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IBENWA, Christopher N.

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Religion and Social Change in Nigeria

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Religion and Social Change in Nigeria

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CHAPTER FIVE

RELIGION AND SOCIAL CHANGE I3 NIGERIA 1 i

Definition of Religion It is a well-known fact that religion IS an aspcct.of1 1

about which many people think that they are knowledgcablc afii claim some degree of expertise. Hencc, in our e\cly: discussions on religion, almost cverybociy has somctli~ng to r I-Iowcver, tlic big q~icstio~i is whether tlicsc contsibutions rclevant to life processes and wlictlicr tllcy adclrcss scligil., problcms in the society, Ajayi (1981-:S). r

Suffice i t lo say tliat an adcqu,~tc de l in~t~on of rcl~yort very difficult to achicve. Ho\vcver. Roy Sielm in Metu (lOS."i describes religion as man's search for cuti-;I-ht~rnaii clivinc. spm or supematusal assistnncc i n achieving a scnsc ol" sccurit>~. "A;' (1 95 1 : 10) sees religion as tliat which brings or cspresscs ' ultimate relationships bet\\ ccn the Crcator and His cscaturcs.

To this cnd, rcligion is bcttcr clcscribcd than tick I . because of its complex naturc as mall's a\varcncss of the csistsrb

of a Supreme Creator and His inclination to 11-osshig I-Iini tlm inteniiedia!y of intenncdiaries. ! 1

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Tjrpcs of Religioii: 4 Thcre are many typcs of religion as tlicrc arc tlif'k ,

cultures of thc world. I t bcconics, t l~e~~cforc, a n~atlcs of c n i i c d 4 his Juncti~re to examinc, one aftcr anotlici-, sonic of tlicx \ I t ,

1.e1igio1-r~ in wder to know more about thcm.

( 1) .JUDAISNI .I~lciaisni is a Jcwis11 rcli,ijon~ I t is o ~ i c of tlic oldcLt dJ

great world religions and is the mother rclision of both ~'hristif:

and Islam. That is to say that Christianity and Islam are offshoots of Judaism. Moses was said to be the founder of Judaism However, Judaism was not foundcd by one. towering personality, as were most other religions, like Christianity and Islam.

(2) CHRISTIANITY Christianity is one of the greatest world religions. Christ is

the founder and head. Everything about it is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The tenets of Christianity are recorded in the book of books called the " Holy Bible". It has different sects such as the Roman Catholic Church, An~lican Church, Cherubim and Scraphim, Aladura, Christ Living Faith (Winners), Zoc ivlinisi~y, Clir~st Embassy, Deepcr Life, Chi~rch of God Mission, Grace of God and many others.

(3) ISLAM Islam, as a religion, was fomdcd by Mohammed in the 7"'

century B.C. The word 'Islam' means sub~nission to the will of" God. Followers of Islam are called Moslctns or Muslims. Non- iMoslems sornctinics call the religion Moliemmedan. Moslerns. however, frown at this term, bccause it iniplies the worship of Mohammed, thcir prophet rather than God, Watt, M.1M.(1979: 140- 141). As a matter of f x t , Islam is a severc bu t a simple religion. I t is severe becaue of the harsh p~~nishnicnts it recommends for those who commit offences. It is considered to be an extension of Judaism and Christianity.

(4) AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION (ATR) African Traditional Religion is the belief system that has

been handcd down from one generation to another. According to F. Anyika, (1998: 327), i t is a religion that is indigenoGs to African soil, but their origins are lost in antiquity. Ajayi, (1981: 1 ) describes i t as those beliefs and practices that are indigenous to Africans which, according. to Mbiti, (1 969: 1 -2), permeates every

! facet of the people's life. It has no sac;ed scripture, no pacific founder and evangelists. unlike Christianity and Islam. 1

I

(5) BUDDHlSM Buddhism is one of the many religions in India, founded b y .

Siddhertha Gautama in India about 500 B.C. This later became tlie chief religion of Thailand, Korea, Dum~a, Sri-Lanka China, to mention but a few. Buddhists also practice Confucianisn~ o r , Taoism. Like Christianity, Buddhism consists of numerous sects '

1 with varying practices.and beliefs. Some of these sects are so different from other that they appcar to be separate religious. Ugwu, ( I 999:21).

