Religions In Nigeria Research Articles

CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE: A SINE QUA NON FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

The thrust of this work is on the necessity of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims to enhance and strengthen sustainable development in Nigeria. Christianity and Islam are the two major and decisive religions in Nigeria. Deplorably, the two religions that should teach and promote love, tolerance, and unity as enshrined in both the Bible and al-Qur’an, have been subtlety used as an indicator of political and social identity in a way that rouse conflicts over resources, land, political and economic power. This has led to the upsurge in religious intolerance and bigotry, unbridled and aggressive action of the fundamentalists, wrong religious orientations, mindless selfishness among some religious leaders, and low level of religious literacy among some adherents, which is currently posing a crucial threat to sustainable development in Nigeria. Therefore, this study critically examines the interplay of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims through dialogue for the transformation and sustainable development of Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive research method, purely based on written sources comprised of books, journals, and websites. The study, among other things, revealed that peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims is crucial for the economic, political, and social development of Nigeria. It was discovered that through dialogue, the intolerance and conflict situation in Nigeria can be transformed into a culture of peace characterized by respect, trust, liberty, tolerance, equality, and brotherliness that will foster sustainable development. The study, therefore, concluded with the recommendation that since religious isolation and bigotry are not conducive to sustainable progress and development, individual and religious institutions should embrace and proclaim dialogue reflecting brotherhood, peace, solidarity, unity, and love, which will play a vital role in shaping and establishing a better prosperous future for the nation.

Religious Freedom in an Age of The Global War on Christianity: A Nigerian Christian Perspective

Nigeria ranks as the world’s most violent place for Christians today. Christianity and Islam, the major religions in Nigeria, are known to preach love and peace worldwide. A brief review of the grim reality of the practical implications of these claims against endemic violence questions the meaning of religion in Nigeria. This article relates the abuse and violation of rights and, therefore, proposes the universal human right of religious freedom as a more reliable path to peaceful coexistence, as against tolerance, which today has been acknowledged as a failed strategy for enduring peace.

Political and socio-economic convergence of religions in Nigeria: Positive views and interests

Political and socio-economic convergence of religions in Nigeria: Positive views and interests

A Deconstruction of the Cross and the Crescent for Inclusive Religious Pluralism between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria

The Crescent and the Cross as religious symbols are beyond the mere signification of religious affiliations. They are symbols on which over two hundred years of wars were sustained and are indicative of the religious dichotomy between modern Christianity and Islam across the globe. However, the tangential relationship between the usage of the symbols and the Jihad or the Crusade reeks of memories of fierce competition and unhealed historical memories. The collective memory of the wars fought under the symbols has remained a moniker for conquests and forceful submission. The exclusive propensities of the experiences are evident in the interreligious relation of the adherents of both religions in Nigeria. This article attempts to answer the question of how the exclusive religious disposition underlining most instances of religious crises in the country may be addressed. This article uses deconstructive analysis to strip the symbols and their exclusive religious dispositions for an inclusive religious pluralism model. It argues for the need for a critical rethinking of the exclusive interreligious model operative in the country to facilitate social development and the peaceful co-existence of the adherents of both religions.

Marriage by Proxy: A Remedy to Divorce and Single Parenting as Presented in Ifá Ogbèdí Divination Poetry

Marriage is an important aspect of life in Africa and other nations around the world. In Africa, particularly among the Yorùbá, marriage institution is sacredly ordained by Olódùmarè for the purpose of procreation and mutual help. Therefore, anyone in the society that has attained marriageable age is expected to marry notwithstanding any form of deformity. However, it is unfortunate that the institution of marriage in the world today is facing a lot of hitches leading to divorce, and eventually, single parenting. In the past, marriage by proxy, which means marriage that follows due process with the help of intermediary and Ifá divination, was, considerably helpful in sustaining marital union. However today, some people have attributed the problem of marriage breakup to abandoned culture and modernity through Western education, foreign culture, and religions, while others premise it on women’s liberation. Yet, the latter argument may not be strong enough since many prominent women were successful in their business enterprises and marriage even in times of the gods such as Ajé who had 200 slaves that helped her to take her wares to the market. Whether these shared views are true or there are other factors associated with the issue of marriage and divorce is what this paper tries to find out. Hence, ten men and women were interviewed from each three principal religions in Nigeria and their opinions were content analyzed. Regardless of religious affiliation, at least 82% of the respondents agreed that foreign culture, religion, and education extremely contributed to the decline of African culture, which gave room for divorce of which the end product is single parenting.

