Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY

Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY

How Can You Learn the Truth About God?

The Road to Everlasting Life—Have You Found It?
- Oral Tradition—Is It Reliable?
  
  African traditional religion has no ancient holy books. Traditions, rituals, and ideas about God are passed on orally from generation to generation. The book West African Traditional Religion states: “Oral information may not be a safe bet for accuracy. More often than not, pieces of information passed on orally are subject to additions and subtractions, modifications and distortions, exaggerations and confusions, so that it is often difficult to separate the truth from the fiction.”
  
  Box: What does one book say about the reliability of oral tradition?

Who Live in the Spirit Realm?

The Road to Everlasting Life—Have You Found It?
- Who Live in the Spirit Realm?
  
  1. How has traditional religion been likened to a pyramid?
  
  AFRICAN traditional religious beliefs have been likened to a pyramid. At the top is God, supreme in spiritual power. At the sides are lesser gods, or spirits, who are God’s servants. Alongside them are the ancestors, who remember their families on earth and take an active interest in their welfare. At the base are the lesser spiritual forces: magic, divination, and witchcraft.
  
  2. How does one African saying show that traditional beliefs influence religion?
  
  ² These traditional beliefs have had a powerful influence on other religions in Africa. One African saying puts it this way: “Adherence to the Faith (Christian or Islamic) does not stop us from worshiping the gods of our home.”