Myths of death, after life & eschatology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Myths of death, after life & eschatology - Essay Example ‘Ngai’ is the name of the most High God in Kikuyu. This worship does not establish a connection with ancestral spirits. The Kikuyu have always believed in one God whom they have always regarded as creator and provider of all things, he who lives in the sky and temporal homes on earth and designated as mountains which serve as his resting place when he visits the Kikuyu people supposedly to lay his curse or confer his blessings to the people. (Mircea) Drawing from many African cultures, the Kikuyu believe in existence and life after death. Therefore when a person threatens to die, the community call upon the Ngai, and so it is believed widely among this community that it is only Ngai who decides whoever dies. At every occasion in kikuyu, including birth, marriage, initiation and death a prayer communication is established then between the victim and Ngai. Other studies have suggested that these four events in Kikuyu bear a lot of significance in Kikuyu culture, and as such during other normal happy times no such prayers are offered nor religious ceremonies conducted. Kikuyu believe in afterlife. Subsequently, it is also argued that the ancestors exist in the community’s descendants. Therefore it is a common cultural practice that children are then named after their grandparents, this assumes that once an someone has been named after an ancestor, then the ancestor exists with these people in their everyday activities, and also other consequences are experienced when naming of an ancestor has been forgotten and thus appears in manners that are not pleasantry. (Mircea) Mircea further says that besides believing in death, Kikuyus also believe in the existence of their ancestors, there are several cultural undertakings that they practice in order to appease the ancestors especially if ancestors have been ignored. In most occasions, they pour beer on the ground or food in attempts to appease the ancestors, practices that