Christianity vs. Animism in Achebe's Things Fall Apart An important aspect of one's society is religion. Without it, the way people hold themselves accountable would be non-existent. Furthermore, many moral standards that exist today are values ​​taken directly from religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There is currently a feud between people who believe in a god and those who don't. Ultimately those who believe in a higher power will fight against each other. In “Things Fall Apart,” Chinua Achebe brings to light the differences and similarities between Christianity and animism to demonstrate the effects of religion on one’s society, as exemplified by Okonkwo and his people. This is seen in the lives of the Ibos, missionaries and Okonkwo himself. The differences and similarities between animism and Christianity do not become apparent until the arrival of white men and missionaries. Because of their differences, the Ibos and the missionaries eventually go from peacefully coexisting to being on the brink of war with each other. One of these differences is seen in Mr. Smith's actions towards church members and clan members: Our Lord used the whip only once in His life – to drive the crowd away from His church. Within a few weeks of his arrival in Umuofia, Mr. Smith suspended a young woman from the church for pouring new wine into old bottles. (184 – 185) By doing this, Mr. Smith showed the Ibo people that Christianity is a… medium of paper… Okonkwo is just another ploy used by Achebe in “Things Fall Apart” to compare and contrast the religions of Christianity and animism. Religions have more differences than similarities and for this reason a war was started to dispute who had the better culture. Christianity will eventually prevail, but the significance of Ibo society and animist religion will continue to remain in the memory. One must understand the importance of religion and the effect it has on one's life. Another battle has already begun between Christianity and Islam and the spiritual meaning of religions has begun to be invaded by political agendas that will ultimately lead to the pacification of one culture over the other.