African Approaches to God, Death and the Problem of Evil: Some Anthropological lessons towards an Intercultural Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

In this paper, I make a case for an intercultural philosophy of religion from an African perspective. I focus on the philosophical underpinnings of the  various meaningful religious practices and beliefs that give rise to the concepts of God, death and the problem of evil. A philosophical study of African  traditional religions, based on anthropological findings across African cultural orientations, gives us a good starting point in understanding African  worldviews and religious experiences. It also reveals that the various world religions may all be seen as offering different perspectives on the same  reality. Specifically, I argue that traditional African conceptions of God, death and the problem of evil could make significant contributions to global  discourses in the philosophy of religion. First, I articulate points of convergence and divergence between African traditional religions with Saint Aquinas’  proofs for God’s existence; Second, I question the phenomenon of death and one’s life’s meaning. And third, I approach the problem of evil and attempt  an African solution to the Epicurean dilemma