Since I’ve arrived in Tanzania I have heard that Christianity is oftentimes more of a surface thing than a deep-rooted life changing experience for many people. I have seen evidence of nominal Christianity but then again, that is not so different from nominal Christians back in Canada. They go to church on Sunday and then live however they want the rest of the week.
However, what I didn’t realize that I was not just dealing with nominal Christians but rather with was a completely different and separate worldview which Christianity has not penetrated. I had heard about this but didn’t fully understand the extent to which this works itself out in the lives of these people until I had some good discussions with my translators.
This week in our key terms workshop we have been researching their cultures, trying to find words that will help us translate key terms. At one point one of my very dedicated Christian translators told me a story about when he was a boy. He was responsible for watching the animals (probably goats or sheep) but one day some went missing. That night at home his grandmother showed him a special ceremony for asking the hyena to return the animals. According to their traditions, the hyena is a close friend and member of the community. During a ceremony involving certain stones and some ashes, this translator asked the hyena to return the animals. A few days later the animals came back in the middle of the night. As a thank you, they picked one of the best animals, killed it and left it out for the hyena.
As the translator talked about this story he didn’t relate it to God in anyway. It was just a part of life as he knows it, which is that the hyena has its own power to protect their clan. He was arguing that this power wasn’t from God or demons but was just its own power. The problem is not that something like this happened but that the realm in which it is understood is completely separate from God and a Christian worldview. When it comes to that part of life, Christianity is irrelevant.
Christianity is seen as a separate, more western thing and as such it has no power to change or impact the deep, underlying way these people see the world. I am making generalizations here because there are Tanzanians who relate Christianity to their traditions but for most people, they still see the world through the eyes of their traditions, not through the Bible.
More than ever, this realization has impressed on me the importance of having the Bible in these different languages. When Christianity is spoken about in Swahili or English only, it’s easier to keep it separate from traditions in the village. But when Christianity uses the language of traditions, it can began to penetrate that worldview which has so far been keep separate.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Sin Across Cultures
This week we began our key terms workshop. Basically this workshop consists of analyzing certain key terms in the Bible, such as sin, holy, God etc. Then we study the different languages/cultures to find suitable words to translate these key terms. Key terms are very difficult to translate because they are so fundamental to the message of the Bible. If you mistranslate these key terms, the translation might preach a different gospel than Jesus did. Thus we are taking two weeks just to focus on properly translating some key terms in Luke.
In preparation for our study of the word 'sin', I read an article about sin in different cultures. It was a fascinating article as the author, a long time member of Wycliffe, argued his point that although the core definition of sin is the same across cultures, there are different ways to interpret that definition. For example, he lists murder, adultery, lying, and stealing as actions that are considered wrong almost universally. However what one culture considers to be a lie, another culture doesn't. Or an action that is considered stealing in one culture is not stealing in another. An example would be how walking through an orchard in the States without permission and picking fruit would be considered stealing. However in ancient Israel, this would not be considered stealing.
This point really struck me as I live in another culture but have come here with my own ideas of what is right and wrong, ideas that I received from the Bible but have interpreted through my own cultural lenses. It's easy to look at people and condemn them for lying because they did not tell me what was true but told me what I wanted to hear. However, in their culture the greater sin would have been to be rude, to not love their neighbour as themselves. So were they sinning?
The other side is also true. How many times have I thought I was doing what was right according to my interpretation and yet maybe it was considered a sin in this culture? How many times have I blurted out the truth bluntly or didn't offer a meal when someone came to visit me? Did I hurt the people involved and did I sin against them?
To be honest, I don't really know where to draw the line but I am starting to understand what Paul said in Romans 14:1-4 "Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. For instance, one person believes it's all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don't. And those who don't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord's help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval."
In preparation for our study of the word 'sin', I read an article about sin in different cultures. It was a fascinating article as the author, a long time member of Wycliffe, argued his point that although the core definition of sin is the same across cultures, there are different ways to interpret that definition. For example, he lists murder, adultery, lying, and stealing as actions that are considered wrong almost universally. However what one culture considers to be a lie, another culture doesn't. Or an action that is considered stealing in one culture is not stealing in another. An example would be how walking through an orchard in the States without permission and picking fruit would be considered stealing. However in ancient Israel, this would not be considered stealing.
This point really struck me as I live in another culture but have come here with my own ideas of what is right and wrong, ideas that I received from the Bible but have interpreted through my own cultural lenses. It's easy to look at people and condemn them for lying because they did not tell me what was true but told me what I wanted to hear. However, in their culture the greater sin would have been to be rude, to not love their neighbour as themselves. So were they sinning?
The other side is also true. How many times have I thought I was doing what was right according to my interpretation and yet maybe it was considered a sin in this culture? How many times have I blurted out the truth bluntly or didn't offer a meal when someone came to visit me? Did I hurt the people involved and did I sin against them?
To be honest, I don't really know where to draw the line but I am starting to understand what Paul said in Romans 14:1-4 "Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. For instance, one person believes it's all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don't. And those who don't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord's help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval."
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