Divination, Possession, and Witchcraft: Studying Religious Expressions as a Christian

Abstract

As an anthropologist who is also a Christian I regularly engage with people who have religious expressions and spiritual interests that differ from my own. I have witnessed divination, sacrifices, and possession, and researched witchcraft. In principle, I do not wish to get personally involved in religious or spiritual activities that concern other entities than God, especially if it entails participating in their worship or seeking their favor. Since I found little help in the available literature, I needed to develop my own position. Taking a reflexive and experiential stance, I draw on my background, the people I engage with, and my experience of doing fieldwork. While both anthropologists and missionaries have often viewed religions other than Christianity reductively, I propose that we take people seriously by adopting an empathic attitude. This works well with an ontological, relational, and collaborative approach to anthropology that focuses on studying with people.