MODERN THEORlES ON THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION By origin of religion, is mcant how religion came into

existence. For the purpose of this study, the theorics about the origin of religion can be yrouped info four main scho01s of thought, namely, the rationalistic theory, the psycl~ological, the sociological theosics and the revoiiitiona~y theory.

ncl~ic~~enrc~ifs, rvcwrior.~, priests m i l kirigs were tleiJictl c!jlc~ clc~itlr. I Prodicus was remarkable for his theory of the origin of I

religion. Prodicus said that in thc beginning, nian worshipped. as gods: tlie si111, moon, rivers, lakes, fruits, etc. Thesc7 wcrc the t l i i n~s which were useful to thcm, and which gave them food and other vital needs. Prodicus said that this primitive stage follo\ved by anothcr in which the inventors of various .art5 9

ag~~icullurc. viniculture, nictal work and so on, wcrc dcificd a d 1

n-orshipped after their death. Dementcr, Dionysus, Hephacs!i. - are examples of such men.

2. The Psychological Theory: . The psychological theory of thc origin of religion was held

.' by the Freudian School of thought, founded by Sigmund Freud. Freud's theory of the origin of reiigion is firmly based on totemism with emphasis on "the theme of totemic sacrifice and the relation of son. to father. He somehow found the basis of the father-son- relationship in a mental illness. F~~rtliennore, Freud said that religion originated, in consiquence of man's helplessncss in facc of the formidable odds of life and man's effort to find help outside . himself to overcome these odds.

Freud maintains, that man, finding himself in the liclplcss position, resorted to projection, by the aid of \vliich hc givcs the forces of nature the character of a father and turns them into god for tlirce fold purposes, exercising the terrors or IiatLlre, reconciling men to the cruelty of fate, and conlpensating them for the suffering and dcprivation of life. Freud concludc.~, that religion is only a rcsult of powerful wishful thinking on thc part of the weak, , intcllcctually immature man. According to Frcud. religious ideas

. are illusions, fulfillment of the oldest. strongest and most LLI-gent wishcs of mankind. It is this wishful thinking, which created God for man in the blue field of nothing. Thus, the sum total of Freud's concept of the origin of religion is that God is an illusion. Man's psychological ailment which results in religion may thus be callcd either childhood neurosis or "father comple?c".

3. Sociological Theory: The sociological school of thought is presented in Emile

Durkheim. To this school, religion is merely a sociological tool. For Durkheim,, religion is altogether a social phenomenon, and religious beliefs are those which c a l y . with them social

' obligations. In eveiy religion, the emphasis of ethics is that of

harn~ony a n d well-being of the ibdividual person within lhb society. i

The society, therefore, had to in~wnt a Incans of keep$ religion-prone man in check so that its machinery may undisturbed. The means was achieved by the invcntioi~ of cei-tai4 codes of behaviour. These codes crystallized into a principle $ consequence of which each person finds himself impella. compelled or constrained to live in conformity with the nonn laic down by society. This artificial principlc. "a complex residui habit" operating in man, is what has been mistaken as or misnam religion, or divine imperative. The fact is that Vox populi Vo- Dens means that, which speaks in man is only thc collective voic of society.

The sociological theory holds that every religion aims 1 E ,

making the inclividual person so ~~nsclfish that he shall b e . member of society who, t ' y his life and behaviour, positiwlj pronlotes such harmony and well-'being of society, and negative!' desist from anything that may disrupt or psevent them, ever 1

i rcligioi~, thcrcfore, essentially sccks to bc an instrument c ; cohcsion in ~ h c cornnlunity. All religions which claim lo b.! universal have thc rcsponsibili~y of establishing an order in whicJ i "The nrolf shall dwell w ~ t h the lamb, and the leopard shall lie iton with the kid". i 4. Revelation Theory: I

According to many theologians, religion originated f r ~ i revelation. Revelation is a matter of divine initiative. In differef, ways. in different places, and at different ages in the history c' mankind, God revealed him self to man. Rcvclation means divi* self-disclosure to man. Revelation occurs to man's experience as1 result of which he realizes that there is soniething "wholly orda, than himself which transcends his world of ordinariness sonicthi~~ objective and outside himself which badcs him to thc d' evaluation and evokes in him a feeling of wondcr and dcpendcnc:. Thus, revelation is direct contact of God with the hirkan soul a* -

the personal awareness of God on the part of man through God's own initiative. What nian knows of God and what he discovers about God, come as a rcsult of this divinc self disclosure. Man may, of course, by his own rational mind and his levcl of intelligence, interpret and realize what is revealed to him. Evcn in the crudest conceptions and the rudest \i orship. we must recognize this divine presence althorlgh its rcal nature may be obscurcd by human limitations and human errors. (Sourcc 1,2,3,4, Ajayi 1981: 4-5).

