ISSUES IN THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION IN NIGERIA
Editor-in-Chief
M.T. Yahya
Editors:
Ade P. Dopamu
R.A. Raji
E. Ade Odumuyiwa
Daniel Shishima
S.A. Owoeye
P.O. Abioje
CHRISTIAN RECOGNITION OF OTHER RELIGIONS:
TOWARDS RELIGIOUS MUTUAL RESPECT IN SOCIETY
P.O. Abioje
Introduction
Religious peace has remained elusive and intractable in many parts of
the world. Typical headlines in current newspaper report include: "Hindus,
Muslims clash" (The Monitor, Wednesday, May 15, 2002-.5V and "Fresh
trouble brews in Kano ... over planned demolition of Churches" (Sunday Punch,
August 11, 2002-.1&3). In another report, titled "Religious tension grips
Yorubaland", one reads that "Religious crisis, an unusual event in Yorubaland.
is now taking a centre stage in the area, as a result of militant activities of
Christian and Muslim preachers" (Weekly Trust, December 7- 1 3, 2001 : 1
&3).
The fear is thus not unfounded that humanity may continue to witness
various forms of Jihads and Crusades. The purpose of this paper is to address
the issue of mutual recognition and respect among all religions in society,
toward peace and order, without which no society can progress. As the theme
indicates, the study is done with regard to Christianity, but can pose a
challenge to all, religions in society. The discourse opens with an examination
of Christianity as a missionary religion.
The Absolute Conception of Christianity
Christianity mostly conceived itself as the only real religion, for many
centuries, and even now many Christians still think of their religion as the
absolute one. Apparently, this line of conviction and attitude has been nursed by
the Bible, where Jesus is quoted as teaching that "Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of
God" (John 3:5). In other words, an unbaptised person cannot be a child of God.
But, how can a person authentically receive baptism outside Christianity? There
seems to be no answer to that question. Instead, Christians are commanded and
enjoined to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Mtt. 28:29). In his
own record, St. Mark reports that upon the resurrection and final departure of
Jesus Christ, the Apostles "went out and preached everywhere while the Lord
worked with them". (Mark 16:19).
Thus, Christianity has been a missionary religion right from inception.
convinced that to be a child of God, a person must be of necessity a disciple of
Jesus Christ, because "There is no other name under heaven that has been given
among men by which we must be-saved" (Acts 4:12). For "God highly exalted
Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the
name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).
Those articles of faith and the accompanying command propel the Christian
missionary drive. It made the Catholic Church to teach that there is no salvation
outside the Church (Extra ecclesiam nulla salus), and many Protestant churches
believe that there is no salvation outside the Bible. While this position may not have
been officially dropped by both Catholics and Protestants, it has been reinterpreted in several quarters to mean that every person living in accordance with
the will of God, virtually, if not physically, belongs to the Church, no matter the
religious or social identity. This re-interpretation belongs to a period when many
Christians have started to realise that the Church has no monopoly of Godly persons,
and that there are both good and evil baptized persons in the church also. Karl
Rahner, for one, names the non-associating and unidentified members of the church,
who are found outside the registered members of the church, anonymous Christians.
(Rahnner, 1980:75). In that way, it can be said that anybody in any socio-religious
walk of life who is living in accordance with the will of God is moved by the spirit
of Jesus Christ, and can thus be regarded as a Christian at heart, without baptism
or official membership of the Church. The Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37 is a
biblical example.
There are other Christian theologians, such as John Courts, who recognize
the legitimacy of non-Christian religions. Courts rightly notes, for instance, that:
In the past - and sometimes today - people
have been too quick to assume that those who
followed other faiths were obstinate or even
wicked. Yet. several Bible writers say that
those who did not know of God's message to
Israel might sincerely seek him. (Courts.
1990:vii).
Coutts proceeds by quoting the Old Testament Prophet Malachi, to the effect
that "people from one end of the world to the other honour me. Everywhere
they burn incense to me and offer acceptable sacrifices (Malachi 1:11)". In the
final analysis, Coutts hopes that as Christians study the beliefs of others, they
"may come to know their own Lord better, and to love their neighbours more
wisely than before!". (pp.vii-ix).
