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{{Infobox religion|image=Zoekerism.png|imagewidth=150px|name=<center> {{large|Zoekerism}}|type=New religious movement|polity=Presbyterian <br> Episcopalian <small>(1856–1864)</small>|area={{hlist|[[South Tussenland]]|[[Saint-Domingue]]|[[Salvatia]]|[[Manden]]}}|founded_date=1856|founded_place=Aisa, [[South Tussenland]]|founder=[[Abajomie]]|separations=Church of the Second Ascension <br> Fundamental Church of the Second Ascension <br> Church of Holy Salvation <br> African People’s Zoikerist Church <br> Zoikerist Church of Virginia|language={{hlist|[[South Tussenland Creole]]|[[Tjui]]|[[Dutch language|Dutch]]}}}}
'''Zoekerism''' ([[Amerikaens]]: ''
From 1871 to 1960, several splinter groups broke away from the Church of Second Ascension to form their own Zoekerist denominations. Some were motivated to do so based on theological differences, while others rejected the temporal role of the Church and sought to distance themselves from the [[South Tussenland#Government and Politics|body politic of South Tussenland]]. Concurrent with this fragmentation was a geographic expansion of the faith to western Africa and the Caribbean in the early 20th century, particularly into the country of [[Salvatia]], which today boasts the second-highest Zoekerist population in the world.
== Beliefs ==
===
Zoekerist theology is built upon the Three Principles (''Drigebot'') established by [[Abajomie]] in 1852. These Principles closely mirror those of Christianity, including the concept of a trinitarian God, the existence of a Promised Land, and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Zoekerists, regardless of denomination, adhere to these Principles with little variation.
# belief in a supreme, omnipresent, and trinitarian God which expresses itself in three forms: the Father (''Fadro''), the Son (''Zon''), and the Holy Spirit (''Haili Ges''). These three expressions are also sometimes known by their Akan parallels ''Njame'', ''Njankopón'', and ''Odomankoma''.
# Belief in the Second Ascension, where Jesus Christ returned in the form of [[Abajomie]] to liberate the slaves, fulfill the promise of the Promised Land, and remit them of sin.
# Belief in the Three Pursuits of freedom (''Frai''), truth (''Jest''), and the Promised Land (''Sjon''), as declared by Abajomie in 1852 during his 'Good and Candid Pursuits (''Gut met Oprekt Takom'')' speech.
==== Sainthood and spirits ====
Syncretism of Christian saints with west African spirits and lesser deities is extremely common among Zoekerists, though some regard this practice as idolatrous. Spirits are generally known as ''winti'' (from [[Dutch language|Dutch]] 'wind') while lesser deities are called ''lwa'' (from Ioruba ''olúoa''). Winti vary greatly depending on community and [[Ethnos, thede, and race|ethnic background]] and are not regulated by any authority; they are reportedly capable of human possession, making sense of the past, present, & future, and causing or healing serious illness in human beings. Meanwhile, a Church-approved list of ''lwa'' are accessible through prayer altars, sacrifical altars, churches, or shrines with the mediation of a ''babalawo'' ('priest').
The 4th-century [[Nubia|Nubian]] Saint Elias and his companions Jeremias, Isaias, Samuel, and Daniel are uniquely venerated in Zoekerism. They brought aid and spiritual comfort to Christians who were enslaved as copper miners in Cilicia, only to be arrested in Palestine and then brutally tortured and beheaded. These five men, known collectively as the Martyrs of Palestine (''Maratelarom fan Palesetina''), are syncretized with various ''lwa''.
== Practices ==
== History ==
=== Abayomi van Tussenlandt, founder of Zoekerist thought ===
The establishment and regulation of slave manumission in Dutch Tussenland had paved the way for a unique identity and African heritage in the Southern regions of the Dutch Tussenland colony.
Zoekerist thought originated from the "father of Zoekerism," Abayomi van Tussenlandt (sometimes spelt as Abajomie). Abayomi was a former slave under the Royal Tussenland Company. He had escaped from the Royal Tussenland Company's plantations in 1816 at age 14 and was eventually met by the former slave turned baker, Karlÿn de Backer in Elegasthaven. De Backer, who had introduced Abayomi to Christianity, had housed temporarily housed him until he was found and recaptured by the authorities. Three years later, De Backer had purchased Abayomi's freedom. Since then, Abayomi has dedicated a considerable portion of his time to helping De Backer and studying the Christian faith.
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=== Role in South Tussenland's Independence Movement ===
Tensions between the slaves and the Dutch ruling minority were at a high in the 1840s and caused a slave-led independence movement in 1849. Zoekerist philosophy was part of the revolt's core, invoking the concept of the pursuit of a homeland. Spain, through the viceroyalty of New Spain, supported the insurrection to undermine the Dutch. However, in 1853, amid the simultaneous South Tussenland independence war and the [[2nd Dutch-Spanish War]], Abayomi van Tussenland was seized by the Dutch authorities and had died in captivity. This emboldened the South Tussenlanders to fight harder against the Dutch. Abayomi's death in 1843 is central to Zoekerist theology, as the Zoekerists believed that he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ who similarly had given his life up and ascended to heaven. Traditional scholars heavily intertwine Zoekerism with the South Tussenland independence movement; however, more contemporary scholars such as A.L. Kneynsbergh attempt to view the South Tussenland independence from a secular viewpoint.
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In 1909, after Mexico fell to a republican revolution, the [[South Tussenland]], and in essence, the Zoekerist Church, had lost their principal benefactor. During this time, South Tussenland was also facing calls for republicanism, which was also partly spurred on by the republican government of Tussenland and New Netherland in an effort to exert influence in the continent. After the South Tussenland revolution succeeded in 1911, the Church and State were officially separated and codified into the new constitution. The revolutionaries allowed Otie II, the former head of state and head of the Church, to continue leading the Zoekerist Church, but was not allowed to meddle in the politics of South Tussenland. Despite the secularization of the state, the Zoekerist Church still plays a massive role in the culture and life of South Tussenland. In the 20th century, the religion had spread to Florida and Virginia, while minor chapters sprang up in Saint-Domingue and Cuba.
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== See also ==
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