Religious—Political Divisions and Unities
Yoruba Socio-cultural Beliefs and Practices among the Indigenous Pentecostals in Ibadan
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Adewale, Olukayode Ogunrinade
This work examined some Yoruba Indigenous Beliefs (YIB) appropriated among the Indigenous Pentecostals (IP) in Ibadan so as to identify the interpretations ascribed to them in terms of the concepts used, the procedures involved and their significances. A questionnaire was used and unstructured oral interviews and participant observation monitoring were conducted at Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), an IP church in Ibadan. Data were subjected to percentages, content and simple descriptive analysis. Four YIB concepts were appropriated in CAC as Awo (the cult formation), Origun-merin Aye (four cardinal directions), Ogun (warfare), and Aye (odd world). Across these concepts, five types of chanting on psalms/songs associated with warfare, imprecations, power, spiritual beings and supremacy were engaged. About Awo, activities within were held in CAC like YIB as nobly, secret and honestly pacts and YIB’s Awo was substituted with Af’aduraja’gun (Prayer Warriors) who addressed die-hard spiritual challenges spiritually, through chain/ring formation mounted to unshackle the victimized positioned in the middle. Enemy’s intrusion was said to be blocked in the ring while vigorous prayers lasted for hours. On Origun-merin Aye, members faced the directions in turn praying and chanting for prosperity, protection, and favor, while doing the five chants amidst clapping, dancing, singing and stamping the feet on Ile (earth surface) believed to harbor virtues. On Ogun and Aye, CAC engaged imprecation in gesticulated mode with prayers, songs, and alertness. CAC and YIB’s worldviews showed a link between the church and Yoruba Religion in how they maneuvered their spiritual operation and protection enrichment procedures.
Islamic Intersectional Theology and Emancipatory Religious Praxis
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Siavash Saffari
Some proponents of emancipatory politics continue to hold firm to Karl Marx’s assertion that genuine emancipation from oppressive and exploitative relations requires “the abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people.” On the other hand, and increasingly so in recent times, even some of the secular exponents of progressive politics have come to acknowledge the mobilizational capacities as well as the “untapped moral intuitions” (in Jürgen Habermas’s words) of public religiosity for unsettling the matrix of oppression. This paper begins by identifying Islamic liberation theology as a religious-political movement that contributes to emancipatory struggles against colonialism and imperialism, capitalism, theocratic as well as secular authoritarianism, racism, patriarchy and heteronormativity, and environmental destruction. Some of the leading figures of Islamic liberation theology (i.e. Mahmoud Mohammed Taha, Ali Shariati, Amina Wadud, Asma Barlas, and Farid Esack) will be introduced, and their collective discourse will be distinguished from other major Islamic-political movements, such as Islamism and Islamic liberalism. Through a dialogical reading of Islamic liberation theology and theories of intersectionality (as articulated by leading black feminists such as Patricia Hill Collins, Audre Lorde, and bell hook), the paper then argues for a move from liberation theology to intersectional theology as a necessary development in emancipatory civic spirituality. This move, the paper contends, is not only needed to reflect our new understandings of the intersectionality of oppression and emancipation; it will also facilitate meaningful dialogue and cooperation between religious and secular agents of emancipatory projects.
A Study of Islamic Directives on Taming the Menace of Boko Haram Guerilla in Nigeria
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kabir Olawale Paramole
The world, especially Africa, in search of tranquility deliberates on ways of getting human race back to the crystal line of progress and transformation. Nigeria as a nation had once enjoyed relative peace in-spite of its multi-ethnicity and religiosity. The global unrest cannot but have spill-over effects on the nation as a developing country in view of the desire for advancement through fostering harmonious and peaceful environment. Surely, no human development can thrive in an atmosphere of conflict, religious violence, threat, and instability. Boko Haram terrorism being experienced in Nigeria in the opinion of this paper is a child of circumstance arising from bad leadership, corrupt practices, banditry, god-fatherism and taking to one’s destiny in the survival of the fittest. This paper employed analytical description of numerous phases of terrorism evident among Nigerians with a view to re-directing efforts towards the root than the offshoot. It was discovered that Boko Haram which has been branded terror group by the International Community and its menace can still be put in check if there is a return to the pedestal of justice, fair play, and evenly distribution of resources among Nigerians irrespective of their socio-cultural and ethnical backgrounds. It is suggested that more of the solutions to Boko Haram terrorism can be accomplished if social security is enforced across the divides of Nigeria, with a view to engendering love, understanding, and peace among Nigerian citizens.
Ideological and Theological Reflections on Religious Conflicts among Born Again Churches in Uganda
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Alexander Paul Isiko
Much research has been done on the Pentecostal movement over the years. Several studies have focused on their history and robust growth, while others have focused on their theological stances with a fundamentalist allure to religious doctrine and practice. Yet others have written on Pentecostal churches’ growing political influence in society. This presents an idealistic picture of Pentecostal churches, as such studies that represent Pentecostal churches as being void of challenges. However, Pentecostal churches, commonly referred to as "born again churches" in Uganda are characterised by feuds and conflicts among their pastors, which ultimately engulf the whole church membership. Born again church pastors are becoming synonymous with conflict, characterised by accusations and counter accusations against each other, usually expressed in the media and on their pulpits during sermons. Such feuds occupy a significant part of public space and discourse in Uganda, some of which end up in courts of law. This then becomes a significant phenomenon in church politics due to born again Christian pastors’ standing in society. This study attempts to question whether the root causes of the feuds among born again pastors in Uganda are a result of competing ideological and theological differences, or are occasioned by other circumstances beyond theological inclinations. The study also attempts to analyse the nature and manifestations of such feuds. The study finally embraces selected examples from the bible and the early church as best practices that ought to be adopted by the born again church in Uganda to deal with such conflict.