It is germane to point out at this juncture, that most of thcse theories above have been criti~cct by some scholars for not adequately explaining the origin of religion, howcver, they provided us with different lenses \vith \\ll~icli to view, interprctc

, . ;d understand the orlgin of religion.

5. Role of Religion Kcligion 113s sonx positive rd~cs as \ \ C I I as somc nega t i~e I-o~cs to play in any given socicty, whctlicr the socicty is a simple or a cornplcx and ancient or tnodern. Thcse rolcs arc as follou~s.

POSITIVE ROLES: 1. Religion as an Agent of XIora! ant1 Social Control:

The above is a truisnl of any knom 11 religion of thc n orld, bc it Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Afr~cm traditional Relrglon, Taoism, Ilitiduism. Rutldllisnl, Zoroc~s trianism and so on and so forth. According to Ijeoma ( 1 992: 155), in Africa, principles, prescriptions and sanctions that contsollcd and rcyulatcd Iiuman conduct were all derived from 1.cligion. 111 the same vein \\rites Chuta (1992: 145), whep he said that "rcligion acted as an instrument of social control". F~tstliel-more, in every socicty, there are moral laws and ethical codcs prescribed by the Suprcmc Bcing, who was seen as an embodiment of goodness and thc esscncc of rnoral'training in our societies was, tliereforc. the inculcation of these laws and ethical codes so as to maintain a balanced cosmic orclcr and ensure a normative living, Ijcoma (1992: 139).

, . 2. Religion acts as an Anti-dote for Fear and Insecurity: I ' 1

The fear of the unknown is one of the problems facing[ ' I humanity. Thus no doubt dragged man into the invention o f ! , religion, since religion has come to give man the spirit of boldness : and not of fear. Religion, therefore, serves as an anti-dote in ; tempering the fear of man. .

3. Role of Explanation of Life Associated Problems: ,

Religion serves as an explanation for cetain events in the , I

society. 1n-fact, in traditional African communities, all forms of ,

misfortunes :- illness, death, failure, are explained by the activities ) , of ubiquitious evil spirits, angry gods, revengeful ancestors and 1

that can move individuals or groups to come together to fonn a . , church and begin to live as one famiiy under one heavenly God, , who is the creator of all things.

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destiny-evil forces operating through man and nature, Ogbu ( 1 978: 42).

5. Role of Comfort and Consolation: I :

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Religion serves as a source of comfort in time of crisis I

4. Role of Uniting People (Solidarity): 1 : Religion in this respect, serves as one of the dynamic forces 1 1

Crises such as sorcery, witchcraft, illness, bereavement 1 I barrenness, miscaniagc, misfortunes, ill-luck, trauma and psychic I pain,.Awolalu and Dopamu f l979:28 1). Even at the time of one's '

death, rcligion plays a ro le of consoling the people. It was in line 1 with this that wood (1964: 61) wrote that "death is the great leveler i and the rich and the poor a like seek the consolation of religion". 1

6. Role of Peace, Love and Accommodation: Religion enjoins us to follow peace with all men. To love

one another as well as being our brother's keeper and to tolerate one anpther. These convivialisms appear to be at the center of every living religion of the world. i

NEGATIVE ROLE OF RELIGION: l J . - Having considered the positive sides of religion as one side

; of the coin, it will be of use also to see the negative sides. To this j we turn. 1

, 1, Religion and Schism: In spite of the positive contributions of religion, it is still

seriously used as a disintegrating factor amor?g the various : Christian denominations and between Christians and Moslems. r This concept is referred to as schism that is division, in religious ; 1 circle.

3. Causing Political Instability:

s I Religion, it is said, creates more problems than it can solve.

t 1 In Nigeria and elsewhere, instances of religious instability abound, c 1 hence the numerous inter and intra denominational conflicts which

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s ' culminate in social problems and religiow riots, especially e Moslem-Christian riots, thus causing a state of political instability

in the society;; e.g. Kaduna 2000 Christian and Moslem religious riot.

2. Role of Conflict and Violence: From the annals of history, it has been observed that due to

the dogma each religion wants to propagate, there is often clash of interest hence leading to conflict and violcnce which in turn lcad to the loss of human and material resources. For example, Kano riots

. of 1982 and 1991 : Bauchi religious riot of 1992 arising as a result of non-Muslims' attempt to sell pork in abattoir; ZangoIKataf religious riot; Zamfara and Kaduna riots of 2000.

