The Persistence Of Igbo Worldview In The Catholic Church In Awgu

Description

ABSTRACT

It has been discovered that Contemporary Christian experience in Nigeria creates an unsettling situation. The condition is acute when examined in juxtaposition with the young age of Christianity in the area. This research is founded on the precipice of understanding the factors responsible for the contemporary nature of Christianity in Nigeria with particular reference to Igboland. It takes as a fundamental problem, the crisis of Christian religious commitment in Igboland. What missiological factors account for the progress made and the shortfalls that exist in Christian practice and commitment among adherents in today’s Igboland? It also attempts to proffer a solution to this crisis through the auspices of contextualization. To understand and undertake this problem in full, this research initiates a tripartite action, which embodies: (1) A critical overview of the geographical context in question. This overview attempts to highlight the nature of Igboland worldview to the advent of Christianity; the nature of Igbo Language, people and geography; Igbo political and social framework; the nature of Igbo Cosmology with its attendant Socio – Cultural and Moral Values. It reviews the missionary contact with the Igbos and thus allowing an appraisal of the missionary models and strategies involved in this contact. This phase ultimately evolves into diffusing the impact of the missionary models on Christian converts in Igboland. The result is the discovery that there exists a functionalistic understanding of Christianity, followed by an Inter- denominational Rivalry. The impacts also affected social cohesion and manifests in the forms of evident identity diffusion. This certainly as the research posits create an identifiable vulnerability to uncritical religious syncretism among Igbo Christians. (2) The work attempts to illustrate the contemporary forms of Christian Religious Experience amongst Igbos of Nigeria.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWELDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

• INTRODUCTION
• BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
• PROBLEM STATEMENT
• AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
• SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
• SCOPE/ DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
• LIMITATION OF STUDY
• METHODOLOGY
• PROJECT ORGANISATION

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

• INTRODUCTION
• IGBO TRADITIONAL SOCIETY AND RELIGION BEFORE THE ADVENT OF CHRISTIANITY
• IGBO POLITICAL AND SOCIAL FRAMEWORK
• IGBO COSMOLOGY
• IGBO SOCIO-CULTURAL AND MORAL VALUES
• PARTICULAR THEOLOGICAL (ECCLESIOLOGICAL) IDENTITY OF THE IGBO CATHOLIC CHURCH
• REVIEW OF DIOCESE OF AWGU
• IGBO WORLDVIEW: A DEFINITION

CHAPTER THREE

• GENERAL REVIEW OF MISSIONARY CONTACT WITH THE IGBOS
• SPECIFIC STRATEGIES OF THE MISSIONARY PERIOD
• CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES AMONGST IGBO CHRISTIANS

CHAPTER FOUR

• THE RELEVANCE OF CONTEXTUAL THEOLOGY IN CONTEMPORARY IGBO CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE
• ENSURING CULTURAL AND THEOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY OF THE GOOD NEWS IN IGBOLAND
• THE PREVALENCE OF WITCHCRAFT AND MALEVOLENT SPIRITS
• ACHIEVING SENSITIVITY VIA CULTURAL ELEMENTS
• RESURGENCE OF IGBO VALUES THROUGH CHRISTIAN EXPRESSION
• ELIMINATION OF OBNOXIOUS IGBO CULTURAL PRACTICES

CHAPTER FIVE

• CONCLUSION
• RECOMMENDATION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                              INTRODUCTION

1.1                                                 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Christianity finds herself today in numerous cultures. Her encounters with different cultures go with attendant challenges. In Igboland one can notice these challenges after about a hundred and fifty years of the Existence of Christianity in Eastern Nigeria. Such challenges has become a visible  element of contemporary religious experience in Igboland. How are these being expressed in 21st century Igboland; and what does it mean for Christianity in the area?

