Christianity versus Animism in Achebe's Things CollapseA major aspect of society is religion. Without it, the way people hold themselves accountable would be non-existent. Additionally, many moral standards that exist today are values ​​taken directly from religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Currently, there is a quarrel between people who believe in a god and those who do not. Eventually, those who believe in a higher power will fight against each other. In “Things Fall Apart,” Chinua Achebe highlights the differences and similarities between Christianity and animism in order to demonstrate the effects of religion on society, as witnessed by Okonkwo and his people. This can be seen in the lives of the Igbo, the missionaries and Okonkwo himself. The differences and similarities between animism and Christianity only became evident with the arrival of white men and missionaries. Due to the differences, the Igbo and the missionaries end up going from living peacefully together to being on the brink of war. Such a difference is visible in Mr. Smith's actions toward church members and clansmen: Our Lord only used the whip once in His life – to drive the crowds from His church. A few weeks after arriving in Umuofia, Mr. Smith suspended a young woman from church for pouring new wine into old bottles. (184 – 185) In doing so, Mr. Smith showed the Igbo people that Christianity is a... middle of paper ...... Okonkwo is just another device used by Achebe in "Things Fall Apart » to compare and contrast the religions of Christianity and animism. Religions have more differences than similarities and because of this, a war was started over who had the better culture. Eventually Christianity would prevail, but the importance of Igbo society and the animist religion would continue to be remembered. One must understand the importance of religion and the effect it has on life. Another battle has already begun between Christianity and Islam and the spiritual meaning of the religions has begun to be invaded by political agendas which will eventually lead to the appeasement of one culture over the other..