Religious Hypocrisy and Fanaticism in Nigeria. The Apex Problem of a Religious Nation

Polemic Paper from the year 2017 in the subject Theology - Comparative Religion Studies, grade: A.1, Ebonyi State University (New Frontier Ind. Research and Publications Int'l, Makurdi, Benue, Nigeria), language: English, abstract: True religions and religious are now very rare to come by. Religious hypocrisy and fanaticism (fundamentalism) have become the order of the day. These trends negate the cores of religion with fake religious practices and bitter religious superiority contestation, chaos, intolerance and tension (crisis). Until the emergence of Protestantism and religious proliferation in the 15th century, the Catholicity of religion was upheld by the existing ones - Traditional Religion, Christianity (Roman Catholic Church) and Islam, among others, with little or no crisis. The case has become different in contemporary times. The current motives of religions and the religious are now rather human, unethical, biased and materialistic, and thus the emerging endemic religious issues, fuelled by ethnicity, politics, neo/colonialism, linguistic conflicts and capitalism confronting nations like Nigeria and the like over the years. This study is concerned with interrogating and exploring the foregoing problems. It maintains that a nation free from religious hypocrisy and fanaticism is bound to be truly religious and tap hugely from the rich prospects of religion, rather than the current otherwise obtained in Nigeria and the like nations. The ugly development calls for wide aggressive religious re-orientation and reformation, as this paper proposes. It relies on textual materials, besides non-participant observation and intuition, for data. The content-analysis is employed, involving qualitative approach and objectivism.

Robert, Odey Simon holds BA (Hons) in Languages and Linguistics of the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. He is currently a Post-Graduate candidate. He has lectured on part-time basis in several higher institutions, with one of the recent ones being in the Consultancy Services Unit of the General Studies Department, Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia. He also taught English Language and Literature-in-English in several colleges, with Sandaji College, Lafia, Nasarawa, Nigeria being the most recent. He is also an external English Language subject Examiner to WAEC and NECO. He has been researching with several firms, including Bridge Gate Research Consult Ltd, Owerri, Abraka, Port-Harcourt, Lafia, Gboko and New Frontline Industries Research and Publications Ltd, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Robert is an erudite, versatile and experienced young promising and diligent linguist, scholar, researcher, writer and poet, with several works of both print and electronic versions to his credit- papers, international journals and poetry, prose and drama collections, some of which currently await publication, including two anthologies, two novels and a play. He has also attended several local and international conferences. He is of Utugbor royal blood- the family of Chief Robert Idachu Njor of Utugbor, Ika-Ichia, Bekwarra, Cross River State, Nigeria. He is so bent to Bekwarra/African Linguistics, Cultural/Gender Studies, Arts/Humanities, Education, Philosophy/Religion, Politics and Economy, besides general knowledge; writing, researching, travelling and community development/voluntary services.