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The various Christian, Muslim, traditional (African), and secular (Western) ways of imagining and coping with evil collected in this volume have several things in common. The most crucial perhaps and certainly the most striking aspect is the problem of defining the nature or characteristics of evil as such. Some argue that evil has an essence that remains constant, whereas others say its interpretation depends on time and place. However much religious and secular interpretations of evil may have changed, the human search for sense and meaning never ends. Questions of whom to blame and whom to address-God, the devil, fate, bad luck, or humans-remain at the center of our explanations and our strategies to comprehend, define, counter, or process the evil we do and the evil done to us by people, God, nature, or accident. Using approaches from cultural anthropology, religious studies, theology, philosophy, psychology, and history, the contributors to this volume analyze how several religious and secular traditions imagine and cope with evil.
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Coping with Evil in Religion and Culture
CURRENTS OF ENCOUNTER STUDIES ON THE CONTACT BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER RELIGIONS, BELIEFS, AND CULTURES VOL. 35
GENERAL EDITORS Jerald D. Gort Henry Jansen Lourens Minnema Hendrik M. Vroom Anton Wessels
ADVISORY BOARD Leonard Fernando (Delhi) James Haire (Canberra) James W. Heisig (Nagoya) Mechteld M. Jansen (Amsterdam) Kang Phee Seng (Hong Kong) Oddbjørn Leirvik (Oslo) Francis Anekwe Oborji (Rome) Jayakiran Sebastian (Philadelphia, PA) Nelly van Doorn-Harder (Valparaiso) Ulrich Winkler (Salzburg)
Coping with Evil in Religion and Culture Case Studies
Edited by
Nelly van Doorn-Harder and Lourens Minnema
Amsterdam - New York, NY 2008
Thisȱvolumeȱisȱpartȱofȱtheȱprojectȱon ȱTheȱProblemȱofȱEvilȱinȱReligiousȱTraditions:ȱOrigins,ȱFormsȱandȱCoping, organizedȱinȱcooperationȱwithȱtheȱVrijeȱUniversiteitȱAmsterdam andȱtheȱRoyalȱTropicalȱInstituteȱatȱAmsterdam onȱtheȱoccasionȱofȱ theȱ125thȱanniversaryȱofȱtheȱVrijeȱUniversiteit andȱtheȱexhibitionȱ“Religionȱ&ȱEvil” inȱtheȱTropenmuseumȱ(AmsterdamȱMuseumȱofȱTropicalȱEthnology). Theȱconference,ȱheldȱMarchȱ17Ȭ19,ȱ2005ȱwasȱmadeȱpossible byȱgenerousȱsubsidiesȱfromȱtheȱVrijeȱUniversiteit,ȱtheȱTropicalȱInstitute,ȱ theȱRoyalȱAcademyȱofȱArtsȱandȱSciences andȱtheȱNetherlandsȱOrganizationȱforȱAcademicȱResearch. ThisȱpublicationȱhasȱbeenȱmadeȱpossibleȱbyȱaȱgrantȱfromȱtheȱVrijeȱUniversiteit forȱaȱresearchȱprojectȱinȱcomparativeȱreligiousȱanthropologies.
Cover design: Pier Post The paper on which this book is printed meets the requirements of “ISO 9706:1994, Information and documentation - Paper for documents - Requirements for permanence”. ISBN: 978-90-420-2337-6 ©Editions Rodopi B.V., Amsterdam - New York, NY 2008 Printed in the Netherlands
TableȱofȱContents TheȱProblemȱofȱDefiningȱEvil NELLYȱVANȱDOORNȬHARDERȱANDȱLOURENSȱMINNEMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 PARTȱI:ȱEvilȱinȱSpirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ImagesȱofȱEvilȱinȱPopularȱGhanaianȱChristianity BIRGITȱMEYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Druids,ȱDeerȱandȱ“WordsȱofȱPower”: ComingȱtoȱTermsȱwithȱEvilȱinȱMedievalȱIreland JACQUELINEȱBORSJE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 CopingȱwithȱWizardryȱinȱZimbabwe inȱAfricanȱInitiatedȱChurchesȱ(AICs) MARTHINUSȱL.ȱDANEEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 TheȱEvilȱComesȱfromȱOutside: EvilȱwithinȱReligionȱasȱaȱPsychosocialȱProblem amongȱAdolescentȱMoroccanȱGirlsȱinȱtheȱNetherlands EDIENȱBARTELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 ConqueringȱSatan,ȱDemons,ȱ