The Kikongo-speaking peoples of the Niger-Congo linguistic group represent a rich and diverse cultural heritage associated with the ancient kingdom of Kongo. An individual is born, and remains, a juridical member of his mother's lineage and clan, yet the tie to the father and the father's kin is also strong and provides a source of spiritual identity. Foreign missionaries operate freely within the Democratic Republic of the Congo and consequently, the country has been influenced a great deal by other countries when it comes to religion. [2] Similarities between the Bakongo belief of Kalûnga and the Big Bang Theory have been studied. These differ in their views and observance of Jewish law, with the Orthodox representing the most traditional practice, and Reform/Liberal communities the most accommodating of individualized interpretations of Jewish identity and faith. It is the backbone of the Congolese economy. [2][14], The creation of a Bakongo person, or muntu, is also believed to follow the four moments of the sun, which play a significant role in their development. [1], After the introduction of Catholicism by the Portuguese, there was a massive effort to convert Central Africans by creating connections between Christianity and their traditional religions. Ingin tahu jumlah dan persentase agama di Kongo, Republik. Similar to the Catholic faith, Protestant churches value in the economy is huge. Normal events in the order of things and relationships created by Nzambi require no particular piety or devotion to continue. To a degree the crisis cults of Kongo history arise from the ground of routine rituals. As chiefdoms and kingdoms suffered loss of legitimacy in the trade or because of the decline of central states, new insignia and charms of power spread to enhance authority. While retaining many elements of Christianity, Kimbanguism also recognizes its founder (Simon Kimbangu) as a prophet and incorporates African traditional beliefs, such as ancestor worship. Western Sahara ‡: partly located in Africa 日本語: コンゴ共和国 に関するカテゴリ。 Confucianism has strongly influenced the culture and beliefs of East Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. "[2], The Bakongo believe that in the beginning, there was only a circular void, called mbûngi, with no life. The Republic of the Congo, a West Central African nation on the Atlantic Ocean, borders Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC; formerly Zaire), and Angola. Then a great force of fire (or kalûnga), emerged and filled this empty circle. After years of restoration, the faith is now the second largest denomination in the country with over 22.3% following. Definition: This entry is an ordered listing of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population. This created evidence of a unifying concept of the two worlds and the four moments of life across ethnic groups in both Kongo and Angola. Shinto practitioners worship several particular kamis, including the kamis of nature, and families often have shrines to their ancestors' kamis. Formulated in the 1860s, it holds that God lives in all of us and strives to convert society into a paradise on earth, populated by believers transformed into intelligent moral beings with a high social conscience. Many Christians practice Kimbanguism, which originated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bloomington, Ind., 1993. Furthermore, it has brought about the far-reaching Christianization of the Kongo populace. Kongo cultic history may be seen as a veritable tradition of renewal, either at the local lineage level, the national level, or in terms of a specific focus. To remedy this, some Bakongo and Mbundu willingly committed acts of sacrificial suicide so that they could become ancestors or simbi and connect the living to the ancestors. Shamanism: beliefs and practices promoting communication with the spiritual world. Redness, often used to describe the ambiguous or transitional areas of life, may be tied to power, or to the sun and other astral bodies, and it expresses the cycles and rhythms of natural and human life. These “four moments of the sun” equate with the four stages of life: conception, birth, maturity, and death. Religious Demography The U.S. government estimates the total population at 105 million (midyear 2021). "Kongo Religion [2], The Kalûnga Line separates these two worlds, and all living things exists on one side or another. The Kingdom of Loango called them bakisi banthandu, or spirits of the wilderness. Evil, disorder, and injustice are believed to be the result of such base human motives as greed, envy, or maliciousness. Zaïre), auch bekannt als Kongo-Kinshasa, Congo-Léopoldville (in Unterscheidung zu Congo-Brazzaville) oder einfach Kongo, ist eine Republik in Zentralafrika.Sie grenzt (von Norden im Uhrzeigersinn) an die Zentralafrikanische Republik, den Südsudan, Uganda . They use esoteric codes relating the visible realm of plants and substances and apply them to the invisible realm of emotions, society, and the beyond. Especially important in the context of Kongo religious leaders is the twentieth-century Kongo prophet Simon Kimbangu, whose widely influential teachings eventually gave rise to the largest independent church in Africa. The Book of Mormon maintains there was an appearance of Jesus in the New World following the Christian account of his resurrection, and that the Americas are uniquely blessed