Most of Kenyans are Christians, which includes the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Protestant Church, the Presbyterian Church, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and Roman Catholic Church. Most of Kenyan Christians are Protestant. 82.5% of Kenyans are Christians, 11.1% are Islam, 2.4% practice no religion, 1.6% practice indigenous religions, 1.7% practices other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, and .7% has an unspecified religion.
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The indigenous religions in Kenya are mostly all based on natural phenomena. Kenyans that practice these types of religion believe that the dead transform into another state when they die, becoming spirits. They believe that these spirits can then bring good luck or misfortune to the living. Since these spirits can either bring good or bad luck, many traditional African religions make sacrifices to the dead to please them, however, each indigenous religion has their own special rituals that they do.
The Kikuyu religion is one of the traditional African religions practiced in Kenya. The Kikuyu religion believes that Ngai, or God, lives on top of Mt. Kenya, so they say their prayers facing the Mountain. They also bury their dead with their heads towards the mountain. The Kikuyu people make sacrifices before large events such as harvest and planting. All of these sacrifices are done facing the mountain and they are done to please God and the spirits of their ancestors so they will bring the Kikuyu good fortune during their big event.
ritual of the kikuyu religionOne ritual carried out by the Kikuyu is called "vomiting of sins." During this ritual, a goat is slaughters and its stomach contents are taken out. After this, a medicine man mixes the contents with medicines and then brushes this mixture on the tongue of the sinner equal to the amount of times the sinner committed the sin. Each time it is brushed on the sinners tongue, the sinner spits or vomits it on the ground. Then the walls in the sinner’s house are brushed in the same mixture. If the sinner does not partake in this ritual, their house must be torn down.
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