Department of Religious Studies

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Department of Religious Studies

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Open Access
The History of Christianity in the Southern Part of Ondo State. 1875- 1981
(Obafemi Awolowo University, 1986) Akinwumi, Moses Olagoke; Onibere, S.G.A.
The focus of this work is the history of Christianity in the Southern part of Ondo State between 1875 and 1981. But before the advent of Christianity, the indigenes of the area were adherents of African Traditional Religion end still today, Traditional Religion is practiced, The White Missionaries brought Christianity to this area in the year 1875. The C.M.S missionaries were the first to visit the area and they were later followed by other Missionaries from the Catholic and the Methodist Churches. After some of the Missionaries had gained ground the area, the indigenous and. Pentecostal (Aladura) churches came into being. This work also focuses attention on the organisation both the Mission and the Indigenous churches, which have thus been able to contribute to the educational, anemic, social developments and health care services in area. The Churches have contributed immensely to the developments of Western Education in the area and it is on foundation laid by the churches in the realm of western education, that the State Government has been building by establishing higher institutions of learning as the Ondo State University built in Ado-Ekiti. The church in the southern part of Ondo State has been indigenised. The mission churches have gone into a lot of re-organisation and they have introduced into their services the use of local materials and native air. The indigenisation process has eaten deep into the minds of the people and this has led to the establishment of so many indigenous and Pentecostal (Aladura) churches in the southern part of the State. The indigenous churches can be classified into two groups, namely those that are Pentecostal and those that are non-Pentecostal in their made of worship. Some of the Pentecostal churches are the C.AC., the Jesus Generation Church, the C.C.C., the C.M.S etc. and those that are non-Pentecostal include the African Church, the Gospel Faith Mission Church etc. The indigenous end Pentecostal (Aladura) churches are founded so that the indigenes could express Christianity in a way more meaningful to the understanding of the people. The reasons why the indigenous and Pentecostal (Aladura) churches are fast expanding are not far fetched. These churches are always ready to find solutions to the problems facing the Society, most especially domestic problems such barrenness and other unseen evil-forces. The mission, the indigenous and the Pentecostal (Aladura) churches are fast responding to changes and it is gratifying to note that the mission churches have adjusted their conservative and legalistic approach to their religion in order to feature well in the age of indigenisation.
Open Access
The Celestial Church of Christ; The History of an Independent African Church
(Obafemi Awolowo University, 1986) Agbaje, Albert Aduloju; Omoyajowo, J.A.; Onibere, S.G.A.
The Independent Indigenous churches in Africa, of which the Celestial Church of Christ is one, are a twentieth century phenomenon. These indigenous churches have contrasting characteristics in the different African States where they operate. While some of these indigenous churches have come into existence for racial reasons and others as protest groups, the Celestial Church of Christ claims to be the "last ship of Salvation" - kind of "Noah's Ark". It claims divine origin and everything about the church is traced to Divine Revelation. Incidentally, the C.C.C. is the most misunderstood of all the Christian churches in Nigeria. Some see it as a cult while others describe it as a refined Yoruba traditional religion. I have under-taken to investigate the Celestial Church in order to bring out the truth about the faith and practices of that church especially now that the Dramatis Personae connected with the birth and development of that church are still on the stage. The intention is to lay bare the facts and allow individuals to give their own conclusions. In this research therefore, I have attempted to survey the social, political, economic and religious conditions of Porto Novo (Ajase Ipo) in order to show the background on which the Celestial Church of Christ was founded, as well as examine the origins, growth and expansion of the C.C.C. and then to investigate the theology, liturgical practices, organization, administration and constitution of the church. My conclusion is mainly an evaluation of the church as a Christian church vis a vis its contributions to religious change in Nigeria. My approach is mainly historical and theological.
Open Access
The Aladura Movement in Ijesaland 1930-1980.
(Obafemi Awolowo University, 1986) Olayiwola, David Omoleke; Simon, Azuwou Onibere
The purpose of the study was to describe analyse the existence in Ijesaland of the Aladura Movement which, within fifty years of its emergence in a culture-area has become very important the host community as an indigenous Christian Movement. The study applied historico-phenomenlogical and theological approaches in interpreting the data gathered mainly through the participant-observation approach. The study traced the historical and ethnographical background of the ljesa and related the historical, social and political structures at work in Ijesaland to the religious weltanschauung. This was followed by the descriptive analysis of the emergence of the Aladura Movement in Ijesaland as well as of its major beliefs and practices. The conversion processes used by the Aladura in Ijesaland and its catchments areas was then examined. The impact of the Movement in ljesa society- was investigated as a major contribution to the existing body of knowledge by using the indices of religion, anthropology, social culture, econology, politics and economics. In the conclusion there was a discussion of the significance of the Movement as a powerful agent of social and religious changes in Ijesaland, and as a formula for the indigenization of the Christian Church in Nigeria.
