Religious Studies
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Item The relevance of religious leaders in fostering an enduring democratic change agenda in Nigeria(African Society for the Study of Sociology and Ethics of Religions, 2018-12) Oke, O. P.Issues relating to expected roles of leaders generally in Nigeria have been discussed severally at various fora. But, an area where attention is yet to be focused on, is the aspect that has to do with the duties and responsibilities of religious leaders on matters affecting the political life of Nigerians, bearing in mind the high level of corruption, nepotism, favouritism, kidnapping, robbing Peter to Pay Paul syndrome and the menace of militant groups who have constituted themselves as clogs in the wheel of political development in our country. There is the need for the religious leaders to wake up from their slumbers and take the bull by the horn in order to find a lasting solution to the myriads of problems that have bedevilled the political structure in Nigeria. This is very important so that the change agenda of government will not be a mere wishful thinking. Therefore, the aim of this paper will be to examine the interconnectivity between religion and politics, the social responsibility of religion in the democratic change agenda and the role expected of religious leaders in Nigeria. Recommendations like the religious leaders being focused to their callings and others will also be made to address the seemingly insurmountable political problems in the country.Item Ethics of self-sacrifice as an antidote to political corruption in the contemporary Nigeria(Department of Religious Studies University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, 2018) Oke, O. P.Sacrifice as a concept is multifaceted in nature and efforts have been made at different quarters to underscore its importance. Many scholars have examined the concept from different dimensions. However, an area which seems to have been largely ignored over the years is the ethical dimension of self-sacrifice as an antidote to political corruption in Nigeria, given the high level of moral laxity and unbridled corrupt practices that have become the bane of political office holders in Nigeria. In Nigeria, corruption, self-centeredness, nepotism and winner-takes-it-all syndromes have taken the centre-stage of the national life. The effects of these practices have made development in every sector of the nation a mirage as a result of the unpatriotic attitudes of political leaders in the country, which calls for concerted efforts of all and sundry. This paper, therefore, is a Clarion call on political leaders and their followers to make self-sacrifice a top priority in order to save the country from the political comatose and developmental kwashiorkor it has been experiencing over the years.Item The contributions of the christian church to poverty creation in Nigeria(Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2019) Oke, O. P.Poverty is a global phenomenon and various Solutions have been proffered by scholars over the years to reduce it. Attempts by government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), government agencies and individuals to alleviate the menace have continued to generate avalanche of debate from both national and international agencies and, most importantly, in Nigeria. Existing studies on poverty have focused mainly on how churches in Nigeria have made efforts to alleviate poverty through the setting up of various poverty alleviation programmes to better the lots of the people. Yet, an area which seems to have been largely ignored which requires a serious academic engagement is how churches have endangered the economic Standard of its members through various teachings and programmes that do not have any direct impact on the economic life of the people, thereby making them to continue to wallow in abject poverty. The methodologies employed are oral interview and materials that are relevant to the subject matter. Therefore, this work will, among other things, examine how churches in Nigeria have endangered the economic lives of their members. Lastly, recommendations will be offered on how the church leaders will re-direct their teachings to focus more on how to improve the living Standard of their members.Item The roles of indigenous missionaries and christians in the expansion of christianity in Nigeria, 1860-1969(AOSIS, 2019) Mepaiyeda, S. M; Popoola, T.The contextual perspective that this article challenges is the neglect of significant contributions of indigenous African missionaries and Christians by some early missionary historiographers whose writings largely focused on European missionaries. This created a lacuna in the proper documentation of African missionary enterprises. The research will not only serve as a platform to discover the socio-religious importance of past African Christian heroes of Nigerian origin but also provide additional information on existing African historiography not from the perspective of Europeans but Africans, using both theological and scientific approaches with the aim of presenting more accurate records in church history. This will serve as a biography of African Christianity. