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Ancestral cult as an impediment to the teaching of Christian religious studies in selected secondary schools in Jos East

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background to the Study

Africans believe in the existence of the Supreme Being. There are also other beings that rank lower than God. Etuk (2002: 162) states  that, “in reality there are five component elements that go into the making of African traditional religion, and he lists them as: belief in God, belief in divinities, belief in spirits, belief in the ancestors and the practice of magic and medicine”. Among African societies, religion is at the very heart of their cultures. It controls much of their social, moral and political systems.  Religion is their main source of power, and it regulates matters relating to the land and the weather on which most Africans depend for their survival.  Igbo (2012: 166-167), while referring to Igbo people of Nigeria, states that, “Igbo people’s world view is divided into four sections: “Uwa” the visible world that inhibited human beings, animals and forest. “Mmuo” the dead ancestors and the forefathers of the present generation. “Alusi” which he referred to as the supernatural forces that have attributes of men and finally “okike” the Supreme Being who is the creator”. It is a clear indication that the Africans have belief in the ancestors. It is deeprooted in their belief system and manifests in all aspects of their lives. Africans show great respect to their ancestors, hold them in a very high esteem and always try to maintain a good relationship with them. There is a strong belief that a sour relationship brings punishment and suffering to the living. Onwuejeogwu (2007: 236) asserts that, “The ancestors are regarded as the mystical custodian of the living minimal lineage. The punishments and rewards of the living members are meted out through the lineage head”. Families are blessed, punished or protected by the ancestors. It is a general belief that the ancestors perform great roles among the living members of their families; however, in recent times, these roles have ceased.

Even after one hundred and fifty years of Christian missions in Africa, the ancestral cult is still a reality. This is not only the case among the un-churched but among Christians as well. A good number of African Christians pledge allegiance to both the ancestors and Christ. Some sympathetic critics hold that there is no such thing as the ancestral cult, but ancestral veneration, i.e. proper respect given to one’s elders. This position cannot stand the evidence taken from various African communities, particularly those south of the Sahara. The ancestors occupy a place of prominence among the deities of Africa, and in some cases, they are the only ones that are invoked. The practice is against the Christian scriptures, tradition, reason, and experience. The African Christian must say no to the cult of the ancestors or anything that competes for the allegiance that rightly belongs to Christ. The ancestors are venerated in the belief that they still breath, speak, listen, and even act as they did when they were on the physical earth. Ancestors play both positive and negative roles in their respective communities.

Ancestorship is one of the African belief systems, which arrogate power to the dead over the living. It is a belief just like in reincarnation that shows that death is not total annihilation of life rather life continues but in a different cosmic. According to Obiakor (2010), “in Igbo world view, individuals, Ancestors and the spirits are major players”. Among the Igbo, the fear of the Ancestral wrath is one of the bases for the Igbo to live descent life. Okeke (2015) in support says “it is believed that the ancestors are able to influence the lives and activities of their relations on earth, hence they can bring fortune or misfortune on them at the same time protect them against evil machinations of the wicked people, depending on how the living regard and remember them”.  Ancestorship is a lineup of departed elders of the same ancestral abode forming another community in the spiritual realm to superintend over the life of the living. This is why Opoku (1978) concludes that “ the dead, the living and yet unborn form an unbroken family”. Idowu (1973) notes “there is the general belief that communion and communication are possible between those who are alive on earth and deceased, and that the latter have powers to influence, help or molest the former.”

Ancestral cult varies from one society to another, Among the Afizere society, the worship can be elaborate or private, formal or informal, formal worship or veneration involves the gathering of entire community for honoring and remembering the community ancestors. Ritual items that are used for veneration include yam, cocoyam and (ikam tsung). Its purpose is usually for thanks, appeasement and request, libation and veneration activities that take place include the grave of the ancestors and any other place that may be identified through divination. The ancestral cult is a hallmark of religions across the world, and finds expression in religious beliefs, practices, and ensuing experiences (Lim 2015: 109). It is entrenched in African Traditional Religion and culture of people across Africa. The religio-cultural components of practices associated with ancestral beliefs and practices made the rituals defining features of local identity, pride, and consciousness. This firm attachment to beliefs and practices concerning ancestors and spirits of the dead is understood from the lens of African religiosity. Africans, notes Mbiti (1975), are notoriously religious.

Ancestral cult practice poses an obstacle to the teaching of Christian Religious Education. Communities where the ancestral cult is well-pronounced find it difficult to take CRS as a subject serious. It is believed that the spirit of the ancestors that died many years ago and sometimes visit the living in form of masquerade.

Afizere men therefore, once in a while in a quest to appease ancestral spirit were compelled to carry out expensive ceremonies of sacrifice or libation. During circumcision (ijak) and puberty (igasang) ritual festivals these ancestral spirits took temporary possession of masked masquerade dancers (Ajankia or Abage).

Ancestral cult has become a cankerworm in our society today, it has made many people to pledge some allegiance to both ancestors and Christ. This is why this study is carried out to examine ancestral cult as an impediment to the teaching of Christian Religious Studies in selected secondary schools in Jos East Local Government Area

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Ancestral worship is prevalent in many cultures around the world, making it difficult for Christian missionaries to establish new congregations in those nations. Ancestral worship can be defined as the practise of honouring or paying respect to deceased ancestors. Cultures and communities that have been influenced and formed by these traditions and rituals function according to a worldview that is not only distinct from that of the West but also, in many cases, distinct from the Christian worldview as a whole.