Open Access
Obafemi Awolowo Political Theory: A Philosophical Critique.
(Obafemi Awolowo University, 1986) Fasoro, Joseph Olurotimi; Segun, Gbadegesin
A number of Scholars have argued that no African Politicians can be said to have formulated anything that can be regarded as a 'Political theory' that is worth academic study. This line of argument is often based on the inconsistent incoherent and sometimes eclectic nature of the political writings and utterances of African Political Leaders. In this study therefore, it is argued that Chief Obafemi Awolowo of Nigeria can be properly credited with a precise political theory which is 'Democratic Socialism'. It is also argued that though Awolowo's democratic Socialism be regarded as somehow unique considering his rejection of most of the basic presuppositions of both the Marxist and African variants of Socialism, there is no reason for his total rejection of the incorporation of some aspects of African traditional Communalism into his 'Scientific' Socialism. Awolowo's advocacy for non-violent transition of Nigeria from Capitalism to Socialism is here rejected. It is not argued that revolution is inevitable to Socialism, however, it is believed that some element of force or violence may be required in breaking the resistance of the agents of exploitation, if any, when this is noticed. In addition, it is pointed out that Awolowo's argument in favour of the rule of the enlightened or articulate few (that is, those who have cultivated the regime of Mental Magnitude and have thereby banished negative emotions), makes the whole theory not truly democratic. It is argued that Awolowo's attempt to marry religion with Socialism (Political) appears to negate the scientific pretentions of his theory. It is submitted that a truly scientific politics must be separated from religion which deals with the supernatural.
Open Access
The History of Christianity in the Southern Part of Ondo State. 1875- 1981.
(Obafemi Awolowo University, 1986) Akinwumi, Moses Olagoke; Onibere, S.G.A.
The focus of this work is the history of Christianity in the Southern part of Ondo State between 1875 and 1981. But before the advent of Christianity, the indigenes of the area were adherents of African Traditional Religion end still today, Traditional Religion is practiced, The White Missionaries brought Christianity to this area in the year 1875. The C.M.S missionaries were the first to visit the area and they were later followed by other Missionaries from the Catholic and the Methodist Churches. After some of the Missionaries had gained ground the area, the indigenous and. Pentecostal (Aladura) churches came into being. This work also focuses attention on the organisation both the Mission and the Indigenous churches, which have thus been able to contribute to the educational, anemic, social developments and health care services in area. The Churches have contributed immensely to the developments of Western Education in the area and it is on foundation laid by the churches in the realm of western education, that the State Government has been building by establishing higher institutions of learning as the Ondo State University built in Ado-Ekiti. The church in the southern part of Ondo State has been indigenised. The mission churches have gone into a lot of re-organisation and they have introduced into their services the use of local materials and native air. The indigenisation process has eaten deep into the minds of the people and this has led to the establishment of so many indigenous and Pentecostal (Aladura) churches in the southern part of the State. The indigenous churches can be classified into two groups, namely those that are Pentecostal and those that are non-Pentecostal in their made of worship. Some of the Pentecostal churches are the C.AC., the Jesus Generation Church, the C.C.C., the C.M.S etc. and those that are non-Pentecostal include the African Church, the Gospel Faith Mission Church etc. The indigenous end Pentecostal (Aladura) churches are founded so that the indigenes could express Christianity in a way more meaningful to the understanding of the people. The reasons why the indigenous and Pentecostal (Aladura) churches are fast expanding are not far fetched. These churches are always ready to find solutions to the problems facing the Society, most especially domestic problems such barrenness and other unseen evil-forces. The mission, the indigenous and the Pentecostal (Aladura) churches are fast responding to changes and it is gratifying to note that the mission churches have adjusted their conservative and legalistic approach to their religion in order to feature well in the age of indigenisation.
Open Access
Predestination and Freewill in the Bible and the Qur'an: a Comparative Appraisal
(1988) Opeloye, M. O.
Predestination and Free-Will are perhaps the most controversial theological concepts. The theological problem of whether or not divine will determines humans’ actions and salvation remains unresolved. Many Christians as well as Muslims are of the view that prior to creation, God had predestined the fate of man. Others hold the opposite view that man is the determiner of his fate. The Jabarites among the Muslims and the Calvinists among the Christians believe in the doctrine of predestination while the Qadarites and Mu'tazilites among the Muslims and the Pelagians in Christianity believe in Free-Will. It is paradoxical that each group finds justification for its views from the scriptures which is to say that the two concepts' are affirmed therein. In the light of this, it is generally believed that the scriptures contain contradictory teachings on these subjects. In our view, this results from lack of proper understanding of the scriptural teachings on predestination and free-will. This paper therefore attempts to examine the context of predestination and free-will in the Bible and Qur'an with a view to justifying the extent to which the teachings of the two scriptures on the two concepts are mutually complementary rather than contradictory as it is often thought.
