John Chitakure's Books

The Pursuit of the Sacred

An Introduction to Religious Studies

By: John Chitakure

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The Pursuit of the Sacred

An Introduction to Religious Studies

By: John Chitakure

Globalization has taken the world by storm and has facilitated the unprecedented migrations of the peoples of this world. Whether we like it or not, we will meet foreigners in our communities, schools, universities, buses, and other public places. But, when people migrate they take their religions with them. If people of different religious traditions are to live side by side amicably, interfaith dialogue becomes imperative. But, for people to be able to speak about their own religions with enlightenment and listen to other people's religious beliefs with respect, they must have some basic knowledge of how faiths and believers operate because for some people, religion is inseparably intertwined with their economics, politics, and everyday lives. This book clearly and concisely introduces religious studies to the reader. It makes a strong case for the quest and study of world religions and explores the challenges, controversies, and methodological issues in the study of religions. It also explores other pertinent religious issues such as beliefs, rituals, myths, sacredness, morality, the problem of evil, and interreligious dialogue. Although written from a classroom perspective, this book can be useful to any reader who would like to acquire knowledge of religious issues.

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Page Count

215

Publisher

Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1498235611

ISBN 13

9781498235617

Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe

Praxis, Significance, and Changes

By: John Chitakure

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Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe

Praxis, Significance, and Changes

By: John Chitakure

One of the inescapable truths that humanity has to grapple with is the reality of death. The manner in which we die, or the cause of our death, may differ, but death remains inevitable. We may be afraid of it or not; we may try to evade it, or not, but death still comes. Although most religions promise the possibility of another life in the hereafter, there is no scientifically verifiable evidence about the reality of that life. Despite that lack of evidence, every culture performs death rituals meticulously to prepare the spirits of its deceased for whatever form of life that may be available. Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe: Praxis, Significance, and Changes explores the causes of sickness and death, and the praxis of pre-burial, burial, and post-burial rituals of the Karanga of Zimbabwe in an attempt to unearth their original form and significance, to identify the changes that have taken place. It also provides a brief manual for the performance of some selected Karanga death rituals.

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255

Publisher

Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1666722650

ISBN 13

9781666722659

African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity

The Resilience of a Demonized Religion

By: John Chitakure

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African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity

The Resilience of a Demonized Religion

By: John Chitakure

Right from the beginning of humankind, God has never deprived a people of his grace and revelation. In fact, God uses people's environment and culture to communicate his will. There is no single religion that can claim to have the exclusive possession of God's revelation, for God is too immense to be confined within one faith. Hence, it was erroneous, blasphemous, and misleading for some of the early Christian missionaries to Africa to claim that they had brought God to Africa, a mentality that implied the non-existence of God in Africa before their arrival. Of course, God was already in Africa, but the missionaries either failed to discern his presence or just disregarded the traces of his existence. This book explores the religious beliefs, practices, and values of the indigenous people of Africa at the time of the early missionaries' arrival, with particular reference to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. It also evaluates the extent of the missionarie's successes and challenges in converting Africans to Christianity. It finally surveys how African Christians have remained attached to the indigenous religious beliefs that used to provide answers to their existential questions.

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Page Count

238

Publisher

Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

149824419X

ISBN 13

9781498244190

The Pursuit of the Sacred

An Introduction to Religious Studies

By: John Chitakure

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The Pursuit of the Sacred

An Introduction to Religious Studies

By: John Chitakure

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Page Count

227

Publisher

Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1498235603

ISBN 13

9781498235600

Shona Women in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People?

Marriage, Bridewealth, Domestic Violence, and the Christian Traditions on Women

By: John Chitakure

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Shona Women in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People?

Marriage, Bridewealth, Domestic Violence, and the Christian Traditions on Women

By: John Chitakure

The position and treatment of women in every religion, culture, and society have been subjects of concern for a long time. In every society, women fight for their emancipation from exploitive and oppressive patriarchal structures. The most contentious issues include domestic violence, gender discrimination and inequality in the areas of employment, leadership, and marriage. Domestic violence tops the list and is the worst enemy of any progressive and democratic society. It dehumanizes, disfigures, and demeans its victims and survivors. Shona Women in Zimbabwe--a Purchased People explores the causes of domestic violence--the cultural practice of bridewealth, in particular--and assesses the extent to which it contributes to the proliferation of domestic violence among the Shona people of Zimbabwe. It then explores the Christian traditions, particularly, the Roman Catholic Church, in search of resources that can be used to emancipate Shona women from patriarchal subjugation. Finally, the book offers a pastoral response that is informed by the experiences of the Shona women, their cultural resources, and the Roman Catholic religious tradition.

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Page Count

165

Publisher

Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1498293050

ISBN 13

9781498293051

African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity

The Resilience of a Demonized Religion

By: John Chitakure

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African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity

The Resilience of a Demonized Religion

By: John Chitakure

Right from the beginning of humankind, God has never deprived a people of his grace and revelation. In fact, God uses people’s environment and culture to communicate his will. There is no single religion that can claim to have the exclusive possession of God’s revelation, for God is too immense to be confined within one faith. Hence, it was erroneous, blasphemous, and misleading for some of the early Christian missionaries to Africa to claim that they had brought God to Africa, a mentality that implied the non-existence of God in Africa before their arrival. Of course, God was already in Africa, but the missionaries either failed to discern his presence or just disregarded the traces of his existence. This book explores the religious beliefs, practices, and values of the indigenous people of Africa at the time of the early missionaries’ arrival, with particular reference to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. It also evaluates the extent of the missionarie’s successes and challenges in converting Africans to Christianity. It finally surveys how African Christians have remained attached to the indigenous religious beliefs that used to provide answers to their existential questions.

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Page Count

239

Publisher

Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1532618549

ISBN 13

9781532618543

Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe

Praxis, Significance, and Changes

By: John Chitakure

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Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe

Praxis, Significance, and Changes

By: John Chitakure

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Page Count

292

Publisher

Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1666730750

ISBN 13

9781666730753

Shona Women in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People?

Marriage, Bridewealth, Domestic Violence, and the Christian Traditions on Women

By: John Chitakure

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Shona Women in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People?

Marriage, Bridewealth, Domestic Violence, and the Christian Traditions on Women

By: John Chitakure

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Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

165

Publisher

Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1498293050

ISBN 13

9781498293051

Book's by John Chitakure

The Pursuit of the Sacred

The Pursuit of the Sacred

Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe

Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe

African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity

African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity

The Pursuit of the Sacred

The Pursuit of the Sacred

Shona Women in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People?

Shona Women in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People?

African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity

African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity

Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe

Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe

Shona Women in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People?

Shona Women in Zimbabwe--A Purchased People?

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