Trends in the religious beliefs of the Igbomina since the twentieth century (original) (raw)

Religion has always been an integral part of every human society. However, one of two things has happened to man‟s religion in any given situation: modification with adaptation or extinction. The first may be said to have been the fate of religion throughout the world, of any religion. There is no living religion that has not taken into itself elements from other religious cultures. This study examines trends in the religious beliefs among the Igbomina people over the years. Acknowledging the indispensability of religion like in any other human society as well as the God-factor phenomenon in all their multifarious activities, their traditional religious beliefs include: the existence of Supreme Deity associated with incomparable attributes; intermediaries; spirit world comprising of innumerable forces of both goodness and evil; moral order and the transient nature of the mundane world. Much later came Islam and Christianity, respectively, with "new" beliefs and teachings. ...