Población objetivo

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Northern part mainly indicate that religion cannot be ignored or wished away in the Nigerian political development.

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This assumption of a general and necessary religious decline turned out also to be a poor marketing strategy for the sociologist of religion. By predicting the demise of its object of study, it also attested to its own future irrelevance. Given these strong opinions about the role of religion in the modern world, hardly anybody was prepared for the dramatic resurgence of religion that happened since the late 1970s. just to remind you of some events:

-In 1979 we witnessed the Islamic Revolution in Ran and the war of the Islamic mujahidin against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

-In 1980, Ronald Reagan elected president of the United States with the support of politicized evangelical Christians, but also Catholics, Jews, and Mornons.

-In Israel religious nationalists challenged secular Zionism

-In Palestine the first Intifada shifted power from secular nationalists to Islamist groups

-In India Sikh separatists challenged the secular state; and after the violent conquest of the Golden temple in Amritsar, Sikh bodyguards assassinated Indira Gandhi. The 1980s also saw the rise of the Hindu-nationalist BJP party.

-In Poland Solidarnose with support from the Catholic Church challenged the Communist state.

These few examples should suffice to demonstrate that the resurgence of religion into politics was for real. Since the late 1970s, religion had re-emerged as a public force, as a marker of ethnic identities, as a shaper of modern subjects and their ways of life. This renewed political importance of religion turned out to be a global phenomenon, occurring in North America, the Middle East, Africa, South and East Asia, as well as Latin America and even Europe where Yugoslavia fell apart along religious lines. Religion has been identified as one of the forces behind several attacks in many Northern parts of Nigeria. However, government has made series of attempts to reduce religious conflicts in this country.

On one hand, legislation intended to protect national security threatens the religious liberty of some religious groups. On the other, lack of such legislation is an indication that people are legally free to practice their religion the consequence of which may cause violent religious attacks which threatens national security. However, virtually every religious tradition is permeated with certain fundamental values relating to peace, love, sacredness of human life and

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human security. For many religious scholars, the essence of religion is life and the law is love.

Unfortunately, these religious values have been displaced by modernism and its emphasis on secularization. The consequence is that the modern religious universe is being subordinated to partial group and individual values, instead of standing above them.

Recent violent attacks in the Northern parts of Nigeria have demonstrated not only the roles religion can play when religious divisions overlap with national and ethnic differences, but also how eager religious authorities are to exploit religion for political reasons. Religiously motivated political struggles in this country provide the foundation for religious terrorism to develop. In fact, new breed of terrorists have recently appeared: terrorists who are religiously motivated and kill in the name of God. In many cases, hope of a supernatural reward makes religious terrorists indifferent toward their own lives; they are prepared to die because they are persuaded God will reward their sacrifice with eternal life. This is quite contrary to what obtained in the past when religion had occasionally been a component of political, ethnic, or national secular terrorism.

It is based on this that Mayer explains that the most hideous form of violence, directed against defenseless people in Nigeria, is inextricably related to religion. This is evident in many violent attacks in the Northern parts of this country. Many scholars have debated whether religion is the true motivation for terrorism or whether it is a ploy for recruiting followers and a medium by which to amplify the impact of terrorist actions. For other scholars, religious violence can be attributed to modernism and its feature of secularization, which has led to a decline in religious values such as love, peace, concern for others and so on.

These events had a profound impact on the study of religion. Most important, it challenged conventional theories of secularization. After all the talk about the marginalization of religion, religions were calming again a place at the center. After all the emphasis on invisible, privatized religions, there were suddenly plenty of visible ones. After all the attention that had been paid to subjectivist forms of religion, to ―spirituality‖ or ―implicit‖ religion, there were rather explicit religions with strong ontological claims and political agendas. Contrary to expectations of secularization, religious movements challenged the secular state and social theorists had to cope with their cognitive dissonance.

177 3.8 Islam and the Secular World

It is generally believed in the Islamic society that secularization is bequeathed to the world by the Christian movements of the 18th century. This has somehow given a basis of rejection of the movement because an average Muslim would repudiate anything Christian. Until early 19th century, it is claimed that the entire Arab region was Islamic in norms, laws, values and traditions. Secularism is alien to Islam whose values provide guidance and direction for both spiritual and mundane affairs. To the conservative Muslim therefore secularism is a new cultural model being introduced quietly by enthusiasts and admirers of the West or imposed by the authorities of colonialism that are putting forward a new set of standards that are claimed to be alien to Islamic standards. Institute of Islamic Political Thought holds that the leaders of the Islamic trend believed that modernization and progress should be sought but without relinquishing the accomplishments of the Islamic civilization.

