Paper 1 · The Spirit World and Ancestors
Which is the objection most often made by African scholars to the phrase 'ancestor worship'?
Athe ancestors are venerated as senior relatives, not worshipped as God
Bthe ancestors receive no offerings of beer, snuff or livestock
Cthe phrase was first used by Shona and Ndebele elders themselves
Dthe ancestors are themselves believed to have created the world and its people
Explanation: Scholars such as Mbiti, Idowu and Bourdillon argue that kupira, offering and venerating, is what is owed to senior kin, while worship belongs to Mwari, and that the phrase was coined by outsiders. Others reply that in daily practice the distinction is a thin one, so the question remains argued.
Derived from ZIMSEC Family and Religious Studies Paper 1, June 2023, Q1