Illness and death experiences in Northwestern Tanzania: An investigation of discourses, practices, beliefs, and social outcomes, especially related to witchcraft, used in a critical contextualization and education process with Pentecostal ministers.

摘要

This research (1) secured detailed information on discourses and practices during selected episodes involving illness and/or death in Northwestern Tanzania with particular attention to the beliefs involved, and to the social outcomes of these practices in order to (2) use this material as the basis for a carefully documented critical contextualization and education process in which ministers inductively grappled with the theological and pastoral issues which these cases represent.;Witchcraft is the most common explanation for serious illness and death in Northwestern Tanzania. Most people consider witchcraft in most deaths, some blame witchcraft in every death, virtually everyone suspects witchcraft in at least some deaths. Witchcraft may involve spirits, but an evil person, a witch is the ultimate cause. Together with its explanatory power, witchcraft brings negative feelings like fear and negative social outcomes ranging from distrust and destroyed relationships to banishment, beatings, and death.;People can also cause illness through the invisible means of poison/ dawa, bad luck or curses. Spirits such as ancestors, majini , demons (who are present but invisible beings) may also cause illness or death or remove their protection. They do this because the afflicted person has broken their taboo, or they want to motivate toward a particular action. Northwestern Tanzanians usually understand these interpersonal causal ontologies as primary; moral and biomedical causal ontologies as secondary: (1) "Your failure allowed her to make you sick:" The ill person sinned, broke a taboo, or offended someone and as a result an ancestor, spirit, or God caused his/her illness or removed his/her spiritual protection so that a witch or spirit could cause the illness. (2) "She used it:" An object or accident may be the means, but ultimately someone is responsible. Someone may ask, "Who sent the mosquito with the malaria parasite and prevented treatment from being effective so that my child died?";Northwestern Tanzanians choose and mix from three primary options to explain, treat, and evaluate illness and death: Local/neo-traditional, biomedical, and Christian. The local/neo-traditional explanation and treatment system focuses on relationships with present "witches," but invisible witchcraft and sometimes ancestors or spirits. The Pentecostal Christian system says that the Creator through Jesus and the Holy Spirit is powerfully present to heal and protect Jesus' followers from "witches," demons, Satan, and sickness. They also broaden the worldview to say that not all deaths are caused by witchcraft. God's will, sin, and biomedical causes also play a role in many deaths. The biomedical system uses a mechanical analogy to focus on visible objects such as parasites, bacteria, viruses, and medicines as casual agents.;Pentecostal ministers challenge the local worldview. They call all spirits demons, whether ancestors, majini or other. They cast them out with the authority of Jesus, rather than negotiate with them for peace, health, wealth, or divination powers.;Sometimes the fearlessness of faith in Jesus allows Pentecostals to restore relationships broken through witchcraft suspicion. Sometimes they passively follow the community in suspecting and even shunning a neighbor. When a suspected witch joins the church, church members opinions remain divided. Is she really converted or still dangerous?;I conducted a critical contextualization and education process with four groups of Pentecostal ministers and two church groups. Students brought interviews and I also conducted interviews and participant observation. Lively discussion focused on describing the issues in the context, especially issues related to witchcraft.;Areas of agreement and disagreement emerged among the students in finding a Christian response to illness, death, and witchcraft. We all agreed that physical entities like parasites and bacteria as well as spiritual entities like demons cause illness and death. We all agreed that Jesus is more powerful and does heal. Students disagreed among themselves about whether witchcraft or something else caused particular cases, whether pastors should use local medicines, and how much local healers divine accurately and treat effectively. Students all believed that witches cause illness and death while I remained skeptical. We both approached Scripture through our experiences and worldview.