continents. Religion. While nature spirits later became more associated with water, or kalûnga, they were also known to dwell in the forest, or mfinda (finda in Hoodoo). Republik Demokratik Kongo yang juga dikenal sebagai RD. The sky is a third realm, not associated with any color; it is the abode of other spiritual forces. The Latin Rite is by far the largest, making up about 98% of Catholic membership. Atheism: the belief that there are no deities of any kind. By contrast, abnormal or unusual events are considered to be caused by humans who, willfully or inadvertently, affect others' destinies (mostly for the worse) by spiritual or direct means. Friedman, Kajsa Ekholm. Kongo, RDK, Kongo-Kinshasa adalah sebuah negara yang terletak di Afrika Tengah. [2][3], The spirituality is based on a complex animistic system and a pantheon of spirits. [1], This person to nature spirit transformation concept was also recorded in the Kingdom of Kongo in the 20th Century. bakisi or mukisi). Simbi spirits are believed to transport Kongo people between the two worlds at birth and death. Christianity accounts for almost 50% of the total population with 90% of all Christians being Roman Catholics. [23], The traditional spirituality has its roots in Bantu-speaking peoples in West-Central Africa. Followers of Islam make up 1.6%, primarily due to an influx of foreign workers into the urban centers. A majority of Shia are known as "Twelvers," because they believe that the 11 familial successor imams after Muhammad culminate in a 12th Imam (al-Mahdi) who is hidden in the world and will reappear at its end to redeem the righteous. Liste over religiøse befolkningsgrupper i Congo, Den Demokratiske Republik These mediatory roles of the nganga (as well as those of chiefs, prophets, and other powerful people) require legitimation from the white otherworld (mpemba ), the realm of ancestors and spirits. The Catholic Church has a comprehensive theological and moral doctrine specified for believers in its catechism, which makes it unique among most forms of Christianity. Taoists believe the esoteric world is made up of a perfect harmonious balance and nature, while in the manifest world - particularly in the body - balance is distorted. There are also independent African churches; the Kimbanguist Church, the largest independent church in Africa, is a member of the World Council of Churches. The country has one archdiocese and seven dioceses. Dealing with misfortune remains an important issue in Kongo religion, although the list of common occurrences has grown from hunting and gardening activities and related accidents (e.g., being gored by a wild boar, falling from a palm tree) to include accidents and misfortunes of industrial society (e.g., automobile crashes and factory accidents). These mojo bags were essentially small bags where magical items were normally stored. In some Kongo villages, Bunzi is a male spirit called Phulu Bunzi, who is believed to be the chief blacksmith and lord spirit of the waters. "Edo" is the name that the people of the Benin Kingdom give to themselves, their language, and their c…, ETHNONYMS: none Catholics believe the Pope is the divinely ordered head of the Church from a direct spiritual legacy of Jesus' apostle Peter. [ kɔ̃ˈgo ], bis 1960 Mittelkongo, 1969 bis 1991 Volksrepublik Kongo) ist eine Republik in Zentralafrika. This power activated when a Nganga Nzazi simulated the sound of thunder by knocking two consecrated sculptures, called biteke, together. Source: CIA World Factbook - This page was last updated on Saturday, September 18, 2021. Around 2 million people in Congo are Catholics. Mormonism (including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints): Originating in 1830 in the United States under Joseph Smith, Mormonism is not characterized as a form of Protestant Christianity because it claims additional revealed Christian scriptures after the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. The top half represents the physical world, or Ku Nseke, while the bottom half represents the spiritual world of the ancestors, known as Ku Mpèmba. nganga) underwent an extensive initiation process to learn the position of the sun as it rotated around the earth to seek guidance from the ancestors and the bisimbi. Republiken Kongo, på svenska ofta Kongo-Brazzaville, . The manikongo's eager absorption of European patronage saw Kongo become catholicized in 1491, so that by the time the Bakongo began to be trafficked to the Americas in the transatlantic slave trade starting in the seventeenth century, the captives already partook in a Kongo-Catholic syncretism. From then the spiritual revival started and spread to other churches and institutions. ." All spirits within Kongo spirituality were believed to be equally significant and each had their own purpose across both worlds. Hardly had the slave trade ended in the 1860s when the Kongo region became the launching ground for colonial exploration and the establishment of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. In Kongo, many activities associated with the traditional religion were attacked as witchcraft without assigning any part of the [1], In the eastern region in the Kingdom of Kongo, nature spirits were called nkita (also nquita) after subset of the Bakongo people who referred to themselves as aquaquita, with their spiritual leaders holding the title Nganganchita. [1], As previously mentioned, nature is essential to Kongo spirituality. However, Ngonde was successful and defeated Ntangu. