The Arathi, a term meaning "prophets",[1] are a Christian religious movement founded in 1926 in Kenya.[2] Along with the African Orthodox Church, Arathi was founded by the Agikuyu in the wake of Kenya's civil unrest during the 1920.[2] Joseph Ng'ang'a and Musa Thuo are among the sect's most notable prophets.[2]

Arathi was outlawed in 1934, when colonial officials prohibited Arathi meetings.[3]

Baptism has remained a central part of the Arathi tradition since its founding, and is still practiced today. It is viewed as a symbol of the beginning of a new life, and followers receive a new name after their baptism.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Isaria N. Kimambo and Thomas T. Spear, East African Expressions of Christianity (James Currey, 1999), 238.
  2. ^ a b c Francis Kimani Githieya, "The Formation and Development of the Arathi," The Freedom of the Spirit: African Indigenous Churches in Kenya (Oxford University Press US, 1997), 123.
  3. ^ Norman Etherington, Missions and Empire (Oxford University Press, 2005), 233.
  4. ^ Francis Kimani Githieya, "The Formation and Development of the Arathi," The Freedom of the Spirit: African Indigenous Churches in Kenya (Oxford University Press US, 1997), 124.