From the Ghana Humanist Association:
Scene 1 Somewhere in a Ghanaian forest, lying on a mat is a woman named Ama. Dancing around Ama are two priests and priestesses of the Afrikan traditional religion (ATR), dressed in animal skins, a raffia skirt, beads, bodies painted and holding a white fowl and the bones of a goat. Speaking in a language unknown to humans, they call on bossum anchiwiri, the baobab tree God to cure Ama of her sickness.More here
As a Christian, what do you think of the ceremony described above?
Is it magic or idol worship? I don’t know, you tell me.
Scene 2 Some 25km from that forest, in a nearby city, a mini bus parks in front of a building. Three men dressed in suits rush into the building to join two other well dressed men holding Bibles and praying for a young man, Kofi, who’s sitting on a chair. Praying in English and with some speaking in tongues (a language unknown to humans) these Pastors call on Jesus, Holy Spirit and God to cure Kofi of his sickness.
So, is there any difference between the happenings in scenario 1 and 2? The answer is a big NO. Both are the same, yet Christians are quick to label the forest scene magic, idol worship, and un-Godly. Strip these so-called men of God/Pastors of their suits and Bibles and put them in animal skins with a few animal bones and beads and there you have an ATR priest ready to go to work. To put it bluntly Christian-church/faith-healing today has been and always will be “magic”.