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2023 worldatlas.com, Religious Beliefs In The Republic Of The Congo (Brazzaville), Religious Beliefs In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo (Congo-Kinshasa), Biggest Cities In The Republic Of The Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Largest Ethnic Groups In The Republic Of The Congo (Brazzaville), Ethnic Groups In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo (Congo-Kinshasa), 12 Philosophical Concepts You Should Know, 3 Requirements To Achieve Happiness According to Epictetus, 10 Countries Where Women Far Outnumber Men, Awakening Churches and Christian Revivalism. It was believed that a Nganga Nzazi could also used the power of thunder and lightning as a spiritual weapon. Non-religious     Agnosticism: the belief that most things are unknowable. Mormonism believes earlier Christian traditions, such as the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant reform faiths, are apostasies and that Joseph Smith's revelation of the Book of Mormon is a restoration of true Christianity. Shia Islam represents 10-20% of Muslims worldwide, and its distinguishing feature is its reverence for Ali as an infallible, divinely inspired leader, and as the first Imam of the Muslim community after Muhammad. The rising, peaking, setting, and absence of the sun provide the essential pattern for Bakongo religious culture. [1] This may have also played a role in the Kingdom of Kongo becoming a more male-dominated society,[1] marginalizing the belief in the dual male/female identity of all Bakongo people[14] and creating a gender hierarchy based on Portuguese culture, where men were traditionally at the center of spiritual matters. As the coastal trade increased in intensity and caravans moved from the coast to inland markets and trading points, challenging local polities and demanding provisions, medicine cult networks arose to buttress regional market and alliance structures and to protect those who were involved in the trade from the envy of their subordinates; Lemba, the great medicine of markets and government, is an important instance of this. Eastern-Rite Churches, such as the Maronite Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church, are in communion with Rome although they preserve their own worship traditions and their immediate hierarchy consists of clergy within their own rite. (May 25, 2023). Revivalism, or the Christian revival, is an increased interest in the spiritual renewal of a peoples’ belief in the church that has a local, national, and global effect. Islam - The third of the monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, Islam originated with the teachings of Muhammad in the 7th century. As a natural cosmology mpemba is most often associated with water, the realm of nature, and with ancestor spirits. Respect for the kamis in nature is a key Shinto value. However, they are respected. [1], The concept of mfinda as a spiritual space also emerged in the United States through trans-Atlantic slavery, known locally as finda. [2] While Nzambi Mpungu, who gave birth to the universe and the spirits who inhabit it, is vital to the spirituality, ancestor veneration is the core principle. A small minority of Christians practice Kimbanguism, a syncretistic movement that originated in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. [2] Expert healers, known as Banganga, undergo extensive training to commune with the ancestors in the spiritual realms and seek guidance from them. Negeri ini adalah negara terluas di Sub-Sahara Afrika, terluas kedua di Afrika . Mormons have a hierarchical religious leadership structure, and actively proselytize their faith; they are located primarily in the Americas and in a number of other Western countries. Christianity is one of the three monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, along with Islam and Judaism, which traces its spiritual lineage to Abraham of the Hebrew Scriptures. Basankusu - typical fired brick house.jpg 2,560 × 1,920; 2.34 MB. Muslims are given the right to celebrate their cultural events without fear of critic or persecution. Basic Groupings    The two primary branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia, which split from each other over a religio-political leadership dispute about the rightful successor to Muhammad. While some religions adopted a pantheistic worldview, most follow a polytheistic system with various gods, spirits and other supernatural beings. Haitian and Louisiana Voodoo, which have included more Catholic practices, are separate from West African Vodun, which has retained a focus on spirit worship. Bakongo spiritual philosophy influenced the creation of mojo bags, with African-Americans including certain natural ingredients or animal bones, to house the simbi spirit or an ancestral spirit inside a bag for either protection or healing. Mahayanas have additional scriptures beyond the Pali Canon and believe the Buddha is eternal and still teaching. Shamanistic beliefs are organized around a shaman or medicine man who - as an intermediary between the human and spirit world - is believed to be able to heal the sick (by healing their souls), communicate with the spirit world, and help souls into the afterlife through the practice of entering a trance. Alawis live mostly