The implication of the foregoing is that like on most issues, the
Bible can be cited both for and against the existence of non-Christian
religions, depending on the interest and level of understanding of the
person using the Bible, One would like to study more closely, how the
Bible has opposed other religions both in the old and the "New Testaments.
Biblical Antagonism against Non-Christian Religions
It seems to me that not much is known about Judaism as a propagating
religion. A clear reference is the fact that converts to the religion (proselytes)
are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (2:10, 6:5, 13:43). The Bible Reader's
Encyclopaedia and Concordance defines proselytes as the "Gentiles won from
the heathen world and converted to Judaism". (Wright, 1977:300). One's
concern here is to establish the fact that it is not farfetched why the Old
Testament has portrayed other religions as bad, since the writers were mostly
Judaisers, or adherents of Judaism, which, as a religion, was interested in
making converts. There seems to be no better way of converting people than by
making them realise or feel that they are in a bad or wrong place. No wonder
then that the Old Testament has several portions that are full of invectives
against the religion of the Canaanites, and the religions of other peoples in the
world at large. One reads, for instance, that "all gods of the nations are idols"
(Psalm 9d:5),
The greatest assault came when the Canaanite Prophets were said to
have called in vain on their "god" (Baal) to conjure fire to consume some raw
meat and firewood, in a contest said to be organised by Elijah. On the other
hand, Yahweh was said to have proved Himself to be a living, active, and
effective God in the life of His people, when he issued fire to consume the raw
meat on wet firewood (I Kings 18). The implication was the Baal was dead,
slumbering, or non-existent, and that there was no God except in Israel. Yet, one
reads in the same Old Testament: "Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven
and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it" (Deut. 10:14). And, "The
earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it".
(Psalm 24:1). The understanding today is that there is only one Supreme Being,
diversely conceived on account of geopolitical and cultural diversity. As S.M.
Michael rightly notes, "The experience of different groups of people at different
places and times bring forth innumerable cultural ways. Cultures are but
different answers to essentially the same human problems". (Michael, 1994:12).
On another note, the principal Old Testament text that is quoted against
non-Christian religions, except of course, Judaism and probably Islam, is:
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall
not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of
what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in
the water under the earth. You shall not worship
them or serve them ... (Exodus 20:3-5a).
In contemporary times, however, there is a growing consciousness that most
peoples of the world recognise and acknowledge the supremacy of the Supreme
Being, even though they recognise some other spiritual beings that are believed to
derive their existence from Him, and not of equal status with Him. Judaism,
Christianity and Islam also believe that God has angels who are at God's service,
even though these may not be worshipped as in religions that have no direct affinity
with the Bible.
In nutshell, it must be noted that the real other gods are not the spiritual
beings worshipped as agents of God in non-biblical religions, but the idols of ego,
power, money, sex, and extravagance are among the gods to which much is
sacrificed (including human sacrifice) by many Christians and non-Christians today. In
a report, titled "Season of Ritualists", David Njoku documents how Nigeria has
become a country where money-making rituals involving human lives are rampant.
He describes a situation in which "it has become a daily routine to see decapitated
dead human bodies dumped on roadsides, canals, swamp bushes ... most of them
with their vital organs cut-off. (Sunday limes, December 9, 2001:11-13).
The Weekly Trust of July 19-25,2002, reports how a Pastor, Efosa Omoregie,
his wife, and younger brother, Ikponwmosa Omoregie, were arrested for armed
robbery in Benin City. The Pastor denied going out for any robbery himself, but
admitted enjoying from the loots, adding, as quoted by the reporter, Shehu
Abubakar. "I sold two of the vehicles to some people. I normally give any vehicles
brought to me to a spray painter to change the colour immediately" (p.7). The fact
turned out to be that the Pastor was the patron of the eight-man gang.
"Delta Police Nab woman Pastor for Robbery", is the heading of another
report in the Weekly Trust of August 23-29,2002. One reads that an arrested member of
the gang led police to the Church where the prophetess and the other escapees were
found busy performing miracles to avoid police arrest. In the process, "one of the
robbers attempted to escape and was shot dead", said ASP Obasuyi, as quoted by
the paper. The Prophetess is also quoted as saying "Why should the Satan succeed
over a women of God like me?" (p. 10).