The Christian Message was communicated to the Igbo people as good news that totally supersedes all traditional worldview as a means of giving them hope and answer to different questions. This hope had never received implicit and explicit frown as ever before in the history of Christianity in Igboland than now. With a myriad of socio-political, economic and spiritual concerns and needs, so many Christians in Igboland seem to be heavily in doubt about the hope they had once cherished and in some cases were preached into believing. This doubt and its evident manifestations are the predicators to the crisis of religious commitment we have recently seen people live out. With over a century of the presence of Christianity in Igboland, Christianity seems to be receiving a cold shake in the midst of a filled cathedral, lavish structures and seeming ecclesiastical growth. What factors account for this situation? What best attempts can solve the problem? What essentially does this reaction say about Igbo conversion to Christianity? These concerns have remained a recurrent theme amongst some scholars of religion and theologians. In the main, some quickly write it off as manifestations of a liberal culture. For others it is a consequence of resentment over missionary and colonial control.¹ Still others are more deepened in their analysis to discover that this situation represents at best, confusion traceable to false or deceptive conversion. Ehusani belongs to the latter category and he identifies the situation thus:

Some of those converted in the mission schools and who now constitute the African elite, have abandoned the true faith, some others who still profess Christianity are corrupt politicians, fraudulent government officials or dubious men and women, whose private moral lives, tainted by the materialistic and hedonistic culture of the day cannot be said to be any better than that of their non-Christian counterpart. There is thus a dislocation between the theory expressed in ecclesiastical documents and the practical life of many Africans recently converted to Christianity (Afigbo, 2011).

This is exactly the Nigerian and particularly the Igbo situation. The reality of lack of authentic Christian followership and the accompanying watering down of Christian values are true indicators of a grave state of dismay and disillusionment among Christians in Igboland. It is obvious today that many Christians live hypocritical spiritual lives. While professing faith and avowed allegiance to the Christian faith, they have as well secretly refused to disconnect from practices of their primal religion. This ambivalence of commitment constantly invites a keen reflection on the quality of faith passed on to the Igbo people, the method of proselytization and the degree to which the Christian faith has been internalized (Afigbo, 2011).

Igbo people have a rich spiritual, cultural and religious heritage. This statement carries with it significant and multiple implications. It means that as historically discovered during pre- missionary times, an average Igbo man finds answers to all of his problems in the domain of religion. His religion provided solutions to domestic and spiritual worries varying from sickness, famine, infertility, hunger, and even to death. It practically means that for a religion to remain true and acceptable to an Igbo man or woman, it must carry with it answers to existential questions and challenges. On the other hand, an evangelical message that is basically functionalistic in approach cannot stand the test of time for the Igbo person. This explains the numerous attempts to find answers in a non-Christian environment in the wake of trials. It is part of the challenge of Christianity in Igboland today (Afigbo, 2011).

Of significant mention for example is the approach to land settlement and dispute. The traditional means of deciding or verifying ownership of land in Igboland is mostly Oath-Taking. Often, the procedure and duration of civil and judicial means appear to be unattractive. Many communities in Igboland therefore resort to Oath-taking in resolving long standing disputes. This often requires the adoption of several African Traditional Religious means. Such in recent time pushes its way into the church. The attempt to organize or plead for a priest of the Catholic Church for example to allow disputing parties swear before the Blessed Sacrament is countless. Upon receiving a usual denial of such requests, there is always the last resort to traditional styles of Oath-taking. So many Christians unfortunately participate fully in this (Achebe, 2015).

Another case in point is the Christian approach to sexual abominations. In the Igbo culture and tradition, sexual chastity is an indispensable virtue. However, the inability to be chaste has certain limits. Customs and tradition forbid the act of sexual intercourse between persons with blood ties. The act of incest is abhorred to the degree that any child born out of such act is considered abominable. The same applies in some communities for infidelity by married women which attracts automatic traditional omen. In the said cases of sexual misbehaviour, it is generally held and believed that the absence of sacrifices often referred to as “(Achebe, 2015) brings untold and disastrous consequences ranging from inexplicable hardship to series of death. This sacrifice however unchristian it appears is often performed by Christians as appeasement to the land.

