Kongo Religion

Basic Kongo religious beliefs:

• the belief in Nzambi Kalunga or Nzambi Mpungu Tulendo, who is the creator and the ultimate source of power (he is the supreme being and is thought to be omnipotent) 
• the belief in lesser spirits and ancestors that mediate between humanity and the supreme being 
• the belief that evil, disorder, and injustice are the result of such base human motives as greed, envy, or maliciousness 
• as constant sources of life and well-being, both the land and the matrilineal ancestors buried in it form tht basis of preoccupation in Kongo thought 
• the belief in the importance of land and matrilineal ancestors buring in it because they are both constant sources of life and well-being; Kongo thought is very focused on fertility and the continuity of the community

History of the Kongo religion:

• 1500-Kongo agrarian communities had been drawn into numerous kingdoms and large chiefdoms established centuries earlier 
• 1510-(in the late fifteenth century, the Portuguese king and merchants entered into diplomatic, mercantile, and missionary relations with the Kongo) in a succession struggle between the traditional prince Mpanzu and Christian prince Afonso, the victory of the latter brought about the official endorsement of Catholicism, schools, and the europeanization of Kongo culture 
• mid-16th century-Prince Alfonso died and the kingdom began to disintegrate; usually supported by the Poruguese militia and Catholic missionaries, it became increasingly subject to succession feuds between contending houses and lineages 
• 18th-19th century-during the slave era, a variety of cults and renewal movements made their appearences (the history of this time may be seen as a period of renewal, either at the local lineage level or at the national level; the appeal was for restoration of public morality and order, and ancestors' tombs were restored, cemeteries purified, and group authority renewed 
• 1875-1908-(the Free State Era) colonial labor recruitment, epidemic diseases, population decline, and renewed missionary efforts defamed the traditional Kongo beliefs and subjected the Kongo people to a loss of traditional values and the disintegration of traditional leaders' authority 
• by 1920-Kongo chiefs were ineffective; their judicial techniques were bypassed by colonial authorities or banned

The Christian mission that invaded the Kongo during the Free State Era gave rise to many congregations and conferences, as well as to schools, hospitals, seminaries, and other specialized institutions. It has brought about the overwhelming christianization of the Kongo people, however, most Kongo Christians still subscribe to the fundamental tenents of the Kongo religion and worldview. 

All information taken from:

        Eliade, Mircea, editor in chief, The Encyclopedia of Religion, vol. 8, 
                New York: Macmillian, 1987.