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article has intra- and interdisciplinary implications for African philosophy, African traditional religion and ethics because most theories and views of Africans in these fields are yet to be largely researched to bring into the limelight their relevance to African realities.Item Responsible stewardship of the environment: ecumenical and ethical antidotes for peace and eco-justice in Nigeria(Crowther Theological Publishers, Crowther Graduate Theological Seminar, Igbein, Abeokuta, Ogun State, 2019) Mepaiyeda, S.; Eluwole, S.The expectation of humans to live in a world that is peaceful has been a mirage because of their failure to recognise the nexus between justice and peace. It is no doubt that the concept of peace has taken central position in global conferences- political, economic or religious, yet, it seems people have only been paying lip-service to its realisation. Also, they fail to adequately address gender inequality, dehumanizing attitude of some stronger nations towards the weaker ones, and more significantly, the trending issue of the destruction of non-human creatures by humans. These factors among many others have orchestrated the tension that is being experienced in the cosmic order. This paper therefore advocates for mutual respect among humans irrespective of gender or race and responsible earth stewardship, especially by all Africans, so as to achieve peace in the society. Special emphasis has been placed on eco-justice considering its far-reaching significance to the restoration of peace. Sociological approach was adopted in gathering data that cut across many disciplines.Item Historical analysis of the ecumenical development in Nigeria(2018) Mepaiyeda, S. M.The attempt to embark on this study was borne out of the desire to trace the origin of ecumenical efforts in their local and global contexts. Among many Orthodox Christians,1 it is generally accepted that the contemporary Ecumenical Movement began with the Encyclical of 1920 that emanated from the Patriarch of Constantinople but historical record disproves this assertion and shows that the contemporary Ecumenical Movement has its roots in the Protestant missionary movement of the 19th century. In addition, this paper argues that ecumenical engagements were driven by the desire of Evangelical Protestants to achieve a “unity in fellowship” amongst themselves for greater success in the mission field. This contradicts the notion that ecumenism arose out of the desire for “unity in truth” or doctrinal agreement. This research becomes necessary so that the historical facts of ecumenism from global context would be put in proper perspective in order to avoid the implication that any distortion could have on ecumenical development in Nigeria which is a fall-out of the World Missionary Conference that held in Edinburgh in 1910. The objectives of this study are to bring to the fore the synergy that existed among some Protestant churches that championed ecumenical developments in Nigeria and to articulate that mission is the force that drives ecumenism both globally and locally. Using historical and sociological approaches in this study, the paper submits that since the emergence of organized ecumenism in Nigeria, there has been a paradigm shift from sustaining the legacies and vision bequeathed by the founders because modern ecumenism leadership seems to be more interested in playing politics by their actions thereby causing more disunity among the Christians in Nigeria.Item Materialism in early and modern pentecostal movements in Nigeria(Centre for Advanced Training and Research with MPYRAA, Buea, South West Region, Cameroon, 2013) Mepaiyeda, S. M.The emergence of Pentecostal movements within the landscape of Nigeria was characterized with emphasis on second birth, holiness, sanctification, indwelling of the Holy Spirit and possession of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit by a Christian. This way of life was not only verbalized but adequately demonstrated by the Early Pentecostal leaders. Conversely, there are sufficient evidences that there is a change in focus by modern Pentecostals from holiness messages to “prosperity ” message. This trend has affected their psyche to the extent that most Pentecostal preachers in Nigeria seem to be driven by the quest for materialism; a situation that negates the original Pentecostal ideals and principles. Therefore the aim of this paper is to articulate in strong terms the deviation of the modern Pentecostals and to suggest a revisit of the biblical principles imbibed by the early Pentecostals.Item A re-examination of the role of religion in education(Faculty of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences, Federal University, Kashere Gombe State, Nigeria, 2013) Mepaiyeda, S. M.Religion has played major roles in other facets of human endeavours, be it political, economic, medical or educational. Right from the Middle Ages when the church reached its zenith of expansion, the field of education was positively enhanced with the establishment of about eighty universities in Western Europe. Interestingly, records showed that these universities were theologically oriented because they metamorphosed from schools attached to churches, Furthermore, the missionaries who propagated Christianity took along with the Gospel a certain kind of Education in order to enlighten their converts and train them in institutions they established. However, in recent years, some government’s policies have undermined the place of religion in education most especially in Nigeria. Religious subjects have been de-emphasized while science related courses are promoted in order to boost technological advancement. Secondly, individuals, corporate organizations and some educational institutions seem to have the notion that religion today has little or no relevance in education. No wonder the population of students into the Department of Religious Studies in few universities that offer them is low when compared with other departments in the Faculty. Furthermore, it is saddened to note that most of the private universities especially the mission-established ones do not give the study of religion the priority it deserves. This paper, therefore, seeks to investigate the reasons adduced the stakeholders on the neglect of religious education in academic circles with a view to determining the relevance of religion in the contemporary world.