National Integration and Peaceful Co-Existence in Nigeria: The Role of Inter-Ethnic/Inter-Religious Marriages

It is no longer news that Nigeria as one united political and geographical entity has continued to experience inter-religious and inter-ethnic sentiments bickering, misunderstanding, mistrust which have constantly snowballed into crisis of tremendous proportion. As a result, many innocent lives and properties worth billions of naira have been lost. This ugly situation has continued to threaten the corporate existence of Nigeria and retrogressively affected the socioeconomic development of Nigeria. However, when there is no genuine effort to bring about genuine national integration, peaceful coexistence will definitely be a mirage. One of the factors or strategies identified as capable of fostering national integration and guaranteeing peaceful co-existence is inter-ethnic, inter-religious and even inter-communal marriages among the people of different ethnic groups and adherents of different religions in Nigeria. This paper clarifies concepts in the write-up and also points out how intermarriages can foster peace and unity. It also recommends that traditional and religious leaders should be encouraged to inspire those they watch over to embrace this type of mixed marriage in order to achieve sustainable national development and most importantly promote peaceful coexistence among different ethnic groups in Nigeria

Towards Religious Understanding: An Assessment of the Ambivalence Roles of Religious Leaders in Christian-Muslim Relations in Nigeria

The world today is becoming more violent than ever before. Sometimes, the violence can be political, ethnic, economic and or religious. In most cases, distinguishing the main cause of such violence from other causes might be difficult. The factors could be a combination of two issues viz: ethnoreligious conflicts or politico-religious conflicts. The religious experience in Nigeria today, as a multi-religious society so far has proven contrary to the general belief and the widespread expectation of people about religion as an institution that promotes social integration. Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria today (though being the dominant religions in Nigeria) is standing on shaky ground. The relationship is highly characterized by mutual suspicion, mistrust and distrust. In understanding this characterized reality in their interactions, this work interrogated the ambivalence roles played by religious leaders in Nigeria. And in doing this, the ethnographic research method was adopted. As part of its findings, it was discovered that there is a high level of intolerance among Christians and Muslims in Nigeria occasioned by unguarded utterances and abuse of freedom of speech by many uncensored religious leaders. Thus, setting the stage for avoidable and constant religious confrontations among the adherents of the two religious communities in Nigeria. The study recommends that peaceful co-existence can be possible if the government is responsible and responsive enough to address the basic needs of her masses which would reduce largely the manipulation of religion by clerics for personal gain. Furthermore, the place of meaningful dialogue should be embraced by religious leaders across different religious divides. Keywords: Christian-Muslim Relations, Dialogue, Peaceful Co-existence, Religious leaders, Religious Understanding

ASSESSING THE ROLE OF RELIGIONS IN AFRICA USING THE EXAMPLE OF NIGERIA

In the modern world, there is a rapid civilizational development of African countries. The largest and most influential state in the West African region is Nigeria. Strategically, Nigeria strives to be a regional leader and take leading positions in the development and provision of regional security. Africa currently remains the most religious continent in the world, socio-ethnic and socio-confessional characteristics of society have a significant impact on the development of almost all social processes and changes in Nigeria and other countries of this region. Research results: it is proved that in the conditions of active civilizational development in Nigeria, religions have a great influence in the process of societal developments. The essential role of religion in the formation of civil society is determined; the study revealed that religions in Nigeria have significant impacts on the political development of society; the influence of religious organizations on the attitude of the population to the authorities has been proved. It is concluded that religions are of great value and are directly related to the development of Africa. Religions are channels for the transmission of social and political values from one generation to another. It is further proved that religions in Nigeria actively contribute to the moral development of the society. 77.7% of respondents agreed to be active members of a political party due to the encouragement from religious organizations. At the same time, 50% of respondents are politically active in accordance with their personal interest in politics. Half of the respondents agreed to have been participating in peaceful protests, as a result of encouragement from their various religious organizations.

Religiosity and Customer Experience: a Study of the Nigerian Hospitality Industry

The effect of religiosity on customer experience has engendered a lot of debate in the existing literature. This study examines the effect of religiosity on customer experience among the three major religious groups in the hospitality sector in Nigeria. The study is premised on the dimensions of religiosity, which are religious knowledge, orientation, commitment and affiliation. Employing the survey research design, 544 customers in the hospitality industry who cut across the three main religions in Nigeria were sampled. The study employed the PLS-SEM tool in the analysis of data. The PLS-SEM analysis shows that religiosity (t-value=134.668) is a significant determinant of customer experience in the hospitality sector. The findings further reveal that there is no significant difference in customer experience among the three main ethnic groups in Nigeria. Practical Implication: It is inferred from the study that firms should pay attention to religiosity in order to give the customers an exciting experience. More attention should be paid to the customers’ religious orientation and knowledge. The role and significance of religion as relating to religious, affiliation, commitment, orientation and knowledge of the customers should not be ignored by firms in the provision of goods and services which will bring about better service encounter

