Some Of The Religious Opinions Of The Negroes, Though Blended With
The Weakest Credulity And Superstition, Are Not Unworthy Attention.
I have conversed with all ranks and conditions upon the subject of
their faith, and can pronounce, without the smallest
Shadow of
doubt, that the belief of one God and of a future state of reward
and punishment is entire and universal among them. It is
remarkable, however, that except on the appearance of a new moon, as
before related, the pagan natives do not think it necessary to offer
up prayers and supplications to the Almighty. They represent the
Deity, indeed, as the creator and preserver of all things, but in
general they consider Him as a being so remote and of so exalted a
nature that it is idle to imagine the feeble supplications of
wretched mortals can reverse the decrees and change the purposes of
unerring wisdom. If they are asked for what reason then do they
offer up a prayer on the appearance of the new moon, the answer is,
that custom has made it necessary, they do it because their fathers
did it before them. Such is the blindness of unassisted nature!
The concerns of this world, they believe, are committed by the
Almighty to the superintendence and direction of subordinate
spirits, over whom they suppose that certain magical ceremonies have
great influence. A white fowl suspended to the branch of a
particular tree, a snake's head or a few handfuls of fruit are
offerings which ignorance and superstition frequently present, to
deprecate the wrath, or to conciliate the favour, of these tutelary
agents.
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