A Sampling of Animistic Concepts
2006-09-15
This essay was written as a brief course summary for a course on Animism.
Fallen humankind, ever since their estrangement from God millennia ago, have sought ways to either reach God in their own efforts, or have traded their knowledge of God for worship of His creation. To a certain extent, as sinners, we are all guilty in doing this. In remote parts of the world, where Christ has not yet been named, tribal people hold to animistic belief systems that keep them enslaved to fear. Animism is “the belief that personal spiritual beings and impersonal spiritual forces have power over human affairs and, consequently, human beings must discover what beings and forces are influencing them in order to determine future action and, frequently, to manipulate their power” (Ambrosius I:3-4). A few animistic concepts include created reality, personal spiritual beings and impersonal spiritual forces, shamanism, and a unique concept of cosmology.
Created reality is the concept how tribal people place their faith in an ancestral story or ritual, and interpret all events through the framework of these presuppositions. Often there is no logical, scientific, or Biblical support for their beliefs or their behavior (Ambrosius II:2). An example would be pulling or sucking out pain, since many tribal peoples believe this can be done. A sickness cannot really be extracted this way, but shamans often allegedly heal people this way.
A belief in personal beings and impersonal forces is also common among animistic belief systems. Personal spiritual beings include gods, spirits, and deceased ancestors, while impersonal forces would be a spiritual power that does not have its own volition. Spirits are believed to be in everything in nature, such as in the sky, the trees, and animals. Spirits can also allegedly cure or cause sicknesses, and initiate blessing or misfortune on humankind.
Because animists believe that spirits can be both benevolent and malevolent, they practice shamanism. Shamanism is the art of the shaman, which is “a diviner who seeks to discern what spiritual being or impersonal force is causing sickness, discord, or catastrophe in order to prescribe some remedy” (Van Rheenen 154). A shaman manipulates the spiritual realm in order to get the desired effect.
The animistic view of cosmology is far different from a theistic worldview. In most cases, the creator god created the world, but then stepped away to let the world be governed by the spiritual realm. This god provided the people with a system to appease the spirits and to make life work. Oftentimes this remote being is seen in an extreme anthropomorphic sense, or as another created object, such as the sun. This god, as well as the spirits and religious system are amoral; that is, the animist’s view is not concerned with good or evil. They are concerned with controlling the spiritual realm so they can survive.
The religious system of the animist is complex and has a large belief system that exists primarily in the spiritual realm. A central doctrine of animism is the manipulation of this spiritual realm to meet their needs. Some underlying beliefs that lead them to this manipulation include creating reality, various personal and impersonal spiritual beings or forces, shamanism, and their view of cosmology. This system leads to spiritual slavery, and only the Lord Jesus Christ can rescue them from it.
Sources
Ambrosius, Bob. Part I of the lecture notes for the course Animism at New Tribes Missionary Training Center, Fall 2006.
Ambrosius, Bob. Part II of the lecture notes for the course Animism at New Tribes Missionary Training Center, Fall 2006.
Van Rheenan, Gailyn. Communicating Christ in Animistic Contexts. Pasadena: William Carey, 1991.