The Akan and the Catholic Concept of Sin and Reconciliation Compared

Abstract

The phenomenon of sin and reconciliation is extant in many religions and as a result, elaborate teachings and rituals are documented around them. The same however cannot be said about the Akan traditional religion. This can be due to the no or late documentation of the theology of the African traditional religion. The problem created is that the Akan perception of sin and its removal in particular and the African Traditional Religion, in general, is often seen as lacking authenticity. This article with the help of comparative theology examines the Akan concept of sin and reconciliation and elucidates how they share some similarities with the Catholic doctrine on sin and reconciliation. The authors used the literary approach and questionnaires to gather data. Twenty (20) Catholic priests in the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi were purposively selected to answer eleven questionnaire items on the similarities between the Catholic and the Akan theology of sin and reconciliation. The findings and discussions on the problem elucidate that, the two religious traditions have a doctrine of original sin. They conceptualize sin as a stain, that sin offends God and humanity. Sin is moreover, categorized into serious and less serious offenses. They also agree that contrition, confession and penance are necessary conditions for the forgiveness of sins. Reconciliation again they concur restores the penitent to full communion with the divine and humanity. The article recommends that the Akan concept of original sin which is sketchy must be developed further. It also advocates that integrating the Akan and Catholic concepts of sin and reconciliation in the education of Akan Christians and pastoral agents would be a good enterprise. The paper fills the vacuum created that the Akan has a poor notion of sin and reconciliation. It shows evidence of the Akan concepts of sin and reconciliation, which are comparable to the teachings of the Catholic Church on sin and its removal. Keywords: Sin, Reconciliation, Akan, Catholic