Are the Dead Truly Dead and Unconscious

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Leslie S. Nthoi
Leslie S. Nthoi
α University of Botswana University of Botswana

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Are the Dead Truly Dead and Unconscious

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Connecting with the Eternal Ground
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Abstract

A reductionist approach to sacred scriptures that disregards the cultural contexts of discourses inhibits a sympathetic understanding of transcultural yet culture-specific phenomena such as spirit possession, ancestral cults, and traditional healing. The search for an appropriate scholarly model for teaching Christology, Pneumatology, and Soteriology in Africa must begin with a profound appreciation of traditional African concepts of human postmortem existence (concepts of the immortality of the human spirit) and the notions of intermediaries and mediation in African indigenous religions. These concepts provide a foundation of understanding: a) the ontology and place of African ancestral spirits (badimo) in the African worldview; b) the manistic nature of African indigenous religions; and (c) the centrality of the traditional healing within the African cosmology. Based on our analysis of 1 Sam 28: 1 -20, this essay concludes that there is sufficient scriptural justification for ancestral veneration.

References

15 Cites in Article
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  2. Kwame Bediako (1989). The Roots of African Theology.
  3. De Witte,M (2018). Pentecostal Forms across Religious Divides: Media, Publicity, and the Limits of an Anthropology of Global Pentecostalism.
  4. P Gundani (1997). Christology in the Inculturated Shona Burial Ritual in the Roman Catholic Church in Zimbabwe.
  5. Gibreel Kamara (2000). Regaining Our African Aesthetics and Essence through Our African Traditional Religion.
  6. O Kealotswe (1998). Shadipinge Teaches Theology: Biblical Exegesis from an African Cultural Perspective.
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  10. G Ofosuhene (2006). Comparing the concept of Spirit and Soul in the Traditional Religion of the Akan and Ewe Tribes to that of the Bible.
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  12. J Pobee (1979). Toward an African Theology.
  13. H Scheub (2000). A Dictionary of African Mythology.
  14. G Setiloane (1976). The Image of God among the Sotho-Tswana.
  15. B Sundkler (1961). Bantu Prophets in South Africa.

Funding

No external funding was declared for this work.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

No ethics committee approval was required for this article type.

Data Availability

Not applicable for this article.

How to Cite This Article

Leslie S. Nthoi. 2026. \u201cAre the Dead Truly Dead and Unconscious\u201d. Global Journal of Human-Social Science - A: Arts & Humanities GJHSS-A Volume 22 (GJHSS Volume 22 Issue A9): .

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High-impact academic research on life, death, and consciousness.
Issue Cover
GJHSS Volume 22 Issue A9
Pg. 21- 29
Journal Specifications

Crossref Journal DOI 10.17406/GJHSS

Print ISSN 0975-587X

e-ISSN 2249-460X

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GJHSS-A Classification: DDC Code: 232 LCC Code: BT203
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v1.2

Issue date

November 1, 2022

Language
en
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A reductionist approach to sacred scriptures that disregards the cultural contexts of discourses inhibits a sympathetic understanding of transcultural yet culture-specific phenomena such as spirit possession, ancestral cults, and traditional healing. The search for an appropriate scholarly model for teaching Christology, Pneumatology, and Soteriology in Africa must begin with a profound appreciation of traditional African concepts of human postmortem existence (concepts of the immortality of the human spirit) and the notions of intermediaries and mediation in African indigenous religions. These concepts provide a foundation of understanding: a) the ontology and place of African ancestral spirits (badimo) in the African worldview; b) the manistic nature of African indigenous religions; and (c) the centrality of the traditional healing within the African cosmology. Based on our analysis of 1 Sam 28: 1 -20, this essay concludes that there is sufficient scriptural justification for ancestral veneration.

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Are the Dead Truly Dead and Unconscious

Leslie S. Nthoi
Leslie S. Nthoi University of Botswana

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