This position is stated in strong clear terms by the Arabic world and it is strengthened in the words of R. Ghannouchi, in paper presented at Pretoria University, South Africa, August 1994 titled ―al-harakah al-islamiyah wal-mujtama` al-madani‖ (The Islamic Movement and Civil Society) as follows: Arab secularism has been a declaration of war against Islam, a religion that, unlike any other, shapes and influences the lives of Muslims, a religion whose values and principles are aimed at liberating mankind, establishing justice and equality, encouraging research and innovation and guaranteeing the freedoms of thought, expression and worship.

Therefore, secularism is entirely unnecessary in the Muslim world; for Muslims can achieve progress and development without having to erect a wall between their religious values and their livelihood.

4.0 CONCLUSION

In this unit, you have studied the concept of secularization which is a very interesting concept. Secularization has been defined as an attempt to take God away from the world. The sources of secularism have been identified as the emergence of higher criticism, 18th century Darwinism, humanism, rationalism and the church herself. You have also seen the position that

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Islam has taken on the issue as well as the effects of secularization and what the response of the church should be to it.

5.0 SUMMARY

The following are the major points that you have learnt in this unit: Secularization has been defined as a way of life and thought that is pursued without reference to God or religion. The sources for secularism are: the emergence of higher criticism, 18th century Darwinism, humanism, rationalism and the church herself. Secularism is alien to Islam whose values provide guidance and direction for both spiritual and mundane affairs. To the conservative Muslim secularism is a new cultural model being introduced quietly by enthusiasts and admirers of the West. The effects of secularism includes: the quest for transcendence, the quest for significance and the quest for community. People of faith must struggle to see that the word of God remains a force to be reckoned with in the world.

6.0 TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENTS

1. What are the effects of secularism?

2. Discuss how religion should respond to the devastating effects of secularization.

3. What are the factors that prepare the way for secularism?

4. Evaluate the Islamic position on secularism.

7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS

Schaefer R. T. (2001) Sociology, seventh edition. New York: McGraw Hill Companies.

Schaefer R. T & Lamm R. P. (1997) Sociology: A Brief Introduction, New York: McGraw – Hill Companies.

Swatos Williams H. (1993) Gender and Religion, Brunkswick: N. J. Transaction.

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Mckee J. B. (1981) The Study of Society, New York: CBS College Publishing.

Peter Berger (1967) The Sacred Canopy: Elements of Sociological Theory of Religion, New York: Double Day Publishers.

Emile Durkheim (1948) The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York: The Free Press.

Bryan Wilson (1969) Religion in Secular-Society, Baltimore: Penguin Books.

James W and Vander Z (1990). The Social Experience: An Introduction to Sociology, New York:

McGraw-Hill Inc.

John Stott, (1992) The Contemporary Christian, Leicester: Inter Varsity Press.

D. W. Gill, Elwell (1985). Evangelical Dictionary, Leicester: Inter Varsity Press.

180 UNIT 6: THE FAMILY PATTERN

CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction 2.0 Objectives 3.0 Main Contents

3.1 The Family and its Concepts 3.2 Descent Patterns in the Family 3.3 Authority Patterns in the Family 3.4 Functions of the Family

3.5 Religion and Sex

3.6 Sexuality and Religious Discourse 3.7 Marriage and the Family

3.8 Mate Selection 3.9 Adoption

3.10 Types of Adoption 3.11 Divorce

3.12 Causes of Divorce

3.13 Religious Influence on Marriage and Family 4.0 Conclusion

5.0 Summary

6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignments 7.0 References/Further Readings

1.0 INTRODUCTION

In the last unit you have studies about human sexuality, sexual development at the various stages of childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The view of Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism about sex was also studied along the relationship between religious discourse and

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human sexuality. In this unit, you will focus your attention on the family pattern. You will look at the composition of the family unit, the various types of family, the descent pattern as well as the authority pattern in the family. Finally, you will examine the religious prescriptions and sanctions on the family.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit you should be able to:

 Define the family

 Discuss the types of family that exists

 Discuss the functions of a family unit

 Evaluate the authority patterns in the family

 Explain the various religious prescriptions on the family

3.0 MAIN CONTENTS