How can Christianity answer some of the theological, spiritual and practical concerns of the Igbo person? Is Christianity elusive or at best mindless about these realities? If it is not; how effectively does it attend to them in an event of occurrence? In an attempt to answer these questions, Christian scholars and theologians alike have engaged several areas and theories of engagement between religion and cultures such as Adaption, Inculturation, Indigenization and more profoundly contextualization.

The efforts mentioned represent several levels and methods of engagement between cultures and religions. However as the title of this research suggests attempts are rather directed to an appraisal of the models of proselytization, with a view of discovering the patterns of interaction that may have created room for the crisis of religious commitment which numerous Igbo Christians display. Proper contextualization of the Christian message in Igboland could be a way out in this 21^st century (Achebe, 2015).

1.2                                STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The established background for this research creates a condition of religious confusion/ crisis, an atmosphere of mixed religious practice and wavering devotion to Christianity amongst some Igbo Christians. Despite the massive presence and practice of Christian faith in Igboland, an obvious inclination to African traditional religion in the search for existential truth and meaning is undeniable. This situation is as critical as it presents fresh questions about true conversion to Christianity; the possibility of a missing link between the theory and practice of Christianity; and the question of appropriateness of the missionary methods of engagement employed in the Christianizing of the people and culture under discussion.

Consequently, the question that informs this research is: What are the causes of the crisis of religious commitment in Igboland; and what role if any can contextual theology play in restoring the situation?

1.3                          AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main aim of this work is to carry out a research that analyses how the temporary Christianity in catholic has brought changes to igbo cultural worldview in Catholic Church in Awgu

The objectives of the work are:

1. To understand the causes of the crisis of religious commitment in Igboland
2. To analyse how the contemporary Christian teachings have change most of cultural practice in catholic family.

• To understand the spiritual, cultural and religious heritage of igboland

1.4                                                 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will throw light on how the activities of Christian missionaries greatly changed the religious landscape in Igboland, Nigeria.

This research is will give the reader the precipice of understanding the factors responsible for the contemporary nature of Christianity (catholic church) in Nigeria with particular reference to Igboland.

This research particularly attempts to complement works already done with a missiological investigation in the light of Contextual theology. This study goes a step further from the nature of Christianity to provoke some thoughts and encourage further research on the crisis of religious commitment in Igboland or similar challenges.

The researcher and other missionaries will benefit from this study to accomplish effective pastoral work in the geographical area of concern; and further appreciate the relevance of contextual theology in intercultural evangelism.

Furthermore, this study will also benefit Christians in Igboland by leading them into appreciating authentic Christian living and deepening the Christian faith so that it becomes both a religion and a culture thereby making the Igbo Christians fully African and truly Christian in the 21^st century (Achebe, 2015).

1.5                         SCOPE/ DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

While the research accepts the overwhelming achievements of missionary enterprise in Igboland which resulted to the abolishing of ugly practices like killing of twins, slave trade, human sacrifice etc; and the establishment of hospital and schools, this research focuses on the current religious realities in the Igbo society to discover if they are offshoots of the strategy of a historical contact between missionaries and native Igbo people. It bothers on theological and missiological enterprises such as evangelization with its attendant impact on Igbo Christians.

It is pertinent to underscore that the geographical locus of research interest is Igboland of Nigeria. The choice of Igboland remains valid owing to the concentration of Christians and also the presence of what the background of this study refers to as a crisis of religious commitment in the said region of Nigeria.

1.6                                                  LIMITATION OF STUDY

As we all know that no human effort to achieve a set of goals goes without difficulties, certain constraints were encountered in the course of carrying out this project and they are as follows:-

1. Difficulty in information collection: I found it too difficult in laying hands of useful information regarding this work and this course me to visit different libraries and internet for solution.
2. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

• Time Constraint: The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.7                                             RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In the course of carrying this study, numerous sources were used which most of them are by visiting libraries, consulting journal and news papers and online research which Google was the major source that was used.

1.8                                     PROJECT ORGANISATION

The work is organized as follows: chapter one discuses the introductory part of the work,   chapter two presents the literature review of the study,  chapter three describes the methods applied, chapter four discusses the results of the work, chapter five summarizes the research outcomes and the recommendations.