The Psychological and Religious Impact of Growth and Maturation

Abstract

The article will discuss the impact of rites of passage to the individual and how it engenders one and makes one accepted in the societal norms. Ceremonies that mark important transitional periods in a person's life, such as birth, puberty, marriage, having children, and death. Rites of passage usually involve ritual activit ies and teachings designed to strip individuals of their original roles and prepare them for new roles. The tradit ional African wedding ceremony is such a rite of passage. In many so-called primitive societies, some of the most comp lex rites of passage occur at puberty, when boys and girls are initiated into the adult world. In some ceremonies, the init iates are removed from their village and may undergo physical mutilation before return ing as adults. The emphasis and the central point of this article will main ly deal with the relevance of rites of passage in the contemporary society, it will touch certain rites that the society currently looks at in disdain especially circu mcision of wo men, wh ich is geared towards submission as a result of patriarchal do minance. The aticle will cu lminate in relat ing some initiat ion rites of passage to Christianity, how we can inculturate some acceptable values into worship, also it will touch how the Bible v iewed some in itiation rites. The article will be summarized and concluded with some observations and a critical evaluation of some female initiat ions that seem not to carry some impact except inflict ing pain that is female circu mcision.