Psychological and Religious Understanding of Wrong Doing in African Perspective

Kasomo Daniel

doi:10.5923/j.ijpbs.20120206.01

Abstract

For an African the word sin does exist as wrong doing, shame, evil person, malice, sorcerer, witch, wizard, unkind person. Sin as understood in Christianity is different from African perspective. Traditionally adultery is different from Christian understanding of the same. A woman caught in bed with her brother in law in some African communities it is not regarded as wrong doing because traditionally that is her husband. The research has found out that, in our world, the appalling depth and extent of human suffering is evident and very much experienced. Evil and suffering are not just philosophical and theological aspects of human existence but is a personal problem that every human person experiences. There are occurrences in nature, for example, catastrophes, floods, earthquakes, which cause harm, misery and suffering to human persons. Human beings suffer from sickness, blindness, physical handicaps, which are very often accompanied by physical pain. The researcher has found out that every sensible human being questions why this should happen to humanity and individuals. The problem is even more crucial in Africa where we have rampart wars like in Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and so many other places. We are left asking the question: Why all this suffering in the world? How did it all begin? How can we be free from it? In this research we have looked at the concept of evil, evil and community, evil and God, moral culpability, consequences of evil, evil and covenant, evil and salvation in African perspective. For Africans punishment for evil is here and now not like in Christianity where we postpone punishment to the next life. Africans belief evil recoils. What goes around comes around. If you do evil it comes back to you. Leaders whose leadership is characterized by dictatorship, Genocide, threats, dehumanization among others die miserably. Simply said evil recoils. You cannot do evil and get away with it.

Highlights

This paper is an investigation of answering the questions of evil, sin and suffering that have disturbed humanity since time immemorial
We have exp lored the concept of evil and sin in our African thought which we have always been interpreting in relation to the other philosophical and theological exp lanations of these phenomena
Many who venture to do so cannot avoid relating African myths of the origin of evil and death to the Bib lical story of the Fall. These African myths of the origin of sin and evil must be examined in their own right and must be allowed to speak fo r themselves rather than forging an unwarranted uniformity to fit the Ch ristian teaching of the origin o f sin and evil

Summary

Introduction

This paper is an investigation of answering the questions of evil, sin and suffering that have disturbed humanity since time immemorial. We have exp lored the concept of evil and sin in our African thought which we have always been interpreting in relation to the other philosophical and theological exp lanations of these phenomena. In th is article we have looked at sin and the community in our African context since the issue of the community seems to be more crucial in Africa. Since there is always a relationship between God and humanity, we have examined what sin is in relation to God. we have looked at the problem of evil and s in and its re moval, atonement and restoration.

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Methods

Conclusion