Coincidentally, the two stories about the Pastor armed-robbers come from
two editions of the same paper, which is based in the Muslim North. But it is still
nationally circulated weekly. At any rate, Christian leaders can not have the
monopoly of armed robbers among their ranks. It is a different matter if other
people's dirty robes are not exposed. The fact remains that money has become one
of the gods of many contemporary men and women, irrespective of religious
adherence. As Bucknor-Akerele is quoted to have rightly observed, it would appear
that "virtually every known value in the society" has declined, giving way to "the
phenomenon of graft and corruption". (Sunday Punch, July 21, 2002:16). She may
well have added: armed robbery and money-making rituals that involve human
lives.
Tu6 Situation i5 hardly different in regard of most parts of the world. A Spanish
Christian theologian, Jose Maria Gonzalez Ruiz, notfiS that.
In fact, how often has the worship of God been
nothing but the worship of one idol, disguised as
the God of the Bible? The approach to the
understanding of what an idol is begins with the
understanding of what God is not. God, as the
Supreme value and goal, is not man, the state, an
institution, nature, power, possession, sexual power, or
any article made by man. (Cfr. Cabestrero,
1981:81).
Thus, it can be said that what may be most offensive to God
today may not be the worship of spiritual beings that are believed
to
be
subordinates and answerable to God, but selfishness and greed that translate into
inhumanity of human beings to their own kind. Self-seeking, tyranny and greed
constitute alternative gods, which obstruct human availability for worshipping
God and doing His will.
If God is quoted as saying He prefers mercy to sacrifice (Hosea 6:6, Mt.
9: 13), that may mean that showing mercy and compassion to one’s neighbour is of
utmost concern to God than empty worship of Him or worship of any other spiritual
being. This becomes more explicit when Jesus is quoted as saying: "Not everyone
who says to me, 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does
the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 7:21). St. Paul also tells the Corinthians
that love (or charity) is superior to faith and hope (1Cor. 13:13). Likewise, St.
James wonders and asks: "How does it help, my brothers, when someone who has
never done a single good act claims to have faith? Will that faith bring salvation?"
(James 2:14). Thus, the essence of faith in God is good deeds. Experience would
reveal that non-Christians, such as the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) may do
better than some Christians. Indeed, Donal Murray rightly notes that:
The kingdom is not being built exclusively by
Christians. It may be that many Christians are not
building ii at all. But wherever in this world
human potential, dignity and brotherhood are
developed, no matter by whom, the world is
prepared for its destiny, i Murray, 1975:80).
It would thus appear that people in all religious walks of life can live lives
that are pleasing to God. It may be discovered that what makes a person good is
not religion, ultimately, but the grace of God in the person.
The Old Testament has it that "all gods of the nations are idols" (Psalm
96:5), and many Christian missionaries were later to go about calling
o adherents of other regions "idol worshippers", in the African, Asian, Chinese,
Australian, European, and other contexts. Good enough, the situation is better
appreciated today. As Ninian Smart rightly notes for instance, religion is not an
altogether visible reality:
It is true that there are temples, ceremonies,
religious art. These can be seen, but their
significance needs to be approached through the
inner life of those who use these externals.
Consider the ceremony of baptizing a baby. How
can we understand it, save by knowing what the
idea of baptism means to Christians and by
knowing the hopes and feelings of those who
participate in the occasion? We must see the way
in which the externals and inner meanings of
reunion are fused together (Smart, 1981:11).
One can illustrate this in the African context by saying it is not enough
to see people kneeling, praying, singing, and worshipping at the foot of natural
forces, such as a river, mountain, or a big Iroko tree. It is necessary to know
what the people's actual belief is. If, for instance, part of their belief is that a
venerable spirit is inhabiting a natural object, such as a big Iroko tree, how can
an external investigator prove them wrong or right ?
In his book on West African Traditional Religion. A.B. Jacobs quotes the
experience of J.H. Neal, from the latter 's book: Juju in My Life. What happened
was that his company was constructing a harbour, and they could not uproot a
particular tree, even with all the modern mechanical equipment. "The African
foreman suggested that the tree could only be removed if the spirit living in it
could be persuaded to quit the tree". In sum, an African traditional priest was
approached. He prescribed offerings for sacrifice. And the tree was easily
uprooted after the sacrifice. (Jacobs, 1977:196).
