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An analysis of the statement 'Those who are born to suffer experience suffering to the abysmal depths' with refernce to Head's version of Jacob
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‘Those who are born to suffer, experience suffering to its abysmal depths.’
Why does a person suffer? What brings suffering to a man?
1.Role of fate2.God’s reminder to the mankind3.Because of the sins man has committed4.It is a test for those who are closer to God
• Role of fate overpowering freewill.
• Suffering, a major thematic concern.
• The concept of suffering is an important part of their religion; Christianity.
•We were promised suffering. They were a part of the program. We were told, ‘Blessed are they that mourn’ by C.S. Lewis.
• You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy.
• Suffering makes you bitter or better?
• It draws you closer to God.
• A person who suffers should have the following qualities:
1. Strong faith in God2. Patience3. Hope4. The power to sacrifice
• The concept of suffering in Christianity and Islam:1.Comparison of Jacob with Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S)
2. An episode taken from the Quran.
• Jacob’s patience compared to our generation’s reaction to suffering.
The complex role of religion in the African Society
• Religion holds great significance for the Africans
• It is the structure around which all the other activities are built
• The African society has strong religious and traditional beliefs
• Religion is life and life is religion
• No written account of African religion• Certain codes of conduct followed by
people and passed on from generation to generation
• It is a mixture of tribal customs and Christian beliefs
• God is considered the Supreme Being • Jacob hears the Voice of God when he
is in misery
• Jacob strongly believes in the presence of God but when he tells his wife about it, she says:
“But who is this lord…there’s nothing we Africans have but the Lord…but no one takes the Lord seriously…He doesn’t come down…”
• This duality in the beliefs and thinking of people makes religion very complex
CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS
• Customs and Traditions considered sacred and closely associated with religion
• Religious tradition of marriage and family life: Jacob’s marriages and family life
• Marriage: the only choice for women• The significance of traditional
blessings: people consider Jacob’s blessings rich and meaningful
• Hospitality considered a part of religion: Jacob is very hospitable and always ready to help the poor, sick, widows and orphans
• Religious sacredness in the traditions and the arrangement of the places of worship e.g. Jacob’s hut
• The idea of sharing and belonging between people
• Singing, dancing, music and celebrations hold religious significance as depicted in the story
• Africans celebrate and cherish life• The significance of children in African
religion• All these customs and traditions are
closely linked to their religion
BELIEF IN THE PRESENCE OF SPIRITS
• Africans strongly believe in the existence of spirits
• They form the link between the physical and the spiritual world
• Belief in the life after death • In the story, Lebojang’s spirit comes to warn
people against witchcraft and evil deeds• Death and after-death rituals are also
significant as depicted in the story “Heaven is not Closed”
ETHICS AND MORALITY
• Both African religion and society lay stress on ethical and moral values
• Whatever is considered good in religion is appreciated by the society
• The society discourages the practices forbidden by religion
• Religion forbids immoral actions like witchcraft, theft, adultery, black magic etc.
• Complexity arises because people know what is right and wrong but still indulge in unethical deeds
• Immoral practices of Lebojang and his followers
• “Witchcraft” also depicts the fact that many Africans believe less in God and more in superstition and witchcraft
THE IDEA OF SACRIFICE
• Just like African religion, African society promotes the idea of sacrifice
• Inspired by their religion, the Africans believe that in order to achieve something, one needs to sacrifice worldly needs and the dear ones
• It depicts the role of religion in their society and how closely it is associated with their beliefs and traditions
• Jacob sacrifices his personal and family life to follow the orders of God
• In “Looking for a Rain God” the parents sacrifice their children to get rain
• In “Heaven is not Closed” Galethebege sacrifices her social life and religious beliefs to marry Raloakae
RELIGION AS A MEANS OF EXPLOITATION
• The churches in Botswana “have a bit of glitter and dash. They have funds behind them. They put both God and the Devil on the same altar and nothing happens except an increase in wealth”
• “And which priest would give this permission when it meant losing one of his pay packets…”
• Lebojang makes money by exploiting people in the name of religion
“HEAVEN IS NOT CLOSED”
• The story depicts some aspects of African religion
• The priest tells Galethebege that it was a sin to marry an unbeliever
• “The missionary was the representative of both God and something evil”
• “…a miserable religion which terrified people with the fate of eternal damnation in hell-fire if they were heathens or sinners…”
“WITCHCRAFT”
• Another story that depicts the role of religion
• “The society was both rational and Christian”
• “The accounts for believing in it (witchcraft) were as solid as the reasons people give for believing in God or Jesus Christ”
• The protagonist is a regular church goer• Clash between the Tswana customs and
religion
• African religion is forms the basis of the African society
• It has no strict features and the beliefs vary from tribe to tribe.
• The role of religion is a little complex because each tribe has it’s own beliefs and traditions
• There is no written account of it and it is found in rituals, ceremonies, festivals, myths and legends, beliefs and customs
• African religion defines the life of the Africans
• It is a part of the African Heritage • Bessie Head, being an African herself,
was well-aware of the significance of religion in the African society
• She highlights the essence of African religion in many of her stories
AFRICAN VS PAKISTANI SOCIETY
• Religion holds great significance in both the societies
• Religion as a means of exploitation• Religion as the link between physical
and spiritual worlds• The traditions of marriage, family
life, ethics and morality• The role of rituals and superstitious
beliefs
SOURCES
• www.tigweb.org• www.afrikaworld.net• www.ggoglebooks.com • Introduction to African religion
second edition by John S.Mbiti