Candombl Religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Candombl Religion - Research Paper Example The religion is founded on the soul of Nature, but also displays elements of African mythology and culture. The popularity of Candomblà © is due to the combination of many religions into one, making it agreeable to a variety of potential followers and one of the most sough-out religions in Africa and Europe. When a religion is considered to be syncretistic, it means that it is a combination of two or more religions or cultures, pulling beliefs, stories, and, oftentimes, deities from other religions. Candomblà © is a combination of three main African religions, Yoruba, Fon, and Bantu. Muslim traditions have also been incorporated, though these were more common during the slave trade in Brazil. The only Muslim tradition that is still observed in Candomblà © is believing, and thus practicing, the use of Friday as the only day worthy of worshipping deities, praying, and meditating. Many local Native American deities were also used in rituals, though this practice did not last long due to the Catholic Church looking down upon such practices, thus not allowing their slaves to implement them into their practices. Catholicism is yet another religion whose beliefs and practices have been adopted by the Candomblà © religion. This was due to the fact that â€Å"many Christian slave owners and Church leaders felt it was important to convert the enslaved Africans. This was in order to fulfill their religious obligations [...] (â€Å"History of Candomble).† A connection was found between the worshipping of saints in Catholicism and the worshipping of ancestor deities in Candomble, so the Candomble practitioners secretly combined their deities with the saints of Catholicism. Deities and Beliefs Candomble is a polytheistic religion, recognizing and worshipping more than one god. They believe in an all-powerful God, Oludumare, and the lesser deities that serve him. These lesser deities are known as orixas, voduns, and inkices. Orixas are ancestors that, upon death, become viewed and treated as gods. They each represent a specific force in nature and a certain food, animal, or color. Voduns and inkices are spirit gods, similar to orixas; the three lesser deities share the duty of acting as a connection between the spiritual world and the human world, passing along messages or searching for cures to illnesses. The greatest difference between orixas and voduns and inkices is that it is believed that every human being has their own orixa, whose duty it is to control the destiny of that person, as well as to protect them (Voeks 57). It is also a belief of Candomble practitioners that a person’s personality and defining characteristics are dependent on that person’s orixa. Candomble maintains a belief similar to that of karma, which is more common in Buddhism and Hinduism. Karma is the belief that a person’s actions in the present will influence or have an effect on their lives in the future or in another life. Candomble holds t hat there are no concepts of good and evil. Each person has the task of fulfilling their destiny in whatever way they need to, regardless of what that destiny is. However, if a person succumbs to evil to fulfill their destiny, their actions will come back to them, essentially returning their evil. This belief prevents people from doing anything that they want, allowing them to understand that their are consequences to their actions. The Candomble have a variety of moral codes that they most follow, though these tend to change from generation to generation. It is the job of the Baba Egum to regulate and update the moral responsibilities of their people. The Baba Egum are in charge of making sure that the essential moral codes