Mirroring Corruption Epidemic in Nigeria via the Biblical Lens: The Role of the Church

Undeniably, the menace of corruption is perceived to have eaten deep into several phases of nations of the world; meanwhile, Nigeria is not an exception. The scope of this study is channeled basically towards the Nigerian context. The reality and actuality of corruption in Nigeria nation suggests that Nigeria still retains its popular known notch as the ‘giant of Africa’, being shortchanged for ‘giant of corruption’. Although, it can be argued that Nigeria is not the most corrupt country in Africa; its uniqueness being part of the corrupt countries is obviously glaring. It is not in any way an overstatement to say that corruption is the middle-name of Nigeria itself; with the fact that there seems to be no dailies in Nigeria media without a trending issue on corruption. With several religions in Nigeria (Islam, Christianity, African Religion); it is logical to ask why do corruption still prevails? Although ‘corruption’ is not a system of belief, it persists as a trending entity with many devotees, followers and disciples, having ingrained their mindset that the nation cannot function properly without corruption. The observed menace spurred the interest of this study, with specific attention to the Christian perspective. Christianity is one of the prevailing religious movements in Nigeria; therefore, the sphere of this research is in the Christian direction; how the Church can step in to help the messy situation. The temple of God (which is the Church) must be clean to restore the sanctity of the society. Observably, several Christians and Church leaders are with silence-syndrome approach and standing aloof mechanism to eradicate corruption; but worse is the case in the country. The fact that abstinence from secular activities (while trying to uphold Christian values as against corruption) is of no good effect is glaring; therefore, this research posits that the Church must exhaust all her platforms in speaking against corruption with Church leaders and Christians as worthy ambassadors of the Church.

A Critical Assessment of the Role of Religion Towards Peaceful Coexistence in Nigeria

Every human society is pruned to one kind of crisis or the other. Nigeria as a nation is not exempted. In Nigeria since her independence in 1960, it has been bedeviled with one crisis or the other, among which are ethnic, political and religious crisis. To resolve these crises, different methods of conflict resolution have been employed without lasting success. This paper is a critical examination of the functions of religion in ensuring peaceful coexistence in Nigeria. From the earliest time of human existence on earth, humans in every generation have encountered divergence typology of religious experiences which makes man to be pruned to experience more. Looking at it from a sociologically perspective, religion is a complex phenomenon that is mixed with culture yet, constituted by cultic practices of rituals and worship; and also, of a doctrine and an institutional organization. The dogmatic sphere of a given religion is inevitably difficult to ascertain, because it consists of a complicated and expansive system of beliefs that are organized throughout the generations of believers. The findings of this research have shown that the problems of religious disharmony, disunity, intolerance and non-peaceful coexistence among the numerous adherents of religions in Nigeria can be resolved by the positive roles religion plays. The paper concludes that Nigeria as a country has reached a philosophical and historical epoch where it is necessary to abandon the negative and anachronistic aspects of her culture and religion and integrate the positive elements of religion.

Sexual and Reproductive Health in (Nigeria) Africa: Issues, Debate and Approaches

Human reproductive health is still at risk in Nigeria. In response to the problem, the Federal Government of Nigeria launched the National Reproductive Health Policy in 2001 to serve as the framework to base reproductive health strategies and interventions. Despite this, the country is far from achieving its set target. Several factors have been identified as the elements behind this challenge. One of such factor is cultural and religious beliefs. Religions have been known to have influenced people on beliefs of various kinds, especially on the issue of human sexuality and reproduction. There are two main religions in Nigeria – Christianity, and Islam. Their doctrines on sexual and reproductive health have been challenging. This paper sets out to map out these religious perspectives in the light of contemporary and practical relevance based on a sound philosophical understanding. This approach is important in order to bridge the communication gap between the cultural/religious community and the public health intervention workforce, so as to create synergy towards effective action. Moreover, the paper argues that silence on sexual matters should no longer be held as a virtue since traditional norms have lost their capacity to modernity.

