A Comparative Study of Salvation in Christianity and Eve Indigenous Religion In Ghana

Abstract

The study essentially demonstrated that the Christian missionaries and the early Ewe clergy did not take cognizance of the Ewe belief in God, (Mawu) the all-embracing creator of humankind. This can be discerned in the manner and methods these early missionaries proclaimed Christ in Eweland. Their interpretation of salvation was far out of tune from that of the Ewe. This may be explained by the fact that they failed and disregarded to reach out to the roots of Ewe indigenous religious thought. They did not learn, and failed to appreciate, the fact that traditional Ewe religious thought, just as Christianity, embodies the essence of humanity, which is the key to understanding and appreciating the Ewe in his environment, particularly at that time. The study has shown that the quest for salvation is in all people, irrespective of one's religion. Salvation is therefore perceived as the aim and end of life. We also noted that, Ewe Christian theologians such as C. G. Baeta, N. K. Dzobo, C. R. Gaba, G. Ansre, Elom Dovlo and Dela Adadevor, have all affirmed the notion that salvation is the liberation of the person from the powers that have the potential of interfering with the original identity and sense of being. They all affirm that, salvation is about gaining one's freedom from life's negating forces, both spiritual and physical. Their works, in essence, demonstrate that it is the same God (Mawu) who is acting uniquely in both Christianity and Ewe indigenous religion to bring about salvation. Although the Church was introduced from Germany into Eweland, God, the essence around whom and on whom the Church has been built, has been in Eweland in all his unique manifestations before the arrival of the Christian missionaries in 1847. The observation of Jacob in Genesis 28:16-17: "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven" clearly illustrates the religious situation of the Ewe before their contact with the European Christian missionaries. In fact, God had already revealed himself to the Ewes throughout human history; it is believed that he has never left himself without a witness in the Ewe indigenous religion. In analyzing the nature and meaning of salvation, the study clearly demonstrates that both Christianity and followers of Ewe indigenous religion acknowledge that, God (Mawu), who is the source of salvation, works through intermediaries such as Jesus Christ, the ancestors, deities and powerful spirits. These intermediaries serve as God's (Mawu's) agents of mercy and justice. It is pertinent to observe and recognize that libation prayers of the Ewe appeal to the ancestors to ensure that the people and the community they (the ancestors) left behind become increasingly better off than they left them. The essence of this is reflected in such admonishments as: 'may your back be more peaceful than your front;' meaning may the relatives, people and communities left behind prosper and become better than at the time the ancestors were in this life. This clearly illustrates the conceptual link between the dead (ancestors) and the living. Although the aspect of pouring a liquid or drinks on the ground in libation prayers may be appropriately reviewed, there can be no doubt that there are lessons to learn from it. The study also points out that the Ewe concept of salvation (Dagbe), profoundly reflects God's (Mawu's) provision of abundant life in the present and the future; this includes the restoration of all forms of human failures, and the ordering of the community and the universe as a whole. Similarly, Christianity perceives salvation as deliverance of all of God's creation from every shortcoming in order to make them happy and finally to obtain everlasting life. This study, in a modest way contributes to, and draws attention to other factors not at present given due consideration in the attempt of the Church to concretize the gospel of Christ to the Ewe. From the above discussion, other relevant literature and the operation of the diverse forms of Christian religious movements on Eweland in particular and Ghana in general, the study has discerned the emergence of Africanist Christian life and thought which is perceptibly different from traditional orthodox Western Christianity. Although this particular issue is beyond this thesis, it is important that the new and emergent Africanist Christian thought is likely to influence, and contribute to the Future development of Christian life and thought in Africa in particular. It is therefore of crucial importance for the Church to seriously take cognizance of this and timely and appropriately tune its theology as a consequence. In conclusion, it may be emphasized and suggested for particular consideration that the harsh and unfriendly social, cultural and economic environment, particularly in the urban setting, is real in the circumstances of the individual and his or her perception of salvation. In this emerging context of salvation, Christianity has to first address these contextual issues before relating them to the eschatological reality. The economic and technological hardships such as stark poverty, unemployment, low income, housing, health, personal and social relations, etc, are increasingly changing the context in which Christianity is operating in Eweland and Ghana in general. The Church therefore needs a radical approach to its theological expressions which have the potential to influence the issue of salvation in Africa, particularly because, salvation ought to relate to the environment of the believer. If this is done, then the hard realities of salvation and the hard realities of life will be closer to match the daily necessities of life.