THE IMPACT OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION ON DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA IN THE 21ST CENTURY
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Christianity’s influence on Nigeria’s fledgling democracy in the 21st century is a nuanced one. More over 80 percent of Nigeria’s population identifies as Christian. Human rights, social justice, and good governance are all aspects of politics that have been heavily influenced by the religion in this nation. The advancement of human rights and social justice is one of Christianity’s most important influences on Nigeria’s democratic system. Christians believe that everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic situation or origins, ought to be treated with kindness and compassion.
Christianity’s influence on Nigeria’s democratic system is mixed. The country’s tensions and disputes have been blamed on Christian leaders who are accused of leveraging their religious power for political gain. Christians have become so dominant in Nigeria that Muslims and traditionalists have been pushed to the margins. In conclusion, the effect of Christianity on Nigeria’s democratic system in the twenty-first century is nuanced and intricate. Although Islam has done much to advance social justice and human rights, it has also exacerbated internal tensions and armed confrontations in the nation.
Abogunrin (1984) in his paper titled “Towards a Unifying Political Ideology and Peaceful Coexistence in Nigeria: A Christian View”Dal et al, (1999) opines that Christianity and democracy are two inseparable institutions in the human social psyche and structure. He equally asserts that earthly governments are mere agents of God’s theocratic governance of the physical and the spiritual world (Abogunrin, 1984). He, however, points out that the ideals of Christianity is a good guide to better political conducts, but the practices of such ideals are usually influenced by the socio-cultural institutions in the society, including democracy.
Christian leaders have always present argument based on the statement of Jesus Christ that “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:17-22). This phrase has often been used to exclude from participation Christians and clergymen, who want to venture into democracy. Matthew Hassan Kukah however, disagrees with this school of thought, with an exegesis on this passage. He writes that what Jesus really meant was not that Christianity and democracy do not mix, nor did He mean that Christians should not participate in democracy, the coin was representation of the power of Caesar and that was why the coin had Caesar’s sign. In the case of God, His authority is over and above the realm of Caesar’s empire. In that sense both Caesar and his coin are under the aegis of God and the issue of separation or Christians should not participate in democracy is an aberration (Kukah 1998). It should be noted that the argument of these opposing schools are hinged on their belief, perhaps based on experience, that democracy often corrupt Christian religion. Also that political leaders use Christianity as a platform to deceive the people.
According to Leicester Webb, these societies are united by certain political values, closely associated with Christian doctrines and ethics as it relates to justice, morality, freedom, equity, etc (Alfold 1981). However, B. Alford suggests that there is a possibility of effective and successful governance if Christians are actively participating in democracy. Christians in Nigeria would rather not get involved in democracy but the fact remains that Jesus Christ did not discourage political participation for the faithfuls. In Judaism, which provided background to Christianity, the God of Israel, Yahweh is the God of war (Josh. 6:20ff), economy (Ex. 16) and God of obedience and moral virtues (Num. 21:4-8). Yahweh is all in all in Judaic traditional thought and democracy. Even though, democracy in Nigeria has been marred with corruption, violence and even murder, these are against the Christian ethics and believe. This morality issue has been limiting the participation Nigerian Christians in democracy.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The uncertainty about the future of Nigeria is unfortunately tied to poor democratic culture, which is an important ingredient of political life of every nation. Nigeria has been tagged, a failure in all fronts (political, economic, social and moral). Despite an abundance of economic resources, attempts to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development have not become a reality in Nigeria. Lack of political will, corruption, a deficiency of proper coordination for sustainable development programs, and wasteful patterns of production and consumption have hindered any meaningful progress in Nigeria. The non-participation of Christians in democracy, monetization of democracy and predentialism (popularly known as God-fatherism and God-son syndrome), violent behaviors of politicians such as political thuggery, political motivated assassinations, molestation of innocent citizens, seizure of ballot boxes, and wanton destruction of properties (ARSON), intimidation of political opponents, political sycophancy, looting, prevalence of cult’s activities and incitement of religious crisis in the name of democracy, are negative behaviors exhibited by the political thugs in the name of democracy in Nigeria. These aforementioned anti-social behaviors portrays the politicians as having no more fear of God, nor respect on their father’s land and human life, because money has been introduced into democracy in Nigeria. This however, has made it necessary for the researcher to examine the Christian leaders participation in democracy considering the moral concerns in contemporary Nigeria.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the objectives of this study:
- To examine the level of Christian leaders participation in democracy considering the moral concerns in contemporary Nigeria.
- To examine the factors limiting Christian leaders participation in democracy in Nigeria.
- To determine the prospects of Christians active participation in democracy in Nigeria.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- What is the level of Christian leaders participation in democracy considering the moral concerns in contemporary Nigeria?
- What are the factors limiting Christian leaders participation in democracy in Nigeria?
- What are the prospects of Christian’s active participation in democracy in Nigeria?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
H0: The level of Christian leaders participation has no significant effect in democracy considering the moral concern in contemporary Nigeria.
H1: The level of Christian leaders participation has significant effect in democracy considering the moral concern in contemporary Nigeria.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The following are the significance of this study:
- Finding from this study will educate the general public on the level of participation of Christians in Nigerian democracy and will also enlighten on how the teachings of Christianity can be used as a tool for national development through eradication of corruption and other social vices.
- This research will also serve as a resource base to other scholars and researchers interested in carrying out further research in this field subsequently, if applied will go to an extent to provide new explanation to the topic.
1.7 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study on The Impact of Christian Religion on democracy in Nigeria in the 21st century will cover the practice of Christianity as a religion in Nigeria and its influence on the democracy. It will cover the participation of Christians in democracy considering the moral concerns.
LIMITATION OF STUDY
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, questionnaire and interview).
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.
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THE IMPACT OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION ON DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA IN THE 21ST CENTURY