Consequently, Christianity was not only turned native in Graeco-Roman cities, but also helped to shape the Graeco-Roman world; conversely the Graeco-Roman world helped to shape Christianity giving it the language and all other creative symbols at its disposal to produce what we practice and discuss today in the sacraments and theology
The Graeco-Roman world set the agenda for the discussion, gave the language and provided symbols that were easily usable or ready to hand for Graeco-Roman Christians to interpret their new appurtenance to Christ. It is true that when Christianity became the dominant religion members of other cults were persecuted and denied religious liberty especially as from the regime of the theologian emperor Theodosius. But the contest between Christianity and the other religious groups was in the free-for-all areopagus of ideas and rituals (Kofi Appiah-Kubi & Sergio Torres, 1979).
By the time the same Christianity came to African shores things had changed. Initiation rites, passage rites of age-sets that count succeeding generations, bio-social rites that socially domesticate sexuality and make the youth ready for community or national service were all targeted because of their 'demonic' rituals and because they were the roots of insurrection against colonial governments by ethnic nationalities. Religious and forcible political domination became manifest at the same moment (Haase, 1978).
In East Africa, for example, where the practice of age-sets ensured generational succession and the reproduction of society, moving from one age group to another was always through passage rites that fashion and refashion persons according to the socio-religious credo and ethos of each given people. Among the Maasai four age-sets exist and a gap of 14 years is maintained between the registration and initiation of one set and another. The four subdivide into two close streams - an alternate elder age-set that becomes godfather or patron and that initiates the younger age-set, pairs with the younger group to form a stream; successive patronage is excluded; and so a father will never be godfather or patron to his son's age-grade.
