Religion as a Tool of Conquest in Chinua Achebes Things...

Religion as a Tool of Conquest in Things Fall Apart In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the white men who come to Umuofia find success in conquering the village by challenging Ibo religion. Because the first white men to appear in Umuofia were missionaries, the slaughter of Ibo society began with the challenging of the highly-regarded religion of the Ibo people. The white men began their religious assault by openly denouncing the many gods worshipped by the Ibo in order to convert them to the new faith. After accomplishing this, the white men set out to prove that the Christian religion was superior to all others by defying the powers of the Ibo gods when they built their church upon the cursed ground of the Evil†¦show more content†¦Continuing with the already successful method of overtaking the Ibo by questioning their religious beliefs, the Christians then decided to directly challenge the Umuofian gods. Having asked for a plot of land, and then receiving a section of the Evil Forest, the Christians built thei r church. The Ibo believed that the spirits who lived in the Evil Forest would not allow the Christian church to be present on its soil, and that the church would be destroyed. To prove to the Umuofians that their gods did not exist, the Christians were happy to build the church in the given location. The Ibo believed that the spirits of the Evil Forest would not allow the church to stand for more than twenty-eight days and so when the spirits did not wreck the church, the Umuofians further questioned the spirits and gods who they had previously accepted. Thus, the Christians had now given proof to the Ibo people that their gods were powerless, and this was the second successful stage of taking over Umuofia and converting its inhabitants. The final step to eradicate the Ibo religion from Umuofia and replace it with Christianity was taken by the converts. It was well-known within the clan that the royal python was a sacred creature, as it was believed to be the god of water in animal form. When itShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesglobalization, both of which can be seen as hallmarks of the opening decades of the twentieth century. This intermingling of the forces and processes that were arguably essential components 2 †¢ INTRODUCTION of two epochs we routinely set apart as centuries suggests the need for flexibility in demarcating phases of world history, and for determining beginnings and endings that accord with major shifts in political and socioeconomic circumstances and dynamics rather than standard but arbitrary