In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Polytheism is violently introduced to Christianity. Even though the folk’s faith of polytheism accepts the Christian’s beliefs, and the Christians come in peace, they were bound to hold a difference because of their spiritual differences. This is because of the major clangs in the two faiths. Even though there are similarities, the differences between the two faiths make it impossible for them to co-exist peacefully. The grounds being shown will be the few similarities between Christianity and Polytheism. Having small in common faith wise they are really friendly to each other at first. The 2nd will be the differences in each other’s faiths, in which will take into the 3rd paragraph about the manner their differences made it impossible non to hold a difference.
Polytheism and Christianity are similar in the manner that they both fulfill orders from their God or Gods. They will make what of all time it takes to carry through an order from their God/gods. For illustration, when the prophet says that it is necessary to kill Ikemefuna. ? My male parent, they have killed me? ! As he ran towards him. Dazed with fright, Okonkwo drew his matchet and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak? ( 69 ) . No affair how much Okonkwo and the folk liked Ikemefuna, they carried out the orders of their Gods by killing him. Okonkwo did non desire to be looked upon as person that did non fallow what the Prophet commanded. Polytheism and Christianity both have a type of personal spirit or usher that is assigned to each person. The Christians have a guardian angel, and the Tribal faith has a qi. Both faiths have good purposes. Neither one is evil, and the ground for the faith is to turn out that you are non evil. They both believe in some kind of after life, in which your spirit lives on.
There are many differences between the two faiths that set them apart from one another. The first one and biggest of all is that Polytheism is the belief of many different Gods that make up this universe, some male some female. In contrast, Christianity is the belief of one God, who is our savior and is a male. Another difference is that the Christianity leaves no room for any other faith to be accepted, where as Polytheism is tolerant of the Christian’s beliefs. The Tribal faith and the Christians have different beliefs in place life. For illustration, ? Each of his three married womans had her ain hut, which together formed a half Moon behind the obeah? ( 14 ) . Thi
s shows that the folk believes in polygamy in their manner of life. However Christianity believes in holding merely one married woman. Christians believe that their faith is the merely right one and they travel the universe distributing the word of Jesus Christ. They do non care about any other faiths and will non allow anyone else believe otherwise. The tribal faith does non seek to distribute the word of Polytheism and does non care if the universe does non believe in what they believe in.
All of the major differences in the two faiths lead to a major conflict that changes the folk. When the white work forces come distributing the word of Jesus Christ, the Tribe does non mind at first and is okay with the white adult male’s beliefs. Then when the Oracle tells the folk that there is traveling to be a difference with the white work forces, things start to alter. The folk does the first violent death by killing a white adult male on a bike seeking to distribute the word of Jesus Christ. ? They killed him and tied up his Fe Equus caballus? ( 139 ) . The folk kills a white adult male because the Oracle told them there would be problem with them, and the folk was seeking to forestall a war from go oning by killing the white adult male. The white work forces took this personally, and they retaliated in force. When the folk did non wholly convert to Christianity, it started some choler from the white work forces toward the folk. They dared to travel against the Christian’s beliefs, hence making hatred towards the folk. This is because of the rigorous faith that Christianity is. They can non allow the folk go on without believing in Christianity. When these two faiths realize that the other is wholly different, they look at the other as the? immorality? one. They both believe that by killing the other, they are making the right thing, because both of their God or Gods bids to make this. Another factor that made this impossible to non hold a war, was when some of the folk was converted to Christianity. Making this created about a civil war, male parents and boies would non believe in the same faith, and would turn on each other.
In decision, there are merely excessively many critical differences that make Christianity and Polytheism wholly incompatible. Christian religion can non accept Polytheism, and will non allow the folk live their life believing in Polytheism. The folk is afraid of the white work forces and does non desire to give up everything they believe in for the white work forces, so they fight back seeking to maintain their civilization alive. Religion is a powerful thing, and it can do a individual hatred or love anything or anyone. In this instance, it caused a struggle that was impossible to avoid.
