and humans in traditional spirit world. Religious practices, ceremonies and rituals function within these moral.
Dynamism/Power-Consciousness: the Law of Power
This is a dynamic/power-conscious view of the world governed by the law of power. The dominance of the impersonal, the unseen and the unpredictable spirit powers and forces in the world, make man to search and look for power which can help secure him in this dangerous world, where fate, evil, contingency, mortality and death abound. Steyne describe this power-consciousness in the following words:
“Life’s essential quest is to secure power and use it. Not to have power or access to it produces great anxiety in the face of spirit caprice and the rigors of life. A life without power is not worth living … Power offers man control of his uncertain world. The search for and acquisition of power supersedes any commitment to ethics or morality. Whatever is empowering is right” (Steyne, 1990:60).
What is this power? Where does it reside? Where can it be obtained? By what means? How can it be used? Upon whom? Where? For what purpose? Many terms are used variously to describe this power, such as life force, vital force, life essence and dynamism. Power can be obtained by “ritual manipulation … in the form of sacrifices, offerings, taboos, charms, fetishes, ceremonies, even witchcraft and sorcery” (Steyne, 1990:60). There are also other means for obtaining this power:
“The power may also be secured by the laying on of hands or by encountering a spirit being, either directly or through ritual means. The power may be transmitted through contact with persons of superior religious status or by using clothing or something previously associated with such a person. How it is secured is a secondary concern. It must be acquired whatever the cost” (Steyne, 1990:60).
Another dimension worth paying attention to is how power can be handled. It is “transferable to anything and anyone”. “It permeates everything, though unequally.” The primary objective of this power is for it “to serve man’s purposes”. Steyne makes a very profound statement, which Christians must take very seriously in their dealings with traditional Africans: “Since man’s needs cannot be met without it (power), a powerless religion is valueless.” How does this pursuit of power affect (1) morality and ethics and (2) the relationship between the humans and the spirit beings and forces?
This all-consuming concept of power is very valuable in our understanding of how traditional Africans assess the potency or the efficacy of a new religion or ritual practice, Christianity inclusive. How does Christianity address this power-conscious view of the world and its pursuit in the life of traditional Africans? Christianity must develop a theology of power so as to address the traditional theological conception of power and also how this law of power operates in traditional Africa.
