Integration of Christian and Tiriki Death Rituals

Description

Cultural beliefs and ritual practices vary across the world. Christians have a strong belief in the afterlife and much of their lives are directed at achieving eternal peace in heaven. For the traditional African, death does not alter or end the life or the personality of an individual, but only causes a change in prevailing condition. African communities’ involvement in death and burial ritual allows them to co-exist peacefully with the dead. This book reveals an opening through enculturation and reconciliation for peace building and better cohesion among communities with diverse cultural beliefs and practices. The journey of writing this book was partly based on the understanding that there is a relationship between religion, faith, death and burial and the functioning of communities. This link is far too important to warrant merely a cursory inspection. Instead it should be among the most thoroughly scrutinized, researched and best understood in contemporary cultural and religious management system in Kenya. This book in its own way contributes towards alleviation of death as one of the most important phenomenon that is treated with a lot of fear and care. This book will benefit scholars of religion, church ministers and community elders.

Beatrice Lukalo holds an MA in Religion and is currently undertaking her PhD studies. She works with Teachers Service Commission as a Tac-Tutor. She also serves as a part-time lecturer at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Great Lakes University Kisumu and Presbyterian University.

O. M. J. Nandi is an Associate Professor of Social Sciences. He has over twenty years of teaching and research at University. He has supervised graduate students at master and PhD levels. He is a registered member of several professional bodies. He has published many scholarly articles in international and regional journals. He has co-authored a book, “Understanding the Plight of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children: A Focus on Faith-Based Organizations in Bungoma South, Kenya”. He served as the Chairman of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Maseno University and founding Chair of the Department of Social Sciences Education, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST). He also has acted as the Dean of Students and also served as Director of Privately Sponsored Students Programme for six years at MMUST. Currently, he is in charge of Kaimosi Campus of MMUST.