What is Animism?

Animism is one of the oldest known religions to mankind and also permeates much of the belief structure of most modern religions and cultures. It is said that over half the population of the world is animistic in its main features and that most other beliefs are grounded within it. Animism can be defined in two popular ways. One of the major forms is defined by E.B. Tylor in Primitive Culture as "the doctrine of spirits or of spiritual beings." By taking this view, it is seen to be expressed throughout the world not only in ancient tribal beliefs, but also in Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and various others. A second definition, which may be more widely used by the average person, would take animism to be associated primarily with a mix of nature worship, ancestor worship, and the belief in witches and magical charms, as practiced by many primitive cultures throughout the world. This particular form is found mostly within Australian aboriginal groups, Native American tribes, parts of Asia, and especially in Africa. Although the first definition is relevant to some degree in this discussion, the second definition will be the primary focus.

It is debated as to exactly how this form of animism began in ancient cultures as in most situations it predates history. The most common consensus among anthropologists is that animism began as a realization of the differing states of waking and sleeping, the mystery of dreams, and the realization of the differing states of life and death. These phenomena led to a belief in the spiritual world and its active part in everyday life. Also, as people noticed the activity within the other objects of their environment, such as animals, plants, and even rivers, lightning, rocks, etc., they attributed the same character of the spiritual world to them. In this sense, every object possesses a personality and individual spirit to it that can have positive or negative effects on the people around them. Although the characterization of a "spirit in everything" has greatly diminished with the introduction of western culture, many elements still remain. Superstitious beliefs such as bad omens (black cat, walking under a ladder) and fortune telling or the fear of ghosts are readily seen in our present culture.

Although animism is a very broad category of religious beliefs and has no specifically defined doctrine, certain basic elements of the animistic belief can still be identified. One of the most underlying aspects is the unity of all nature through the presence of spiritual beings and forces in the world. There is some room for distinction between various kinds of spirits but the same spiritual substance is common between them. This puts the animist in a very close relationship to the rest of existence, everything in his physical environment, as well as his ancestors and various gods and goddesses. An animist's entire life is submerged in his or her religion, from birth to death, in everything he or she does. Because there is no outline to basic moral principles and each spirit possesses a distinct personality to act according to its character, animism is essentially non-ethical. There are no clear definitions of right and wrong, but actions are more often made based on the whims of the individual spirits and gods. A final underlying tenet of animism would be the individual's personal ability to control spiritual power. Shamans and priests are common in almost every animistic culture who have a closer relationship or better understanding of the spiritual nature of the world around them. Other ways of an individual controlling the spiritual power would be through certain charms that might have a degree of spiritual power associated with them, or through magical spells and curses. In this way, an animist is able to coerce the spiritual beings into doing his will. There are other shared elements of the differing forms of animism, but these are the main beliefs.

There are many strengths and weaknesses within this type of animistic worldview. One strength is that it is one of the underlying threads of most of humanity and is reflected as thus. Animism promotes a realistic view of the spiritual world and promotes interaction with others and nature whereas a purely materialistic view would tend to focus primarily on the individual self as there would be no greater forces with which to interact. Although animism in the second sense of the definition is fairly foreign to most people within a strictly western culture, its underlying belief in the spiritual nature of the world is one that is easily relatable to almost anyone in the world. Accompanying many animistic religions is a belief in a single "high god" which provides an open door for revealing who that "high god" is, namely the Christian God.

Several weaknesses are also evident within animism. Because there are no doctrinal claims laid down within animism, it is usually proved weak when confronted with other major religions that have organized religious systems. It quickly fades to any of the other major world religions. There is no fundamental moral basis for animism, which can often lead to destructive decisions on behalf of the individual and the society. Another weakness would be the failure of animism to adequately answer the questions concerning the meaning of life and the significance of history. The only answer it can give would be that their ancestors were directing the course of life which fails to answer the questions satisfactorily when confronted with new ideas. The religious leaders that direct an animistic society can also prove to be a problem. They are often very unbalanced people, prone to strange outbursts and irrational behavior. This can be harmful in that they make hard leaders to follow, and when followed it can lead to many anti-social practices. Another deficiency would be its failure to solve the problem of fear. Although the animist can exert some degree of control over his or her spiritual environment, he or she is mostly at the mercy of the spirits who cannot be trusted. This instills a continuous fear of the unpredictable that cannot be removed while relying on animism.

A Christian's response to animism can be a tough one but also a very rewarding one. Some of the basic tenets of animism, especially as defined in the first definition, share a common link with Christianity. We even go as far as to share good and evil spirits, demons and angels. But first, a Christian must seriously understand where the animist is coming from, as the animist's particular degree of belief in animism is mostly likely foreign and remote from a western Christian's belief system. Because animism is a religion that covers every area of life, it is also vitally important that Christianity do the same in order for a Christian to be effective in approaching them at the same level. Some of the shared elements would be ideal for reaching a common ground. The belief in a single "high god" would be excellent grounds for reaching an animist. The Christian standpoint would be to explain the "high god" as God the Creator and Father and to explain from there his Son Jesus Christ and the type of love he displayed in his death and resurrection as freedom from the fear of the rest of the spiritual world around them. The animist should be able to understand the concept of God as the "high god" and the personal nature of God in Jesus should be a delightful revelation to them. Most importantly from this example though, is the freedom from fear. It should be explained that Jesus is able to set them free from the fear of the other spiritual forces within their world, that he is the more powerful one and is not subject to occasional changes in his character.

One thing a Christian must not do is attempt to change the culture to fit his own. There are certain elements of the culture which will change as the individual changes, but not all things need to be thrown out with the past animistic viewpoint. To try to incorporate a specifically westernized Christianity into a primitive animistic culture could risk compromising the effect of the gospel in their culture. Instead, to teach the essentials in relation to their culture, even allowing them to keep their forms of worship such as drums and dancing, will allow it to get at the root of their belief system to create a real and lasting change.