How were ancestor spirits used to maintain moral order in African societies?

Morality is simply the discernment of what is right or wrong. In traditional African societies, institutions such as family, the clan, and spirituality served as behavioral control and morality agencies. Notably, the living dead, or rather ancestors were ranked above the living and were believed to have maintained close relationships with the living and continued to influence their affairs. According to Green, in the traditional African culture societies, the responsibility to affirm morality was placed on the shoulders of agencies that were ranked higher in terms of social status. Therefore, ancestors being ranked high than the living gained more authority over matters of morality.

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Academic.Tips. 2022. "How were ancestor spirits used to maintain moral order in African societies?" October 9, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/how-were-ancestor-spirits-used-to-maintain-moral-order-in-african-societies/.

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Academic.Tips. "How were ancestor spirits used to maintain moral order in African societies?" October 9, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/how-were-ancestor-spirits-used-to-maintain-moral-order-in-african-societies/.

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"How were ancestor spirits used to maintain moral order in African societies?" Academic.Tips, 9 Oct. 2022, academic.tips/question/how-were-ancestor-spirits-used-to-maintain-moral-order-in-african-societies/.

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