Ecstatic elements in the contemporary African religiosity of the peoples of Ghana

Phenomena observable during African Christian prayer session, which usually hardly ever is short, quiet and devoid of externally expressed emotions, will not be unanimously described as „ecstatic”by researchers but at least some of those praying strive towards attaining a kind of ecstatic experience or state. African Traditional Religions are not „ecstatic religions”but ecstatic elements form an integral part of the African experiential religiosity that found its way into the Christian expressions of religiosity. After a period of suppression, these experiences are being sought after at present, especially in the Neo-Pentecostal movements, and contribute to a new dynamism of Christianity in Africa. The article, after some clarifications concerning terminology, highlights some of the ecstatic elements in the religiosity of contemporary Ghanaians.

Phenomena observable during African Christian prayer session, which usually hardly ever is short, quiet and devoid of externally expressed emotions, will not be unanimously described as „ecstatic”by researchers but at least some of those praying strive towards attaining a kind of ecstatic experience or state. African Traditional Religions are not „ecstatic religions”but ecstatic elements form an integral part of the African experiential religiosity that found its way into the Christian expressions of religiosity. After a period of suppression, these experiences are being sought after at present, especially in the Neo-Pentecostal movements, and contribute to a new dynamism of Christianity in Africa. The article, after some clarifications concerning terminology, highlights some of the ecstatic elements in the religiosity of contemporary Ghanaians.