in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. At the same time, but against the king's wishes, the slave trade began to have serious repercussions in the kingdom. Mpulu Bunzi is the goddess of the rain and harvest. Human ties, frequently polluted and muddled with ill will, malicious intentions, and envy, or the threat of becoming so, must regularly be renewed with gift exchanges, purification rites, and harmonious discourse. Section I. supervision and direction of Kongo authorities rather than missionaries, it will track how local educational systems and linguistic transformations accommodated the differ-ences between the two religious traditions. Daftar populasi agama di Kongo, Republik [18][19] They are seen as the guardians of nature and the intermediaries between the physical world of the living and the spiritual world of the ancestors. Once they became official banganga, it became their duty seek them out in the forest and venerated them with shrines, sacred trees, and minkisi (sing. The second stage is the red stage where the planet is still burning and has not formed. Islam derives from the word submission, and obedience to God is a primary theme in this religion. This cosmology of natural realms and color qualities may be associated with the more explicit human ideology of matrilineal and patrilateral kinship, in a ritual grammar that amplifies the complementary dependencies of mother and child, father and child, siblings and spouses. The solidarity of the Bakongo people has a long history based on the splendor of the ancient Kongo kingdom and the cultural . KONGO RELIGION KONGO RELIGION . The Kikongo-speaking peoples of the Niger-Congo linguistic group represent a rich and diverse cultural heritage associated with the ancient kingdom of Kongo. Religions: Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2010 est.) Nkita, an ancient medicine of lineage structure, emerged wherever segmentary lineage fragments were beset by misfortune and sought to restore authority and ties to ancestors. [1], Mfinda is also where Kongo secret societies, such as Kinkimba and Lemba, initiated new healers. From medical and educational services the church forms the primary body to fight for humanitarian and the freedom of a people engulfed by a sea of corruption. Spiritualism: the belief that souls and spirits communicate with the living usually through intermediaries called mediums. The exiled believers flourished and in 1959 it gained legal recognition. In shaman-based religions, the shaman is also responsible for leading sacred rites. Only in 1930 did this population trend change to one of growth. The Bakongo believe that life requires constant change and perpetual motion. In modern Islam, Sunnis and Shia continue to have different views of acceptable schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and who is a proper Islamic religious authority. [1] 17th Century oral tradition accounts the story of two kilundu named Navieza and Cassumba who left their homeland in the Upper Ganguela region to flee disease. Bisimbi are also believed to be spiritual guides, using storytelling and oral tradition to connect the living to the ancestors and their history. The last period of time is luvemba, when a muntu physically dies and enters the spiritual world, or Nu Mpémba, with of the ancestors, or bakulu. Its practitioners believe that each person has a destiny and eventually transcends to merge with the divine creator and source of all energy, Olorun. Baha'i revelation contends the prophets of major world religions reflect some truth or element of the divine, believes all were manifestations of God given to specific communities in specific times, and that Baha'u'llah is an additional prophet meant to call all humankind. By 1920 Kongo chiefs were generally ineffective; their judicial techniques were bypassed by the colonial authorities or banned. [2], Represented on the Kongo cosmogram are the four stages of life: musoni, or conception; kala, or birth; tukala, or maturity; and luvemba, or death. [14], Prior to European colonization, Nzambi Mpungu and his female counterpart, Nzambici, were perceived as the Great Spirit who existed everywhere simultaneously and gave life to all things. Ihre Hauptstadt und größter Ballungsraum vor der Hafenstadt Pointe-Noire ist Brazzaville; das Land ist auch als Kongo-Brazzaville bekannt. Terkadang masih disebut dengan nama Zaire yang pernah dipakai antara tahun 1971 dan 1997. Alawi faith: Another Shia sect of Islam, the name reflects followers' devotion to the religious authority of Ali. Divine revelation of principles and prohibitions in the Hebrew Scriptures form the basis of Jewish law, or halakhah, which is a key component of the faith. Expert healers, known as banganga (sing. Die Demokratische Republik Kongo (deutsch [ˈkʰɔŋgo], französisch [kɔ̃ˈgo], abgekürzt DR Kongo), von 1971 bis 1997 Zaire (frz. Kala is the time when a muntu is born into the physical world. It is primarily a form of polytheistic shamanism, but includes elements of animism and ancestor worship. syncretized with Christianity. Adherents of Roman Catholicism account for about one-third of the country's Christians. Bakongo. Christianity the Republic of the Congo ‎ (3 C, 2 F) Churches in the Republic of the Congo ‎ (2 C, 1 F) R Roman Catholic Church in the Republic of the Congo ‎ (3 C) Media in category "Religion in the Republic of the Congo" The following 2 files are in