Almost every person is a believing creature. Religion is a ‘belief in the existence of a superhuman controlling power, especially of God or god usually expressed in worship’ (Allen, 2002:872). To Summers (1995:1195) religion is ‘people’s belief in the life of the spirit and usually in one or more gods’. Moreover, Saville-Troike (1982:19) states that any group within a society who has anything significant in common (including religion, ethnicity, race, age,
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deafness, sexual orientation or occupation), but not the same eye colour or height has its own religion. That is, a group of people within a community are pinned down to a relationship that is guided by their own interests, social norms, beliefs, and attitudes.
4.2.18.1 African religion and the church
African religion has to do with the relationship between the indigenous African belief and ritual systems (Pye, 1994:5). Before the arrival of the missionaries, Africans used to follow their traditional religion. It was only during the arrival of the missionaries that the Christian religion was introduced by the missionaries. In traditional African religion, culture and language have a fundamental role to play. In facilitating and engaging themselves in their cultural rights and beliefs, communication is in their mother tongue. This is why Northern Sotho speakers perform their religious activities in Northern Sotho at church and at home.
Generally, traditional African religions believe in the dead. This is why the Bapedi render praises and prayers to God through their ancestors. They make use of a selected goat or cow. Two stones can also be used as badimo (gods) through which they communicate with their creator. The communication (prayer) is done through the use of Northern Sotho. The language which is used while busy communicating with the ancestors is the mother tongue which may not be mixed with other foreign language terminology or even foreign cultural components. It is believed that the mixture with foreign languages might interfere with their wishes and prayers to their creator. It may even go to an extent of provoking the ancestors (Sepota, 1998:23).
The religion of Bapedi is immensely associated with ditaola (divination bones). The divination bones determine and expose the hidden information that has to do with prescriptions and diagnosis. Pure Northern Sotho terminology is used while utilising divine bones. The interpretation of divine bones is determined by the praises and descriptions of the various bones (Sepota, 1998:23).
The arrival of the Christian religion has promoted a new paradigm in as far as religious activities are concerned. Christian religion was brought along with western culture.
Christianity and the western culture have since been eroding African cultures to such an
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extent that most Africans today find themselves in a dilemma in terms of language use and their beliefs (Sepota, 1998:23).
Before the advent of the new South Africa, the Africans’ religion was undermined. Their practices were believed to be heathen. They were made to shy away from their practices. For instance, information on the truth spelled out by the divine bones was totally rejected by Christians. Instead, discouraging remarks were made against the use of divine bones for example, calling it the work of the devil. The real purpose was to promote the Christian culture (Sepota, 1998:25). This implied that the language used by a group of people who belonged to the traditional religion was not promoted.
4.2.18.2 Christian religion
The Christian religion was introduced to Africans by missionaries. A Christian is ‘a person who believes in Christianity or has been baptized in a Christian church’ (Allen, 2002:176).
From Allen’s description of Christian religion, one deduces that the Christian religion is a religion practised by believers and followers of Jesus Christ. Summers (1995:225) confirms this idea when he avers that ‘believing the ideas taught by Jesus Christ, or belonging to a Christian church: Christian ministers based on the ideas taught by Jesus Christ: Christian doctrine’ is being a Christian.
Douglas and Tenney (1989: 210) indicate the origin of the name Christian:
The biblical meaning is adhered of “Christ”. The disciples were formally called Christians first in Antioch (Act 11:26). Agrippa recognized that to believe what Paul preached would make him a Christian.
Africans were forced to do away with their own African religion. Christianity was then regarded as the religion of the state in South Africa. Sepota (1998: 23) asserts:
April 1994 marked a very important turning point in the lives of many South Africans because they think that they are now liberated. Yes politically they are liberated, but that is not enough because most people are not at peace with themselves and this
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might be the reason why our country is unstable. How can one be at peace with oneself if one is bombarded with conflicting ideas?
Politically, South Africans are liberated but are still bound by the handcuffs of the apartheid legacy. Most Africans have freedom of religion; but they still participate and communicate in foreign languages. English and other dominant African languages dominate in churches where the believers are Northern Sotho speakers. The researcher realises that in a situation where the founder of the church is of a particular language that particular language dominates. Preaching and singing are done in the dominant language. A practical example is the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). The founder is Bishop E. Lekganyane who is a Northern Sotho speaker. The church headquarters are in Polokwane (Limpopo Province in the Capricorn District) and the language mostly used is Northern Sotho. In other instances English and other language translations/interpretations are entered into. Furthermore, the same applies to the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC). The founder of the International Pentecost Holiness Church is Bishop F. S. Modise who is a Setswana speaker.
The headquarters of the church are in Soweto (Gauteng Province in Westenoria). The dominant language is Setswana in most cases. Translations/interpretations are used to cater for other languages.
Christianity brought along new culture and new language preferences. Missionaries who brought along Christianity were non-African language speakers. That is, the materials that were used were written in a foreign language and had to be translated into Northern Sotho.
New terminology was introduced. Missionaries who were responsible to deliver the message were not well versed in the language. As a result, African languages were in one way or another, affected and strained.