Metaphysical Foundations of Christian and African Traditional Religion: Exploring Ontological and Cosmological Conceptions of the Sacred

Abstract

Metaphysics constitutes a foundational dimension of all religious traditions, shaping their understanding of reality, being, and the sacred. Christianity and African Traditional Religion (ATR), though historically and culturally distinct, exhibit rich metaphysical systems that inform their ontological and cosmological worldviews. This paper explores the metaphysical foundations of Christianity and ATR with particular attention to their conceptions of being, the nature of the divine, the structure of reality, and the relationship between the visible and invisible worlds. Through a comparative analysis using pluralism theory, the study highlights areas of convergence and divergence in their ontological and cosmological assumptions, especially regarding God, spirits, humanity, and the universe. The paper argues that while Christianity emphasizes a transcendent yet immanent monotheistic God, ATR presents a holistic, relational, and participatory metaphysics in which the sacred permeates all of reality. The study concludes that an appreciation of these metaphysical foundations is essential for meaningful interreligious dialogue, contextual theology, and African Christian identity formation.