The Christian influence on the understanding of death among the Acholi
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Date
2001
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Uganda Christian University
Abstract
Focus: For the Acholi people of Northern Uganda, traditionally death is a natural phenomenon which is inevitable and unquestionable. In this dissertation, the author assesses the Christian influence on the understanding of death among the Acholi. The author confirms that for the traditional Acholi human beings have no permanent existence in the physical or spiritual world and no future life in terms of resurrection. The author affirms that their traditional understanding of death contributes to fear, beliefs and practices in handling the sick, corpse, burial arrangement, funeral rites and inheritance of widows among the Acholi people. The author asserts that the advent of Christianity in Acholi in 1904 has greatly changed this understanding through the introduction of the concept of resurrection, and as a result superstition on the origin of death, the way of caring for the sick, and the dying, burial system, mourning, funeral rites, the inheritance of widows and life after death have a new meaning for the Acholi of contemporary era. The author recommends that in order to maintain the resurrection influence on the Acholi people, the Church must continue effective evangelization of the non-Christian Acholi and effectively nurture the Christian Acholi converts.
Description
This was submitted as a partial fulfillment of the award of the Master of Arts in Theology Degree of the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, Uganda Christian University
Keywords
Christian influence, Death, Acholi
Citation
Ayela, Labeja .O. O. (2001). The Christian influence on the understanding of death among the Acholi. MA. Thesis, Uganda Christian University.