I 4. Religion in Slavery and Discrimination:

: 1 In line. with the above, Nawal'el ga'daawl stal (1998:l) : wrote as follows: f i

Philosophically speaking and in the light of history, I think that all religions because thcy x e involved in the "slave system" are patriarchal, class based. If you read the fundamentalists teachings of Christianity, Judaism, blam, Hinduism or Sikh, you will rea1i;l.e that all religions are man's, the mother right is missing. And there is a hierarchy according to ownership. according to gender.

These people are forbidden from intcrn~ingling with other members of the society. And of course, the "Osu systcm" (Caste system) in Igbo traditional society is a casc in point.

5. Conservatism and Inequality: Kdigion has bccll used to maintai~~ ccrtain stritus quo anti

inequality in the socicty. For instaxe, the Roman Caltolic Church and Anglican have bluntly refused to ordain women as priests. More so, during congregational worship in the mosque, women are not allowed to lcad in worship, womcn arc not allowed also to mix up with men during worship. Women arc heard but never seen.

RELIGION AND SOCIAL CHANGE The whole theme of religious change in Africa has been of

very difficult task in the sense that it has been seen from the perspect'ive of a phenomenon, which only began- when Africans '

came into contact with Europeans. The notion of a static religion and culture which got a dynamic and violent shake-up only when impacted upon by western culture is no longer tenable. This is because of the discoveries made by many serious scholars like Evans-Pritchard, Monica Silson, Robin Horton, G.C. Oesthoizen, J.D.Y. Peel, Simon Otternberg, W.R. Bascom, M.J. Herskorits, Harold Turner, G.I. Jones, O.U. Kalu, among others, Onunwa (1990:148). "Change ': here, means the replace'ment of one thing by another. The pattern of change among many West African societies3 has been an on-going process, moving in different

. - directions. This can be deciphered by a close look at the historical

' development of religion. Fundamentally, rapid social change in Africa, owing to the

,vestem influence in the second part of the !:i:.i(.;~~tlth century helped to transform very simple, harmonious :mmogenous societies who strictly observed the religicn JliJ . AAIICS of their' ;ommunities into complex and heterogeneous oncs, Chuta, (1992:

..

152). Foreign religion (Christianity and Islam) and their cultural baggage which accompanied their preaching, have been identified

, 10 be responsible for this state of affairs. This cultural baggage

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(i.e. education and ui*banizatioq) served as the sweet pills with which Africans were entized and captured, Ozigbo, (1988: 360). So wonder, Wood, (1942: 64) aptly remarked that Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all acted as social revolutionary forces in our societies. It should be noted that some of the changes are inevitable because they are a part of the survival strategy; others are irresistible in the presence of conquering culture.. A reinterpretation of theme as, therefore, shown a few instances of @ !hose changei. To this, y c now turn.

In the wbrds of Bolaji ldowu in Ugwu C.0 , (1999:55) one or nvo things have happened to man's religion in any given situation: modification with adopt{n or extinction. This is very true of the influence of these imported religions on any culture it interacts

I with. Consequently, the introduction of Christianity and Islam in , i Africa rnarked the beginning of religious pluralism on the

continent, thus putting to an end the monolatric religious system [hat operated in the traditional African societies. Most of them, for varying reasons, opted for the new religions without necessarily understanding the implications of their new choice, Chuta. (1992: 153). But when their desires were not met, they opened up new religious sects, as off-shoots of their frustration. Perhaps, t h a ~ "as why Canon Dale cited in Onyiedu, (1999:18) cautioned thal

I ''A sincere man does not change his beliefs hastily". This situation , undoubtedly led to a compromise. Here the traditional religious

beliefs and practices are blended with those of the foreign religions

(syncretism). Hence the emergence of independent churches such as the Cherubim and Seraphim, Aladura, Christ Apostolic Church, ctc and some en~aged in herbal healing, Okcke, (1938:GO). Writing on the level of syncretism, Leith-Ross, (1939:292-293) in 1937, drew attkntion to the case of the Igbo, who were often regarded as an exemplaiy in the way they embraced western ways:

"Thus.. . an Igbo attends communion at the same tirne as he believes in the potency of traditional magic, hz ties in the same handkerchief, the rosary aand thc traditional talisman.. ."

In the same vein Ajayi cited in Ogbu Kalu, (1 978:133-134) wrote that an African

". . .gets himself baptized as a Christian scncls his children to school, comes to terms with modern technology by buying a lony and learning to drive it and yet insists that the lony is not just a mechanical device but also a force whose control properly belongs to the god of Iron, whose emblem and charms llc therefore, displays on the lorry".