Lagos: the melting pot of African traditional religion and other foreign religions in Nigeria

African Traditional Religion (ATR) is the religion that was practised throughout Africa before the arrival of Western missionaries. The core premise of ATR is the maintenance of African culture and its main feature is loyalty to the ancestors and accompanying rituals that express this loyalty. With the introduction of two foreign religions into the mega city of Lagos, the interest has shifted from traditional religion to the two other religions. This study adopted the sociological theory of Emile Durkheim, which argues that Stability and cohesion shared in religion binds people closely together and contribute to the growth of the society. Various authors have written on the question of monotheism versus polytheism and the nature and position of revelation in religion and in order to understand the place of African Religion in light of contemporary religions, the exegesis approach is applied in the discussion of Africans belief in the worship of one Supreme Being and veneration of ancestors as intermediaries to the one Supreme Being. The paper explores the question of religious tolerance within the megacity of Lagos. Finally, the study reveals how Lagosian adherents of the traditional religion interface with members of the other religions. Finally the paper concluded that Lagosian Christians or Muslims continue their veneration and practice of indigenous religion whilst upholding their foreign religious identity.Keywords: Lagos, African religion, foreign religions, the melting pot of Nigerian Society

THE REALITY AND NON-PECULIARITY OF THE YORUBA'S BELIEF IN REINCARNATION: AYE KEJI EXEMPLIFIED

Everyone knows that death is the inevitable end of man. What plagnes the mind of many,consciously or otherwise, is the question of what happens to man when he breaths his lastbreath. While some are of the opinion that after death comes judgment; a detenninant ofwhether one goes to eternal blissful domains, or into everlasting tonnent; depending onwhether he had lived piously or otherwise, while on earth. Another school of thought opinesthat the soul of the dead will reincarnate by taking abode in a new physical body, born as anew baby and live another nonnallife, whereby he/she has the opportunity to correct his/herwrong actions in the previous incarnation. While some are of the opinion that when the soulhas gathered wisdom, knowledge and understanding through several incarnations, it becomesone with the creator; others believe that reincarnation is a continuous process without neithera beginning nor an ending. The Y oruba of South-Western Nigeria, like most other Africans,believes that humans reincarnate in order to re-choose their destiny and fulfill their lifeambitions which they had no chance to achieve in a previous incarnation. An examination ofsome Yoruba traditional songs about death and what follows, show that they believe in 'a dayof reckoning' and the continuum of the life cycle. Reincarnation, generally speaking, isalways thought of, and discussed as a religious phenomenon, most probably because itborders on the super-natural; an issue to which only God; the creative force, has the totallycorrect answer. My bid in this study is to establish through self-confessed persons thatreincarnation is a reality, as against Majeed's (2012) summation that reincarnation as aphenomenon "serves the need of personality identity and as such, it is irrational". Aside fromthat, this study examines and concludes that the acceptance of the reality of reincarnation isnot peculiar to the Traditional Religion of the (African) Y oruba, it is a common nexus inother faiths, unlike what obtains in Christianity and Islam; the two officially recognized(foreign) religions in Nigeria. My exemplifications from Ay~ keji (The other world); aparticularly selected Nollywood film, is as a result of its direct relativity to the issue of thisstudy, which is pivoted around African indigenous thought system and philosophy.

Religious Pluralism and Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Religious pluralism implies a diverse variety and multiplicity of faiths found to exist simultaneously in a given society. The beauty of these religions in their respective distinctiveness, even as they uphold and teach variegated divine sparks of the incomprehensible Supreme Being (God), is seen when they inclusively work together in one purposeful and concerted effort to unfold (de-envelope) the naturalness which humanity must conquer in order to be termed: developed. The platforms and bridges of religious inclusivism, ecumenism and tolerance lead naturally to greater freedoms, self-actualization, civilization and peace which are critical components of sustainable development. Religious pluralism has inherent integrative powers to transform the society positively. However, historical experiences reveal that societies which tie political battle for supremacy, socio-economic dominance and cultural superiority complex to their religions breed developmental crises. One example of such a specimen is Nigeria. The interactions between the three dominant religions in Nigeria, namely: Christianity, African Traditional Religion and Islam have been largely governed by divisiveness, hatred, bigotry and violence. The consequence is developmental deficits. This paper strove to discuss the integrative value of religious pluralism which brings sustainable development. It also examined exclusivity as a common possible weakness of religious pluralism which destroys the integral growth of peoples and nations. The methodology employed in this work is historic-descriptive which means that the relationship patterns of the three religions in Nigeria and their impacts on sustainable development were studied over time guided by the progressive value of religion. Finally, the paper recommended the need to eschew religious absolutism or totalitarianism, and secularity of constitutions to be upheld among others to promote the harnessing of the gains of religious diversity. Key Words : Religious pluralism, Exclusivity, Inclusivity, Sustainable development, Nigeria.