Ancestral cults run rampant among the people who live in the remote villages of Jos East because these people have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of fetish activities. In addition, the children are initiated into these ancestral cults from the very beginning of their lives. These ancestral cults are practised in an atmosphere that is hostile to the Christian religion. Even in the secondary schools, Christian Religious Studies is not encouraged because the majority of the students in the class were not raised in a Christian household. Because the students’ families follow a different religion than that which is taught in Christian Religious Studies, it is forbidden for them to put what they learn in that class into practise in their own homes.

Because of these circumstances, it is significantly more challenging for teachers of Christian Religious Studies to establish a firm foundation for Christianity in the lives of their students. This is a significant barrier to the teaching of Christian Religious Studies. There is no prior knowledge of Christianity on the part of the students, so the instructor is unable to lay a foundation for effective teaching and learning of the topic.

Because the student’s family does not practise this religion, it appears foreign to them because they have never experienced it there. The tales are not the same as the ones they hear about their ancestors when they are at home. As a consequence of these factors, the purpose of this research is to investigate whether or not ancestral cults act as a barrier to the teaching of Christian religious studies in a number of secondary schools located within the Jos East Local Government Area.

1.3. Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to examine ancestral cult as an impediment to the teaching of Christian religious studies in selected secondary schools in Jos East Local Government Area. The specific objective of this study are to:

1. measure the extent to which ancestral cult impedes teaching of Christian religious studies in secondary schools in Jos East.
2. determine the extent to which ancestral cult impedes learning of Christian religious studies in secondary schools in Jos East.
3. evaluate the ancestral cult activities that impedes teaching and learning of Christian Religious Studies in secondary schools in Jos East.
4. discuss measures that can be taken to overcome the impediments of ancestral cults on Christian religious studies in secondary schools in Jos East.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1. to what extent does ancestral cult impedes teaching of Christian religious studies in secondary schools in Jos East?
2. to what extent does ancestral cult impedes learning of Christian religious studies in secondary schools in Jos East.
3. what are the ancestral cult activities that impedes teaching and learning of Christian Religious Studies in secondary schools in Jos East?
4. what are the measures that can be taken to overcome the impediments of ancestral cults on Christian religious studies in secondary schools in Jos East?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

            The following null hypothesis were raised:

H₁: There is no significant relationship between ancestral cult and teaching of Christian religious studies in Jos East Local Government.

H₂: There is no significant relationship between ancestral cult and learning religious studies in Jos East Local Government.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The benefits of this study cannot be underemphasized. The study shall be of benefit to teachers, curriculum planners, school administrators, students, missionaries, government and future researchers.

The study will be of importance to teachers as they will get to understand the how ancestral cults serve as impediment to Christian Religious Studies. Therefore, they will structure learning experience to take care of these challenges.

The curriculum planners will benefit from this study because they will get to know how ancestral cults in Afizere land of Jos East impedes teaching and learning of Christian Religious Studies. Therefore, they will structure curriculum to train students from primary to secondary schools. This will enable to students to be well grounded in Christianity, since they are not taught at home.

The school administrators will also benefit from this study as they will see the dire need to increase the number of times Christian Religious Studies is taught in the schools in a week. This will help the teachers to have more time with the students in CRS.

The government will find this study useful because they will get to provide bibles and textbooks for effective teaching and learning of Christian Relgious Studies in secondary schools in Jos East.

The study will serve as pointer to missionaries who will see that there is work to be done by taking the gospel into deep villages of Jos East.

The study will be important to future researchers who may wish to confirm any finding in the same topic covering the Afizere people of Jos East. It will serve as a reference material and add to the already existing body of literature on Ancestral cult.

1.6 Scope of Study

The researcher is aware of other problem areas related to Christian Religious Studies in Jos East Local Government Area. However, for the purpose of this research, this study will cover ancestral cult as an impediment to the teaching of Christian religious studies. The study will be restricted to selected secondary schools in Jos East Local Government Area of Plateau State. Despite the fact that the study is restricted to the selected local government area, its findings will be generalized to other parts of the state and country as a whole.

It is worthy to note that this study is limited to Jos East Local Government Area as a result of financial resources, inadequate logistic and time constraints available or at the disposal of the researcher.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

1. Ancestral: Belonging to or inherited from an ancestors or ancestors.
2. Cult: Cult is defined as a system or group of people who practice excessive devotion to a figure, object, or belief. Merriam Webster dictionary define
3. Ancest: is a ritualistic system of veneration, honor and propitiation of spirit of the dead ancestors for the purpose of avoiding evil consequences and securing good fortune.
4. Impediment: The advance learner dictionary define impediment to something that delays or stop the progress of something.
5. Christian Religious Education: is defined as the process whereby Christian learning take place. It often involves teaching, which enable practicing Christian to adopt and depend their Christian belief, values and disposition to experience and act in a Christian way” it depends to a greater extent on this process as adopted and practiced in different churches.