In consonance with the above, Onunwa writing in (1 990: 153) came to the conclusion that "syncretism has been a feature of religion all through human history". G.T. Basden cited in Onunwa, (1 990: 153) in his contribution, wrote afler-over thirty-five years of missionary, work after a careful and a pains-staking field work in Igboland, made an important observation. He wrote at the close of his field research that:

Religion, language and custom of the Igbo have been tinged with outside influence superimposed with ancient Igbo beliefs and practices. .

These religions (Christianity' and Islam) condemned polygamy and upheld monogamy, but Africans from pre-history and timeless inimemorial, .had this as part of their cultural .-heritage. The

Nigerian society, for instance is an agrarian onc, and there is the vast land for everybody to cultivate. The more the number of wives and children a man possessed, the gseatcs the manpower to cultivate the arable land, and thus increascd the economic status of the pcople. In addition, .they saw polygamy as an ideal way of dispensing social justice to women by pro\,idiny husbands for all women. Another area that has been eroded and discarded was that of "oath-taking", People now take oath accostlin~ to their religious inclination and no longer oil the basis of their original rich cultural heritage. This undoubtedly has provided room for moral decadence and other vices in our society, U&U, ( 1 999:50)

The introduction of western education in Africa brought in western idea of rationalism and individualism into Africa, Chuta, (1992:153). Many Africans began to doubt their religious traditions, and consequently decided to livc \\3liout it, and that was the inception of secularism in Africa. This created conditions for the rise of new elites with westcrn eci~lcationnl outlook in African societies, who had their own elites. Anio1ig these were chiefs, priests and war leaders, many of who111 nol-~nally owed their elite status to birth Afigb, (1976: 146). There in schqol, the children acquircd a whole body of new teachings, to~~ching on all aspects of hu~nan existence, and these were openly and widely advcrtised as anti-thcatrical to African way of life. Wcstcrn education weaned African children from the control and .influences of their families.

In spi te .of all thcse odds or tlemerits, the ~ l o r i o u s influences and practical utilities Christianity and othcr religions cannot be over-emphasized. Prior to the advent of Christianity, some parts of Africa engaged themselves in such ugly practices as killing of twins and albinos. This was an abomination to the earth deity and ancestral spirits. In line u i t h this, Ezeanya, (1979: 16) writes that "these were done. in fi~lfillment of convinced religious obligations at the time". It was much later when Christianity was preached and such injunction given in (Gen. 17: 24): "I will make my covenant between me and you and I will multiply you ,exceedingly" that the practice was p ~ ~ t to an end. This quotation

certifies God's acknowledgcment of giving birth to any number o! babies at a time. The act of human sacrifice, caste system (Osu) I"

Igbo land and the practice of burying chiefs alo~lg with slaves whc could serve them in the world beyond have becn stopped and noc waning and sinking gradually into the limbo of the past, Ugwu. (1 999:58).

Furthennore, Christianity helped In character moulding of our children and made our young ones imb~be such virtues l ike love for one another, truth, obedience and respect for elders parents and people in authority.

Islam brought with it, Arabic language and culture, Islam~c learning, for instance. The numerals we are now using (1, 2, 3, 4 5 etc.) are a legacy of Arabic studies and rich internationd connections. These were over and above the revelations of Allal- and the teachings o f Molha~~iniccl, O;.iglm, (1988: 360) Christianity in collaboration with Europaen language and culturt and western science and techaoiogy as supportive gifts to the redemption and salvation modiatea by Christ, Ozigbo, (1988: 360) In Northern Nigeria, for example, by 1929, the government hac 106 schools with a total of 4,579 pupils on roll, the niissions rar 152 schools with a total enrolment of 4,446 pupils. By 1910, therc were sixteen leper settlements under the auspices of the variou! missions in Nigeria, Grooves, (1958: 178 and 28 1).

SUMMARYICONCLUSION This paper brings into focus the positive and negative

contributions of imported religions such as Islam and Christianity and the changes which they havc come to bear on the already existing religious situation in Africa.

Consequently, the traditional African society is now a juxta-position of two worlds: 1. The traditional society described earlier in the work, and 2. The modem African society consisting of the new elite

with western Christian outlook. The modem Afiican society is superimposed on the traditional society. While the traditional society is gene'rally predominant in the rural areas, the modem African society, which consists of the

I new elite, is predominant in the urban areas. Metah

1 (1985: 167)

E Onc can reasonably conclude, granted that there was a vioIent

e shake-up of our culture vestiges by the imported religions, of

1 Christianity and Islam and their accompanying baggage, there was

LC a high degree of interaction between the two cultures which has

ir resulted in a free flow of ideas, a dual carriage way of acculturation and enculturation on the two sides. I

il!

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