One is, of course, free to believe these types of story or not to believe. It
suffices to recognise that the world and life itself is wider than what the
individual or groups of persons can encapsulate. And humanity currently longs
for freedom of belief, among other forms of freedom. In Contemporary times,
the enemy of Society, who is regarded as the enemy of God, is a person who
unjustifiably breaches the peace, creates chaos, violence and misery in people's
lives.
Along with the foregoing, an interested theologian must find out how
worshippers relate the spirit they worship in a natural object to the Supreme
Being, in their native conviction. One would suggest that a Christian should
never forget that to call Jesus Christ God is an article of faith, which is viewed
as ridiculous by most Jews and Muslims. The same logic applies to the
Christian view of the Muslim belief that the Qur'an was written in God's
personal words, and the conviction that Prophet Muhammad is the seal of God's
prophets. Thus, the adage is apt, that he who lives in a glass house must never
throw stones. Objects of faith remain objects of faith for those who believe in
them. John Coutts quotes William Booth, the Founder of the Salvation Army,
as writing that: "In dealing with the followers of non-Christian religions, any
attack upon the false should be avoided, as this would only arouse anger in
those who believe it to be true" (Coutts. 1990:ix). The judgement of what
constitutes "the false" is better left to the reader. But the message is clear as
necessary for a peaceful co-existence, and it appears to have nothing to do with
conscientious brotherly correction devoid of force
It is also possible that what is "false" for a group of believers may
actually be true for another set of believers. Hence. Donal Murray rightly
observes that "whatever our petty illusions of superiority over one another, our
hope is identical with that of the people we attempt to subject to our own ends".
He has something to say on prejudice also:
Prejudiced attitudes derive from many sources.
In some cases they are simply inherited from
the community to which we belong as is
usually the case with racial, religious, or class
prejudice ... The same attitudes may arise quite
innocently as the result of genuine
misinterpretation of another person's acts or
words. (Murray, 1975:76&42).
It cannot be inappropriate to take the concluding words of this section
from the Bible. There are indications in the book that peoples all over the world
(not only Israel) worship God. Peoples worldwide offer acceptable offerings to
God. No wonder God is quoted as blessing Gentile nations along with Israel,
saying, for instance, "Blessed be my people Egypt, Assyria my creation, and
Israel my heritage" (Isaiah 19:25), Thus, Christians who claim, albeit
legitimately, to constitute the New Israel (or the New People of God) should
not make the mistake of thinking that God recognises no other children or that
He can be subjected to any form of nepotism or sectarianism. One would like to
examine, at this juncture, what scholars are saying about the value of other
religions.
Intrinsic Values in Non-Christian Religions
One can note that Christianity is not a majority religion in all parts of the
world. It is most prominent in Europe and the America. It is only one of the
three principal religions in many parts of Africa, along with African Religion
and Islam. Asia, the most populous continent of the world has other powerful
religions, such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Thus, John
Cobb rightly notes that:
The church did establish itself in almost all
countries, and in parts of the world where the
dominant religions were primal, Christianity
often competed with Islam in successful
conversions. But where Christianity faced
other axial traditions, such as Islam.
Hinduism, and Buddhism, its advances were
far more limited. This means that the hearts of
most Asian cultures have never been captured
by the West (Cobb. 1997:34).
Yet, Christianity itself originated from Asia.
Every religion must have some value for its adherents. And value here
refers to objective, rather than selfish value, otherwise what is involved may be
regarded as a false religion. Yet. one must remember that many positive things
are open to abuse and falsification. The highest values of religion appear to be
faith in God and moral rectitude. These are expectedly partronised by every
religion, except that one must grant exception to human shortcomings such as
lies and deceptions.
In time; Christianity appropriated to itself alone terms and concepts that
have existed from time immemorial. It thought, for instance, that there was no
religion, properly so called, other than itself. But, as theologians, such as Karl
Barth, have noted, one cannot differentiate and separate Christianity or the
Church from other religions on the basis of a general concept of the nature of
religion. This is because, as Barth explains:
By trying to resist and conquer other religions, we
put ourselves on the same level. They, too, appeal
to this or that immanent truth in them. They, too,
can triumph in the power of the religious selfconsciousness, and sometimes they have been
astonishingly successful over wide areas. (Barth,
1980:47).
