Religious Studies- Scholarly Publications

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    Religion as an Institution that Combats Corruption in the Development of Nigeria: A Christian Perspective
    (Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos, 2021) Falako, F. O.
    The paper investigates the nexus between religion and politics majoring on the role of religion in combating the menace of corruption in Nigeria. Writing specifically from a Christian perspective, the author notes the paradoxical fact that Nigeria ranks high in both religiosity and corruption indexes. Built on the functional theory of religion, the paper underlines the impression of religion on the individual in particular and on the society in general. The import of this theory is that religion influences attitude and behaviour. Adopting a bibliographical and historical approach, the writer regrets that the tenets of the Christian religion have not been adequately appropriated in the struggle. Therefore, the author recommends that religious people should back up their faith claims with corresponding praxis of morality and accountability; the church should be free from persons of doubtful characters; enforce disciplinary measures against erring members and support every government efforts in the fight.
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    Open Access
    New Religious Movements and Space Contestation: A Study of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria
    (Ibadan: Bookminds/AASR, 2020) Falako, F. O.
    Global as ecological and environmental cases are, local contexts make the matter peculiar and so a source of concern for every responsible individual. Apart from problems like drought, flood, depletion and climatic changes; land occupation for industrial and other purposes on a hazardous scale is threatening and alarming. It is high time we considered the implications of the way in which religious spaces are found in every nook and cranny in the country. This paper examines a new wave in church planting in Nigeria which is the idea of religious camps and communities along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The expressway links the commercial nerve centre of Lagos to the rest of the country. It is without doubt the busiest highway in Nigeria. One of the major peculiarities of the popular expressway is the concentration of religious camp grounds. There are about twenty of them. Hence, the highway has earned the name "Church Highway" or “Heavens Gateway”. This work appraised the issue of space contestation by various Christian religious organisations and the attendant implications. Data for this study were collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data was collected through personal observation, in-depth interviews and discussions with respondents selected through purposive sampling technique. The secondary data was gathered through documents, newspapers, magazines, periodicals, and books. Data were analyzed by simple percentages. The following findings were made space contest leads to the emergence of affluent settlers, tension due to the disappearance of arable land, encroachment, mistrust, litigations, and rivalry. Recommendations made included balancing the teachings on dominionship with that of stewardship; dialogue and relocation. Findings of the study significantly revealed a drift towards competition and ecological crises. The paper concludes on the note that activities of religious groups on the highway need to be monitored and censored in order to maintain a clean environment and sustainable development.
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    Open Access
    Nigerian Football Supporters’ Club and Employment of Church Songs: The Interplay between Religion and Sports
    (Department of Physical and Health Education, Bayero University, Kano, Kano State, 2018) Falako, F. O.
    Africans are said to be incurably religious and are in all things religious; this religiosity comes to the fore in the activities of the Nigerian Football Supporters’ Club since its establishment in 1959. Their activities include prayer sessions, spiritual consultations, sacrifice and the invocation of the Divine through the employment of Church songs during matches. This paper appraises the role of songs, reasons for their use, the sentiments often displayed about these songs in sports rituals. In summary, the paper establishes the nexus between religion and sports.
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    Open Access
    Christian Missions and their Linguistic Legacies
    (Ilesa: Triumph-Providential, 2011) Falako, F. O.
    Indigenous languages are adversely affected in this era of globalization, due to an apparent negligence in favour of foreign ones. The paper focused on the early Christian Missions and their attitude of appreciation to the language of their hosts. It looked into how in the course of evangelism they reduced Yoruba, Igbo, Efik, Nupe and Hausa languages into writing. In the process, they created linguistic hegemony, a culture of reading and tribal consciousness that helped fan the embers of nationalism; all to the consternation of the colonial administrators. The paper posited that these legacies must be built upon in our generation so as to save indigenous languages from total eclipse. To pave way for the assimilation of traditional ideas and values, the paper advocated a sympathetic evaluation of African linguistic heritage.
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    Open Access
    God in African Christian Theology: Towards a Platform for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Peaceful Co-Existence in Nigeria
    (Department of Religions, Faculty of Arts, University of Benin, 2020) Falako, F. O.
    This paper examines the idea of God from the African Christian perspective, arguing that the reality of the existence of God is fundamental to all religions. The purposes are to underpin the interface; establish a platform for inter-religious dialogue; and make a case for peaceful co-existence in Nigeria, in particular, and Africa in general. The paper adopts a systematic theological approach which enables the author to draw data from books and journals. The paper draws out the distinctiveness of the African Christian belief amid the mainstream Judeo-Christian idea, and highlights how this central belief can help in the quest for mutual understanding. The thesis is the imperativeness of theological debates for mutual enrichment and peaceful co-existence in a religiously pluralistic nation like Nigeria.