Ethiopia and Religon

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(Ruta writing) During our initial training, one of the Dutch volunteers asked our Ethiopian teacher, “If asked, how do I explain to my colleagues that I am not religious?” Our teacher replied laughing, “You can try to explain, but they will not understand.” Religon is a huge part of Ethiopian history and culture. Ethiopian rulers claimed to be direct descendents of Noah (from the ark) and later King Solomon. One of the three kings, Balthazar, who brought frankinsence to baby Jesus was Ethiopian. It is claimed that the ark of the covenant (the vessel that contained Moses tablets of the 10 commandments and that was kept in Solomon’s Temple in ancient times) resides in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is mentioned 30 times in the bible. Ethiopia now practices Ethiopian Orthodox which is a combination of Christian and Jewish religious practices.

The Muslim faith also has historical origins in Ethiopia. Mohammed’s daughter and future wives established the first Muslim settlement in Ethiopia in Negash. Some Ethiopian Muslims regard it to be the most holy Islamic town after Mecca.

It was fascinating during our travels to see the progression of pagan practices in which huge stelae mark the tombs of important people to early cave churches, to rock hewn churches to present day. Interestingly, our guide related to us that religion is theorized to be one of the reasons for the downfall of the mighty capital of Axum. People were so religious that they would pray 4 days a week and only work 3 days a week. Too much of a good thing?

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