Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe wrote the novel, Things Fall Apart, which is a great piece of African literature that deals with the Ibo culture, society, and history. One place where the Ibo religion is practiced is in the village of Umuofia in Africa, where the story takes place. On the other hand, Christianity is a very common religion that is practiced all over the world. Although Christianity and Ibo are both types of religions, they have many differences. One way the religions are different is the Ibo practice polytheism and Christians practice monotheism. A second difference is the Ibo believe in animate Gods unlike Christians who believe in an inanimate God. Another contrast is the Ibo practice polygamy unlike the Christians who practice monogamy. A final contrast is the afterlives of the two religions.First of all, the Ibo practice polytheism and Christians practice monotheism. Polytheism is the belief in more than one God, and monotheism is the belief in one God. Christians believe in one supreme creator of the heavens and the earth, who is called God. In contrast, the Ibo have various gods who they worship. The conversation between Mr. Brown, a Christian missionary in the village of Umuofia, and Akun
The belief was that "a man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi. Christians believe that if the Lord saves their soul from sin they will have eternal life in heaven with God, who is also eternal. In addition, the Ibo practice polygamy, which is having more than one wife at the same time, and Christians practice monogamy, or being married to only one wife. A second difference in Ibo and Christianity is the belief in animate gods and an inanimate God. In Umuofia, the more wives a man has, the better. Another contrast of the two religions is the practice of polygamy compared to monogamy. In contrast the Ibo believe in ancestor worship. An example of this is when the Oracle of the Hills and Caves pronounces that Ikemefuna, the boy living with Okonkwo, be killed. Christians believe that when a man and a women become united in Christ they become one, and a man can only have one wife at a time. In addition, the Ibo believe each person has a chi, which is a personal god. A second difference is the Ibo worship animate gods, unlike Christians who worship one inanimate God. Unlike Christianity, the Ibo believe in animate gods, which are alive and can be seen. They believe that when a respected person of the clan dies they will be worshipped. The consequences of treating the Ibo religion as culturally inferior led to the falling apart of Africa. An example of the Ibo believing in animate gods is they worship carved wood, the Oracle of the Hills and Caves, and the sacred python.
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