this category, out of 2 total. The following 19 files are in this category, out of 19 total. Image: Bobulix Flag of Republic of the Congo Location map of the Republic of the Congo A virtual guide to the Republic of the Congo, also known as the Congo Republic, Congo-Brazzaville or just Congo. Kongo religion is more complex and profound than any single doctrine or congregation represented within it. "[16] She is also referred to as Nzambi, the mystery of the earth, "the mother of a beautiful daughter, gives mankind all laws, ordinances, arts, games, and musical instruments. Encyclopedia.com. The first Africans who arrived on North American shores brought their own religious worldviews with them…, Edo Encyclopedia of Religion. Genevieve Slomski Most Muslims work in the urban centers of Congo and are immigrants from the war-torn areas of West African countries of Mali, Togo, Benin, Senegal, and Mauritius, North Africa, and Sunni Muslims of Lebanon. Traditional beliefs     Animism: the belief that non-human entities contain souls or spirits. They are nature spirits, animated objects or deified people who embody the extraordinary power of the spiritual world. [1] Nzambi Mpungu was the "sovereign master," the God of the sun (fire) and change. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. They inhabit specific areas where their families and villages are located and usually have a special connection to the people living in those regions who venerate them. Adherents believe that salvation comes through Jesus' death and resurrection, like Christianity, but additionally that living a spiritually pure life following strict codes of conduct is required for salvation. As the faith traveled to the Americas it retained various traditions but often mixed with other faiths. Adherents simultaneously worship Jesus Christ and Palauan goddesses. [2] Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps. This time is also seen as the rising of the sun. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. It recognizes the Abu Bakr as the first caliph after Muhammad. Identification. An individual's property relations lie inherently with the matrilineal estate, yet throughout life a child may enjoy rights to use the father's property. The Akan comprise a cluster of peoples living in southern and central Ghana and in southeastern Ivory Coast. [1] The Kingdom of Ndongo preferred the name xibila (pl. The Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão contacted the king at Mbanza Kongo, the capital, in the late fifteenth century, and later the Portuguese king and merchants entered into diplomatic, mercantile, and missionary relations with Kongo, unleashing significant forces of change. ." S. Mbiti, John (1991). on the World Heritage List 1 Mandate to the World Heritage Committee 135 State of Conservation Reports 45 International assistance requests Approved 1,178,205 International assistance Total Amount Approved (USD) Ratification of the Convention: Monday, 23 September 1974 Mandates to the World Heritage Committee 1 1980-1987 UNESCO UNESCO Country page Misfortunes, and the desire for good fortune, are dealt with in the perspectives of historical Kongo divining, mediumship, protective magic, and healing. Although often the originators of new cultic forms are unknown, some exceptional founding individuals are remembered and may be identified. 25 May. Buddhism - Religion or philosophy inspired by the 5th century B.C. 4, 8, 12, and 16 (Uppsala, 1953–1968). There are also 6,000 followers of the Ahmadiyya school of Islam in the country.[3]. The earth withers in the dry seasons but flourishes with the coming of the rains. Smithing (of weapons, tools, jewelry, and ritual articles), weaving, tanning, sculpting, and carpentry, as well as trading in the famous Kongo markets, have been important commercial skills. Basic Groupings    Theravada Buddhism: The oldest Buddhist school, Theravada is practiced mostly in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and Thailand, with minority representation elsewhere in Asia and the West. The movement received global recognition, and the Belgian state took control of DRC from the local monarchies. Unlike Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana schools maintain the Buddha-nature is present in all beings and all will ultimately achieve enlightenment. [20] Spiritual leaders called banganga (sing. He later surrendered, and the death sentence was commuted to life incarceration and he died in 1950. Alliances between lineages, often in reciprocal father-to-child marriages, reinforce existing bonds and create the basis of the social fabric. As a result, an uptick in the anti-Muslim discourse has emerged in the public sphere creating tension in mixed areas. For example, religious beliefs continue to revolve around providing assurance for women's reproductive capacity and male fertility; guaranteeing the legitimacy of authority roles at lineage and clan levels; presiding over rites of passage—naming, puberty, marriage, bride price payment, death; restoring ancestral ties where lineages have been segmented or where, in urban settings, lineage fragments seek to return to their roots. PRONUNCIATION: buh-KAHN-go ALTERNATE NAMES: Kongo LOCATION: Congo River region (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo) POPULATION: 3.3 million LANGUAGE: Kikongo RELIGION: Christianity; Kimbanguism; indigenous beliefs 1 • INTRODUCTION.