Download Free Sorcery Witchcraft And Christianity In Melanesia Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Sorcery Witchcraft And Christianity In Melanesia and write the review.

This open access book presents fresh ethnographic work from the regions of Africa and Melanesia—where the popularity of charismatic Christianity can be linked to a revival and transformation of witchcraft. The volume demonstrates how the Holy Spirit has become an adversary to the reconfirmed presence of witches, demons, and sorcerers as manifestations of evil. We learn how this is articulated in spiritual warfare, in crusades, and in healing or witch-killing raids. The contributors highlight what happens to phenomena that people address as locally specific witchcraft or sorcery when re-molded within the universalist Pentecostal demonology, vocabulary, and confrontational methodology.
Sorcery and witchcraft practices and beliefs are pervasive across Melanesia. They are in part created by, and give rise to, a wide variety of poor social and developmental outcomes. These include uneven economic development, low public health, lack of social cohesion, crime, fear and insecurity. A further very visible problem is the attacks on men and women who are accused of being practitioners of witchcraft or sorcery, which can lead to serious bodily harm, banishment and sometimes death. Today, many communities, individuals, church organisations and policymakers in Melanesia and internationally are exploring ways to overcome the negative social outcomes associated with witchcraft and sorcery practices and beliefs. This book brings together a collection of chapters written by a diverse range of authors, both Melanesian and non-Melanesian, providing crucial insights both into how these practices and beliefs are playing out in contemporary Melanesia, and also the types of interventions that are being trialled or debated to address the problems associated with them.
This book that addresses some of the questions often asked of a uniquely diverse culture and of its beliefs in sorcery, or Sanguma as it is colloquially known in PNG. At the same time the book attempts to bring to light the increasing problems associated with this evil phenomenon: accusations of sorcery and witchcraft, witch hunts, trials, torture, and brutal killings. PNG people, whether illiterate or educated, urban or rural, are not satisfied with merely natural explanations for bad events. This deep hunger for "the real answer" will continue to give rise to accusations of sorcery, with all their deadly consequences. The fact that it is embedded in our traditional belief system shows that we are dealing not only with the specific issue of sorcery and witchcraft but with the traditional belief system of the whole community and/or clan. As a result, it is going to be difficult to get rid of the phenomenon of sorcery. This edition of Point 33 is the second volume of a two-piece dissemination from a five year research project into sorcery and witchcraft in Papua New Guinea carried out by the Melanesian Institute from 2003 to 2007. This book comprises seven chapters outlining a detailed, more investigative report from Mekeo and Roro (Central Province), the Kuanua language speakers (Gazelle Peninsula, East New Britain Province), Plains Arapesh and sections of the East Sepik Province, Induna and Bwaidoga (Goodenough, Milne Bay Province), K'te (in Finschafen, Morobe Province) and the Kuman- Golin-Siane language speakers (Simbu Province) on the phenomena of sorcery and witchcraft. These groups of people were chosen on the basis of three major criteria: That different culture areas be well represented; that these cultures had already been studied to allow for comparisons over some time, that Christianity had been in those areas for different lengths of time. They finally represented three major Christian denominations.
In this book, Kenneth Nehrbass examines the interaction between traditional or animistic religion (called kastom) and Christianity in Vanuatu. First, he briefly outlines major anthropological theories of animism, then he examines eight aspects of animism on Tanna Island and shows how they present a challenge to Christianity. He traces the history of Christianity on Tanna from 1839 to the present, showing which missiological theories the various missionaries were implementing. Nehrbass wanted to find out what experiences in the lives of the islanders distinguished those who left traditional religion behind from those who held on to it. In the end, he contends that there are twenty factors of gospel response and cultural integration that determine whether an animistic background believer will be a mixer, separator, transplanter, or contextualizer.
This book emphasizes the major concepts of both anthropology and the anthropology of religion and examines religious expression from a cross-cultural perspective while incorporating key theoretical concepts. It is aimed at students encountering anthropology for the first time.
Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this revised and updated text, hailed as the "best general text on religion in anthropology available," offers an introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how...
This vintage book comprises three famous Malinowski essays on the subject of religion. Malinowski is one of the most important and influential anthropologists of all time. He is particularly renowned for his ability to combine the reality of human experience, with the cold calculations of science. An important collection of three of his most famous essays, "Magic, Science and Religion" provides its reader with a series of concepts concerning religion, magic, science, rite and myth. This is undertaken in an attempt to form a definite impression and understanding of the Trobrianders of New Guinea. The chapters of this book include: "Magic, Science and Religion", "Primitive Man and his Religion", "Rational Mastery by Man of his Surroundings", "Faith and Cult", "The Creative Acts of Religion", "Providence in Primitive Life", "Man's Selective Interest in Nature", etcetera. This book is being republished now in an affordable, modern edition - complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.
This book examines the fairies, demons, and nature spirits haunting the margins of Christendom from late-antique Egypt to early modern Scotland to contemporary Amazonia. Contributions from anthropologists, folklorists, historians and religionists explore Christian strategies of encompassment and marginalization, and the ‘small gods’ undisciplined tendency to evade such efforts at exorcism. Lurking in forest or fairy-mound, chuckling in dark corners of the home or of the demoniac’s body, the small gods both define and disturb the borders of a religion that is endlessly syncretistic and in endless, active denial of its own syncretism. The book will be of interest to students of folklore, indigenous Christianity, the history of science, and comparative religion.