Another concept appropriated by Christianity to itself alone is that of
theology. Obviously, there is nothing peculiarly Christian in the Greek Theos (God)
and Logos (word or study). Theology, as the study of or discourse about God is an
open science. Bolaji Idowu expresses displeasure on the Christian misappropriation,
noting that qualified and budding theologians still live with "the age-old erroneous
notion that only one religion, namely Christianity, has theology which makes
nonsense of the linguistic and connotational significance of the word". He notes
aiso how the university degree of Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) is said to be an award
that can be granted only in respect of Christian Theology (Idowu, 1978:10).
All the foregoing indicate a recognition, on the part of a number of Christian
theologians, that Christianity may not be the only religion acceptable to both God
and humanity, objectively speaking. Sacred writings of other religions, such as
Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam reveal that anybody who follows faithfully the
essential teachings of these religions cannot be said to be without the grace of
God. The same applies to non-historical religions, such as African Religions, that
have no sacred texts but still value high ethico-moral standards. Pope John Paul II is
among contemporary theologians who describe ancient religions as "systems of
worship and also ethical systems, with a strong emphasis on good and evil". He
teaches, therefore, that "Instead of marveling at the fact that providence allows
such a great variety of religions, we should be amazed at the number of common
elements found within them". (John Paul II, 1994:82).
To buttress the foregoing, one may quote Bolaji Idowu, for example. He has
this to say about Ifa priests in Yoruba religion:
In Orunmila, we meet again another element of the
demands and sanctions of morality in the religion of
the Yoruba. It is laid down that a Baba 'lawo must not
abuse his office in-any way: if he does, he will
never be received into heaven ... Now that
materialism is the order of the day, however, this
sacred injunction is largely disregarded. (Idowu,
1977:79-80).
The second part of Idowu's observation (above) refers to the unfortunate
situation whereby dishonesty, selfishness and greed have taken the centre stage in
an era in which Christianity and Islam pride themselves in being the dominant
religions of the world - two of the three religions that claim to have been raised
specifically by God to effect human liberation — the third, which is also the
primal, being Judaism.
A contemporary of Idowu, John Mbiti, also observes that many
traditional African religious leaders are wise, intelligent and talented people,
often with outstanding abilities and personalities. The leaders include,
according to Mbiti, medicine men and women, diviners, mediums, seers,
priests, ritual elders, rainmakers, and rulers. He is convinced that African
Religion has provided valid explanations and solutions to the people's life
perplexities (Mbiti, 1975:150&174).
The discussion here is about the intrinsic value of non-Christian
religions. Some space is allotted to African Religion, not just because the writer is
an African, but also because, as E.G Parrinder rightly notes, among other
scholars, "it is probably true to say that African Religion has been more
misunderstood, and has suffered more at the hands of the early writers, than any
other parts of African life. Unhappily old misconceptions linger with us still".
What is more unhappy may be the fact that "The modern African himself has
not infrequently been taught to misunderstand the religion of his ancestors, so
that it comes as a surprise to him to learn that their beliefs can be studied fairly
and even with sympathy". (Parrinder, 1975:13).
Many scholars have noted the resilience of ancient religions, such as
African Religion. A plausible explanation may be that the religions have values
for people theologically, philosophically, emotionally, spiritually, socially,
psychologically, and otherwise. Beyond that, there are Christian theologians,
such as Modupe Oduyoye, who believe that Christianity can learn certain things
from non-Christian religions. Speaking specifically about African Religion,
she maintains that "Christian Theology might benefit from a knowledge of
traditional statements concerning God. nature and human nature which might
help clarify the statements that Christianity has been groping for." (Oduyoye,
1986:6). Likewise, John Taylor believes that by dialoguing with people who
possess primal worldviews, Christians may overcome "our usual superiority
complexes and might teach us new humility and openness towards our
neighbour". Moreover, he hopes:
It may be possible to recover from primal
societies the importance of human relationships
in 'caring', 'coping' and 'curing' so that more
people may find release from modern alienation
and fragmentation in family loyalties and local
communities that give them real support and
comfort (Taylor, 1976:vii-viii).
In another respect, Christianity may need to learn about religious cooperation from age-old religions, such as African religion. In most African
communities,
each denomination of African Religion worship and celebrates peacefully with
the cooperation and social participation of many non-adherents of the particular
divinity involved. There is hardly any competition or rivalry, which may lead
to division, hatred, animosity and violence, in the name of religious diversity.
