Draft:African Spirituality and Religion

African Spirituality and Religion

Philosophers thrive on making distinctions and definitions simply because these bring direction, scope and clarity to discussions. Many scholars, lay persons, clergy, etc. use the concept ‘spirituality’ authoritatively with some significant measure (seems like) of confusion in their understanding of the concept. Some have used it to mean religion, others have used it to represent culture, that is attitude to life. And sadly the confusion is most prominent when people who are least informed about religions in general or the religions of Africans in particular want to make an impression. It is not enough to be African to speak about the religion of the Africans. One must either have the expertise in the field or be a practitioner/exposed significantly to the religions. With regard to spirituality as a concept, it has been said that “There is no single, widely agreed-upon definition of spirituality." Koenig, et. al. 2012./ref> A survey of reviews by McCarroll et. al. (2005), each dealing with the topic of spirituality, gave twenty-seven explicit definitions among which "there was little agreement." This causes some difficulty in trying to study spirituality systematically; i.e., it impedes both understanding and the capacity to communicate findings in a meaningful fashion.” McCarroll, Pam; O'Connor, Thomas St. James; Meakes, Elizabeth (2005). Assessing plurality in Spirituality Definitions. In Meier; et al. (eds.). Spirituality and Health: Multidisciplinary Explorations. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. pp. 44–59./ref> The difficulty in agreeing on what spirituality means has lead to the modern day reality. “In modern times the emphasis is on subjective experience” Saucier & Skrzypinska, 2006:1259./ref>  and the ‘deepest values and meanings by which people live’ Sheldrake 2007:1–2./ref>, incorporating personal growth or transformation, usually in a context separate from organized religious institutions. Wong, & Vinsky, 2009./ref> Spirituality can be defined generally as an individual's search for ultimate or sacred meaning, and purpose in life. Snyder & Lopez, 2007:261./ref> Additionally it can mean to seek out or search for personal growth, religious experience, belief in a supernatural realm or afterlife, or to make sense of one's own ‘inner dimension’. Schuurmans-Stekhoven, 2014./ref>

What is spirituality and how should this be distinguished from religion?

I find the root of the concept, the etymology very useful in this attempt as whatever is said like the fruit, should not fall too far from the tree. Spirituality is derived from the word spirit. And the word spirit means "animating or vital principle in man and animals.” Online Etymology Dictionary./ref> This is from the Latin word spiritus (soul, ghost, courage, vigor, breath) and is related to spirare (to breathe). So when someone is said to be spiritual, the word "spiritual", means "concerning the spirit", is derived from the Latin spiritualis, which comes from spiritus or "spirit".  And finally, the word or concept, "spirituality" is derived from Latin spiritualis. Online Etymology Dictionary./ref> The first thing that the etymology speaks to is the fact that the word, idea, concept spirituality does not stand alone. It is related to something outside of humans. Something forms the foundation for spirituality. So, spirituality is defined as “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.” Oxford dictionary./ref>  This is just to get the feel of what the speakers of the English language say of spirituality. From a psychological point of view, Dr. Maya Spenser holds that “Spirituality means knowing that our lives have significance in a context beyond a mundane everyday existence at the level of biological needs that drive selfishness and aggression. It means knowing that we are a significant part of a purposeful unfolding of Life in our universe.” Spencer, 2012./ref> This means that “Spirituality involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which we are part is cosmic or divine in nature.” Spencer, 2012./ref> For Akinmayowa Akin-otiko, spirituality is that which helps ONE to connect, engage, and relate to that which is OUTSIDE and not fully known. Whereas,“Religion is a means of maintaining a relationship with one’s source/creator, with the hope of returning to that same source/creator at the end of one’s life on earth.” Religion is a structure developed based on what is revealed in order to provide rules, methods, platforms that guide actions needed to engage with the Divine. That is why there are multiple religions/ structures/ rules/ methods, etc. that guide an individual or group of people in their search for the divine. Religions are largely MAN MADE structures, built on DIVINE REVELATION. Spirituality can be individual inferences just as they may be shared helpful inferences in groups.

References

Akin-Otiko, A. (2015). Àdìmúlà Religion of the Yoruba: A New Perspective. Ibadan: Gold Press Limited. ISBN:978-978-8428-55-8.

Koenig, Harold; King, Dana; Carson, Verna B. (2012). Handbook of Religion and Health. Oxford University Press.

McCarroll, Pam; O'Connor, Thomas St. James; Meakes, Elizabeth (2005). Assessing plurality in Spirituality Definitions. In Meier; et al. (eds.). Spirituality and Health: Multidisciplinary Explorations. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. pp. 44–59.

Spencer, Maya (2012). What is spirituality? A personal exploration. Retrieved from https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/members/sigs/spirituality-spsig/what-is-spirituality-maya-spencer-x.pdf?sfvrsn=f28df052_2#:~:text=Spirituality%20involves%20the%20recognition%20of,cosmic%20or%20divine%20in%20nature. 21/03/2024

Online Etymology Dictionary, Spirit". Etymonline.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2014-01-04.

Sheldrake, Philip (2007). A Brief History of Spirituality. Wiley-Blackwell.

Snyder, C.R.; Lopez, Shane J. (2007). Positive Psychology. Sage Publications, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7619-2633-7.

Schuurmans-Stekhoven, J.B. (2014). "Measuring Spirituality as Personal Belief in Supernatural Forces: Is the Character Strength Inventory-Spirituality subscale a brief, reliable and valid measure?". Implicit Religion. 17 (2): 211–222. doi:10.1558/imre.v17i2.211.

Wong, Yuk-Lin Renita; Vinsky, Jana (2009). Speaking from the Margins: A Critical Reflection on the 'Spiritual-but-not-Religious' Discourse in Social Work. British Journal of Social Work. 39 (7): 1343–1359. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcn032.