1.1.Fulfillment
approach
Fulfillment
approach sees that Christianity fulfils what is missing in the Mara primal
religion. Long before the western missionaries came to Maraland, the Maras had
the concept of God, celestial beings and life after death and similar moral and
ethical teachings. All these accorded with Christian teaching. What the
missionaries brought to the Mara people was Jesus Christ and Christianity.
Thus we come up to the point that the primary
reason for accepting Christianity by all the Maras lies in the common aspects
of moral and ethical norms in Mara religion and Christianity. However, the fear
of evil spirits prevented us from living out those moral teachings in practical
daily lives. Christianity brought Jesus Christ who overpowers the evil spirits
and we accepted the gospel tidings of Jesus Christ which liberated us from evil
spirits.
The
Fulfillment approach is rather similar to the inclusive approach, but it does
not claim the possibility of anonymous Christianity. Rather it sees Jesus
Christ and Christianity fulfilling the inadequacies and weaknesses of Mara
traditional religion.
1.2.Henotheistic
approach
By
the henotheistic approach, the author means the worship of a single god while
recognizing the existence of several gods but regards one particular god as the
deity of the family or tribe; makes him the centre of worship; and in its
relation with him neglects for practical purposes the existence of others.[1] In
fact, the henotheistic approach stands mid-way between polytheism and
monotheism. Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one god, and monolatry
restricts worship to a single god while recognizing the existence of several
gods but regarding one particular god as deity of the family or tribe. The
practice of the Mara traditional religion was dualistic worship maintaining the
worship of Khazohpa (high God) and sacrifices to evil spirits. It is
therefore, henotheistic conceptually, believing in the existence both of one
theistic god and other gods like the faith of the Hebrew people when God said,
“worship no gods but me” (Exodus 20:
3).
In
this sense, the Mara primal religion could be reinterpreted as henotheism or
monolatry which would be more appropriate and more fit the Mara religious and
cultural practices more closely. In Mara traditional religion Khazohpa (God)
was worshipped and sacrifices were offered to evil spirits for healing from
different kinds of sickness and illness. Therefore, the author believes that
Mara primal religion should be categorized as ‘henotheism’ in which the primary
allegiance was given to khazohpa (God) and sacrifices to evil spirits
were also offered for healing from sickness and illness.
2.
The
Maras and Their Culture
The Mara society has been an open and free society.
There was no sex discrimination, people mixed freely in the society
irrespective of their sex. In older time Kingship was strong in Mara society
and Kinsman were surrounded by concern and care. The elders were to be obeyed,
young ones and the aged to be loved, women treated with respect and orphans and
widows to be cared, needy people were to be helped and strangers to be
received. The Maras grew their food and made their own clothes, they did not
depend on others.
The consumption of rice beer and opium was common among the Maras. Drinking of rice beer, taking
opium, smoking tobacco was closely associated with traditional religious
festival and life style. Rice beer was used in every festival and other
religious ceremonies and occasion. Every family used to make rice beer for
their traditional religious festival every year. On any festival occasion they
killed pigs, cows, and buffalos and they celebrated festival with drinking rice
beer and dancing culture dances. Competition among villages and
tribes was prevalent, in form of challenges
like who could kill more animals and who could drink more rice beer.
Taking opium, smoking tobacco, and chewing betel nuts and leaf
were common among the Maras. The Mara people used such things as a sign of
showing hospitality to the visitors. The house owner or who ever conducted
tradition festival provided opium, tobacco, betel nuts and leafs and ensured
the well being of the participant as well as the audience.[2]
In
this section the author will deal selectively and briefly with some aspects of
Mara popular culture such as the Mara philosophy of apiepasaina hro (self
sacrifice), festivals and dances because all these elements played an important
part in the Mara cultural change.
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