Talk:Religion in Swaziland/Comments

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This article relies on a single source and is quite short given the importance of religion in Swazi society and culture. I question the proportions given in the cited source. Most sources with which I am familiar would place African intiated churches as encompassing 50% to 60% of the population. The term "Zionist" churches, while not exactly incorrect, is only one subcategory of African initiated churches and has been subject a degree of intellectual critique since first proposed by Bengt Sundkler in contrast to "Ethiopian" independent African churches sixty years ago. "Ethiopian" churches held to be theologically orthodox Christian churches with conventional apostolic succession in ministerial ordination, but denominational administrative independence, while "Zionist" churches were theologically unorthodox, with leaders who may never have been ordained within a church claiming apostolic succession; Sundkler referred to them as syncretistic, a term which has come under criticism in itself and as to whether it accurately or adequately describes African initiated churches. The characterization of "Zionist" churches as "combining" Christianity with indigenous religion falls under that kind of criticism. Chris Lowe (talk) 03:00, 1 May 2008 (UTC)