Usage of Effective Communication in Curbing Religious Fanaticism: The Nigerian Experience

Religious Fanaticism have been the bane of our society since most religions claim to be the best way or right path for the Devotee to attain Nirvana (Kingdom of God).Thus this paper examines the extent that religious leaders in Christianity and Islam in Nigeria have influenced religious fanaticism through their teachings via communication to their Devotees and general believers .It is a known fact that in Nigeria, victims of religious arrogance and beliefs have suffered a lot of violence from numerous religious fanatical groups under the guise of religion. The thematic framework for this paper is the Two –Step Flow theory which stipulates that influence from communication on an individual is more on a personal level than through the mass media which is impersonal. This means that communication is mostly believed when it is from the set of people we love and respect on a face- to- face basis. The researcher recommends that the religious leaders of both religions in Nigeria should use effective communication in curbing religious fanaticism which will eventually enhance peaceful coexistence within the country. ‘There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it’ -GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (1989 ) Keywords- Religious Fanaticism, Devotee, Religious tolerance, Effective communication, Religious Syncretism.

Interest Free Salary-Workers Savings and Credit Co-Operative Society as A Panacea to Economic Hardship Faced By Workers in A Depressed Economy

The conventional cooperative societies dated back to 1844 were built on interest-based operations, where interest is charged and paid on any financial advance to members and deposits made by members, respectively. Interest based transactions are not only forbidden by the two major religions in Nigeria, but are perceived to be negating the principle of mutual help and economic stability; which cooperatives are out to achieve. This paper examines the operations of interest free cooperative societies formed by salary-workers; with the aim of exploring the concept, objectives, activities, management and sources of funds to such societies. This study uses content analysis. From the review, this study found out that salary workers stand to enjoy a lot of benefits by forming Interest free co-operative societies. It is therefore concluded that Interest free savings and credit co-operative society is the most appropriate form of co-operative society through which workers used to improve on their savings.

Scramble for Souls: Scrutinizing the Nature, Growth, and Competing Claims of Ori-Oke in Ilorin, Nigeria

This article examines the evolution of Ori-Oke (Yoruba term for prayer mountain) as a religious phenomenon in Ilorin, Nigeria. Based on the participatory spirituality theory of J. N. Ferrer, the article discusses the impact of Ori-Oke on people’s daily life and how its spirituality strives to provide satisfying answers to the deepest questions of human existence. It highlights the characteristics of Ori-Oke spirituality and prayer formats. The article concludes with reflections on the reasons Ori-Oke is trending and the future it holds for peaceful coexistence and dialogue among religions in Nigeria.

John Hick’s Philosophy of Religious Pluralism in the Context of Traditional Yoruba Religion

This article is an interpretation of John Hick’s philosophy of religious pluralism in the context of traditional Yoruba religion. The ultimate goal of the article is pragmatic, viz. to provide a theoretical basis for peaceful coexistence among different religions in Nigeria. The methods adopted to achieve this objective are hermeneutical/analytical and comparative. Hick’s theory is interpreted and analysed before it is applied to traditional Yoruba theology. His concept of the Transcendent or Ultimate Reality is equated with the Yoruba concept of the Supreme Being or Olodumare. Both Hickean Ultimate Reality and Olodumare are conceived as transcategorial. However, Yoruba divinities are equated with Hick’s personae and impersonae of the Real: like the personae and impersonae of Hickean Ultimate Reality, the divinities are manifestations of Olodumare. This interpretative method can be used to account for differences in the conceptions of the Supreme Being among competing religions in Nigeria, especially Islam and Christianity in their conceptions of God. KeywordsJohn Hick, pluralism, Yoruba, Nigeria, Olodumare, divinities

Nigerian Pluralistic Society and the Relevance of Religious Dialogue as an Instrument of Peace

Nigeria being a multi-religious state is currently bedeviled with a lot of crises which range from political and religious to socio-ethnic problems. This paper identifies Nigeria as religiously pluralistic and the importance of engaging in dialogue to surmount its myriad problems and process and achieve the needed peace. However, much emphasis is laid on the two major religions in Nigeria namely Christianity and Islam. The paper identifies the forms of dialogue and how it could be engaged in the polity, possible areas of dialogue, principles of dialoguing and the obstacles that may be encountered in the course of doing so. The paper recommends that for effective dialogue to take place among all religions, misconception, stereotype and bias should be eliminated. It further recommends that effective dialogue between the two major religions in the country should be effectively enhanced to ensure peace. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v4n3p343