Talk:Religion in Benin

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Africa: Benin Top‑importance

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Religion Mid‑importance

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balance[edit]

Firstly, the two main indigenous religions are Vodou (Vodun) and Orisha, practiced by Fon and Yoruba respectively. They are closely related.

Secondly, the thing that Benin is mostly known for, other than the history of the slave trade, is recognition of Vodou as a state religion and the main origin of Vodou-related African religion in the diaspora. So an article on religious beliefs in Benin aimed at an English speaking readership would seem a bit remiss highlighting a festival of one of the Christian denominations (pictorially) rather than the international festival of Vodou on the 10th January each year.

Technically, Vodou is more a spiritual system than a religion as it does not involve worship in the Western sense of the word, but ‘religion’ is indeed the more accessible English term. English struggles to find the correct terminology in translation, just as it does when translating the Islamic word “Allah” as God in a generic sense. The article could also usefully be expanded to describe the fairly unique mix of Islam in Benin, or at least with improved links. Parzivalamfortas 22:41, 10 January 2020 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Parzivalamfortas (talk • contribs)