Open Access
Problems of Desecularizing Nigeria's Political Order
(1988) Opeloye, M. O.
Since the demise of the second republic and the second military intervention in Nigerian politics, Nigeria has been in search of a stable political system. A political bureau was established by the federal government for the purpose of conducting a national debate with a view to enabling Nigerians to make meaningful contributions for the formation of a political system of their choice. Since then, varied opinions have been expressed, some have advocated a one-party system, others a two-party system, while yet others opt for a zero party system.
Open Access
Teaching of Islamic Studies at the Junior and Senior Secondary Levels within the 6-3-3-4 Educational Structure
(1989) Opeloye, M. O.
The 6-3-3-4 structure is a recently adopted system which allows students to spend 6 years in the primary school, 3 years in the junior secondary school. Another 3 years in the senior secondary school and finally 4 years in the University. The 6-5-2-3 which was abolished allowed students to spend 6 years in the primary school, 5 years in the secondary school, 2 years in higher secondary school and 3 years in the university.
Open Access
Religious Factor in Nigerian Politics: Implications for Christian-Muslim Relations in Nigeria
(1989) Opeloye, Muhib O.
Right from the period of struggle against colonization, Nigeria had started to experience two major problems inimical to political stability. These were politicization of ethnicity and politicization of religion. At the initial stage, the problem was more of the former which contributed to the collapse of the First Republic and the start of the Civil War. The demise of the Second Republic as well could not be divorced from ethnic politics. An attempt to put an end to ethnic politics in Nigeria constrained the present military government to approve a two-party system for the Third Republic. Religious politicization had its roots in the pre-independence era, but it started to pose serious problems to the unity of the country only within the last decade. The military government having sensed this problem warned the politicians against the formation of political parties based on religious ideology. It is too early to assess the deterrent value of this warning. However, Nigerians should have been adequately warned of the shape of things to come from the handling of the Shari'a issue under the Third Republic. This paper then shall examine the role religion has played in Nigerian politics and its effects on Christian-Muslim relations.
Open Access
Confluence and Conflict in the Qur'anic and Biblical Accounts of the Life of Prophet Musa
(1990) Opeloye, Muhib O.
The Article compares the qur'anic and biblical presentations of Moses. Though the Qur'an does not set out the prophet's life chronologically, a chronological account can be constructed from the various passages. It can be seen that this is very similar to the life of Moses as told by the Bible. The Article nevertheless lists seven points of dissimilarity. These he attributes to the different circumstances in which the message was recorded. The similarities, he suggests, indicate a common source and origin.
Open Access
An Assessment of the Contributions of 'Ilmiyyah Schools to Arabic and Islamic Learning in the Southern Nigerian Universities
(1994) Opeloye, Muhib O.
This paper attempt to find out how the inclusion of Arabic and Islamic Studies syllabus in the secondary school certificate examination in the early seventies had affected the contributions of the 'ilmiyyah schools to Arabic and Islamic learning in the Southern Nigerian universities.
Open Access
Christian-African Religious Interactions in Nigeria
(1994) Opeloye, M. O.; Asaju, D. F.
In religiously plural societies such as Nigeria, interaction between adherents of different religions is inevitable. The capability to relate to one another depends on the nature of the religions, the preachers, the practitioners, the policies and actions of Governments. Interaction may be positive or negative. The latter is problematic because it engenders numerous social and political vices
Open Access
The Scriptural Accounts of Creation and the Concept of Theistic Evolution
(1994) Opeloye, M. O.
The scriptures considered in this study are the Bible and the Q'uran. The doctrine of creation as enshrined in the two books (of Christianity and Islam) maintain respectively that the universe was not self creating, neither is it self - existing as it owes its origin and continued sustenance to the omnipotent power and the unconditional will of the Almighty God. The two scriptures' views on creation uphold the theory of creation ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) through supernatural fiat. This theory runs counter to the theory of emanation, which believes that the universe was made out of the substance of deity as contained in the Brahamic Sacred Books, as well as the theory that the universe was made out of something independent that either existed eternally or came spontaneously into being as contained in the cosmologies of the Greeks.
Open Access
The Theology of God's Word from the Biblical and Qur'anic Perspectives
(1995) Opeloye, Muhib Omolayo
The word of God known in the Old Testament as La debar Yahweh and in the New Testament as Ho Legos tou Theou, and variously referred to in the Qur'an as Kalam-Allah, Kalimat-Allah (pl. Kalimat) and alkalimu is an expression of divine will. According to the Scriptures the word of God is not only supreme and immutable, it is eternal. The divine word has several theological significations three of which shall be explored in this paper because of their contribution to the Christian-Muslim understanding of the revealed word of God. These are the word of God as a message, the word as an operative force and the word as a personified force.
