Humanity And Gods In African Religion

The relationship between humanity and gods in African religions starts with the main belief that humanity is the center of their cosmos. Myths portray this belief from the very start with focusing more on today than the after life. Myths teach this concept with the idea that humans were created from clay that came directly from "beneath Erath or out of a rock or tree." This makes one focus on what they are doing for society as a whole, not just focusing on themselves. African religions also teach that humans were created in a "male-female pair." The Dogon myth sets this example when looking at Amma's eight creations from the clay. All of the eight creations had a dual-soul as male or female. The Dogon myth was not the only religion to teach this, Lugbara people of Uganda also believe in dual-soul. The Dinka myth also shows the relationship between humanity and gods in African religions by teaching the idea of morals. This myth shows that selfish and greedy actions will lead in punishments or doom from the High Gods. …show more content…
One can communicate with the supernatural through sacrifice, divination, or spirit possession. Sacrifice is influencing or persuading a spirit to ask for forgiveness or a prayer. Yoruba practice this idea by having household shrines. However, some religions have bigger offerings such as animals. Divination is the attempt the predict the future. This can be done through poems or palm nuts. Spirit possession is the use of a human body, known as a medium, who lets the spirit enter and use there body to communicate with someone that is