Awolalu and Dopamu rightly note that in African perspective, "God is the
cohesive factor of the society ... and religion binds the community together."
China is reputed to be the most populous nation on earth. Yet, she is not
weighed down by her heavy population, instead she is to reckon with,
economically and technologically. Huston Smith observes that:
Part of the reason for China's success may lie in
the way she positioned her religions as partners
rather than antagonists... As the then-going adage
had it. every black-haired child of Han wears a
Confucian hat, a Taoist robe, and Buddhist
sandals. (Smith, 2001:207-208).
That bothers on the overall concern of this paper: religious mutual
recognition, respect and cooperation. Religion appears often abused by selfish
political leaders to subdue, exploit, divide and rule the people. Hence, one hears
of religious violence, despite the fact that hardly any religion is known to
preach hatred. For instance, the elements of religious superiority complex that
may be found in the Bible are also countered by other teachings of the Bible,
which recognise God's ownership of all creation, and all earthly and heavenly
beings. A typical example of the latter is St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles,
who admits: "The truth I have now come to realise is that God does not have
favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is
right is acceptable to him". (Acts 10:34-35).
Conclusion
As a propagating religion, Christianity sets for itself the task of making
converts. That is a religio-humanitarian duty, in as much as Christianity, like
Islam, considers itself to be the absolute religion to which every human being must
belong in order to be saved. In the course of this study, it is discovered that
when a religion sees itself as absolute, it tends to blackmail other religions in
an attempt to convert their adherents. But there has been a growing
realisation that no religion has monopoly of divine qualities, and there may
be many ways to the same God.
Not less important is the fact that most contemporary men and women
cherish religious freedom, and they abhor religious aggression and violence.
They regard enforcement of religion as barbaric and anti-civilization. They
think that the religious terrain in the twenty-first century should be
characterised not by different forms of Jihads and crusades, but mutual
respect, brotherly dialogue, negotiation, and societal team spirit. The
expectation today is that all men and women of good will from all religious
walks of life should unite to instill sanity into a corrupt and crime infested
society. Religious bigotry, group egotism and clique practice cannot breed
peace, universal love and advancement. It cannot ensure truth, objectivity
and justice. In the final analysis, it is not religion as such but the grace of
God in a person, together with personal disposition and character trait
matter. Experience reveals that Christians can no longer love only
Christians, because many non-Christians are loveable, based on their
character and attitude, some Christians are hardly loveable. Besides, God
makes His rain and sun for Christians and non-Christians indiscriminately
(Mtt. 4:45).
One's observation is that many naturally nice persons portray and
effect their goodness in the name of God and religion, while many bad
persons, including tyrants and sadists also try to exhibit and practicalise their
wicked and selfish traits in the name of God and religion. Historical
experiences would seem to have abundantly revealed that no religion
(including Christianity and Islam) is impervious to this situation. There
seems to be no rule to guarantee, in practical terms, that all Christians are of
the same quality moral and intellectually. Even those who belong to no
religion at all seem to encompass both nice and bad persons also. Thus, the
best thing would seem to be that good persons from all walks of life put their
heads together to establish a Godly reign wherever they find themselves, in
the nation, in a family, in other institutions, societies and establishments,
rather than encouraging any form of unholy alliance and chauvinism.
In African tradition, such as in Yorubaland. it is believed that every
religion belongs to God, and has a positive role to play in the life of persons
and communities. Human beings are however categorised into good and bad
persons. The Yoruba would call bad persons: eniyan buruku, while they call
good persons:
omoluwabi (literally- God's child). But they also realise that a good person
may sometimes do evil, just as a bad person may sometimes do good. Thus,
one may not be too rigid, but the traits are unmistakable. And that is what
necessitates the need for good persons to team up, irrespective of religion,
to ensure justice and good order in all areas of human interactions and
relationships.
On a particular note, Nigeria, as a highly pluralistic society requires
the Principle Of Unity in diversity, and ethnico-religious and cultural mutual
respect, to advance and progress in all fields of human and societal
endeavour. It is rightly said that there can be no progress without peace, and
there cannot be peace without justices Religious enforcement negates Godgiven human freedom, and breeds, strife and division. It smothers
democracy and human advancement.
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