Open Access
The Nature of God's Existence as Understood by the Bible and the Qur'an
(1995) Opeloye, Muhib O.
The Biblical teachings on the nature of God appear somewhat equivocal as the Old Testament's and the New Testament's views on this subject are diametrically opposed. While the former tends to affirm God's corporal existence as evident in the instances where Biblical figures are reported to have seen God, and passages ascribing parts of human body or human emotions to Him, the latter on the other hand asserts that God is spirit and consequently cannot be seen. This seeming irreconcilable position led to theological argumentation about the nature of God between the Christian anthropomorphists and the spiritualists.
Open Access
The Account of Joseph (Yusuf [A. S.]) in the Quran and the Bible
(1995) Opeloye, Muhib O.
The Quran, according to the Muslims' belief, is the culmination of all the revealed scriptures. Prior to its revelation, the earlier scriptures were revealed to different peoples in accordance with the requirements of their age. The Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (P. B. H.) not only to confirm the previous scriptures but also to remedy the interpolated inconsistencies found in them. It is the purpose of this paper to bring to light how the Quran performs this function with reference to Joseph's narrative. Joseph (A. S.) is the only prophet whose account is given in greater detail in one single Surah following the Biblical sequence. A close study of the Biblical account of Joseph (A.S.) reveals a number of puzzles one of which is addressed by I.A.B. Balogun in his article "Joseph in the Bible and Quran". This study is, therefore, motivated by the desire to carry further this scholarly endeavour.
Open Access
Jesus of Nazareth: A Scriptural Theme to Promote Muslim-Christian Dialogue
(1998) Opeloye, Muhib O.
JESUS (THE QUR'ANIC "ISA") is perhaps the most controversial of all the world religious figures. The controversy surrounding his personality has been largely responsible for the dividing line between Islam and Christianity as two separate religions. Jesus is to the Christians the expected Messiah whom some Jews denied and the Romans killed. He is to them the son of God and God Incarnate. To the Muslims he was no more than a prophet, a prophet sent to the children of Israel. This notwithstanding, the Qur'an is replete with views corroborating the Biblical account of Jesus. It is the aim of this paper to highlight the extent to which the Qur'anic views on Jesus are complementary to those of the Bible with a view to using them as a basis to promote Muslim-Christian dialogue.
Open Access
Religious Humanism among the Yoruba of Nigeria
(1998) Opeloye, Muhib O.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the arrival of the acclaimed world religions, namely Islam and Christianity have dealt a great blow to the growth of indigenous religion in view of the loss of most of its adherents to the new faiths. This is why the present day Nigerian governments are doing everything possible to revitalize the indigenous culture. It is pertinent to say that even though the Yoruba are today mostly Muslims and Christians, they still practise their religions within the context of their indigenous cultural background. The diversity in religious beliefs of the Yoruba shows that the people have wider religious experience. This article is therefore concerned with the religious aspect of the Yoruba culture. We shall examine the basic beliefs and practices of the three main religions practised in Yorubaland with a view to high-lighting their impact on their life.
Open Access
The Socio-Political Factor in the Christian-Muslim Conflict in Nigeria
(1998) Opeloye, Muhib O.
This study identifies ethno-political factors as the major contributor to the Christian-Muslim conflict in Nigeria, while indicating the secondary role of socio-economic considerations and religious fundamentalism, as exemplijied in the Zangon Karaf riot of 1992 and the Tafawa Balewa and Bauchi disturbances of 1991 and 1995 respectively. The study reveals that the tension that erupted from these episodes merely ignited the bomb of ethno-political rivalry between the minority and majority ethnic groups. The eruption of violence on each occasion was the manifestation of the collective anger of minorities that had been incubating over a long period against the domination of the Hausa-Fulani hegemony. Religious and socio-economic considerations were only incidental factors. It is stressed that, even though the disturbances started as ethnic conflicts, they spread rapidly to other towns in the wake of rumours of their religious connotations. The Christian-Muslim conflict, which is traced back to the 1979 Shari'a controversy, is believed to have done serious damage to the unity of Nigerian society. The article sees the practical solution to this problem as lying more in the use of the school system in inculcating the spirit of mutual acceptance and harmonious co-existence, than in the creation of chiefdoms which tend to cause separation and division.
Open Access
The Place of Religion in the Educational System in Nigeria: the Islamic Perspective
(2000) Opeloye, Muhib O.
This paper focus on the following: The issues involved in choosing an educational system generally; the revolution of the educational system for Nigeria and the place of religion; the effect of the National Policy of Education on the study of religion in our schools, especially at the secondary level; and the implications of the revised policy for the study of religions.