CHALLENGES
OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
INTER-RELIGIOUS
DIALOGUE AS A TOOL FOR MISSION
CORNELIUS AFEBU OMONOKHUA
1. Introduction
If God
wanted a world with one language, one religion and one culture, it would have
been possible for him to do. Yet God loves unity in diversity hence the beauty
in variety that we sometimes experience. On May 23, 2012 I received this
message from Glo network number 4040: All the differences in this world are of
degree and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything. Every
human being believes in a divine transcendence. Many religions in the world
affirm a belief in one God even though the concept and mode of operation of the
transcendence may vary according to people’s orientation in life. It is obvious
that many people found themselves in the culture and religion that they confess
and profess the divine and reality. All these call for dialogue.
2. Religious
Pluralism
There are so many religions in the
world. Any attempt to list them all may be extremely difficult. Nevertheless we
may attempt the groupings of religion into Abrahamic, Indian, Iranian, East
Asian and Indigenous traditional religions. These religions believe in God but their
approach is not the same. We may not however go into an indebt study of these
religions as we do in comparative religions. It is enough that we know that
they exist.
- Abrahamic religions
1. Bábism
2. Bahá'í Faith
3. Christianity
4. Gnosticism
5. Islam
6. Judaism
9. Samaritanism
- Indian religions
1. Ayyavazhi
3. Buddhism
4. Din-i-Ilahi
5. Hinduism
6. Jainism
7. Sikhism
- Iranian religions
1. Manichaeism
2. Mazdakism
3. Mithraism
4. Yazdânism
1. Confucianism
2. Shinto
3. Taoism
4. Others
- Indigenous traditional religions
1. African
2. American
3. Eurasian
3. Hellenistic
There are classical world religions that are often described
for historical reasons but the "World's Major Religions" that are functionally-oriented,
yet still strongly classical are: [1]
1. Baha'i
2. Buddhism
3. Confucianism
4. Hinduism
5. Islam
6. Judaism
7. Orthodox
Eastern Church
8. Protestantism
9. Catholicism
10. Shinto
11. Taoism
2. Challenges
of Religious Pluralism.
All over the
world, there have been challenges of religious pluralism. For instance, in
India there is tension between adherents of Hindu, Buddha, Islam and Christian
religions. China and the Middle East have their stories to tell. Europe and
America is not even spared. We remember vividly the terrorist attack America in
September 11, 2001 (now popularly know as 9 / 11). As missionaries we may find
ourselves anywhere in the world where there is religious intolerance and
conflicts. However, I would like us to use the Nigeria experience as a case
study to learn how we may approach dialogue in conflicting areas. We can not exhaust
this topic in one presentation like this, therefore I will enjoin you to read
articles on dialogue by Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua in Sunday Trust, Observer,
Fountain magazine and the diocesan news papers. If you have no access to any of
this news papers, just “Google” Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua in your internet and
access all the articles. Because of the prevailing terrorism in Nigeria today,
we may be tempted to think that tension only exists between Christians and
Muslims. Tension also exists in other
parts of Nigeria between African Traditional religion and other religions.
Let us take
a brief look at the history of religious rivalry in Nigeria. We may begin this
enquiry from 1900-1915 when there was a rivalry between the Roman Catholic and
Protestant Missionaries in the Igbo South East of Nigeria.[2]
This is an indicator of conflict even within the same Christian religion. We
can also investigate the effect of the political, religious and economic strategy
of Lugard who divided the Niger area into North and South protectorates as one
of the roots of religious rivalry between the North and South of Nigeria.
“Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, (22
January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and
1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial
administrator, who was Governor of Hong Kong (1907–1912) and Governor-General
of Nigeria (1914–1919)”. [3]His
political strategy did not take cognisance of the cultural, ethnic and
religious differences in the different parts of Nigeria.
In 1912,
Lugard returned to Nigeria as Governor of the two protectorates. His main
mission was to complete the amalgamation into one colony. Although
controversial in Lagos, where it was opposed by a large section of the
political class and the media, the amalgamation did not arouse passion in the
rest of the country. From 1914 to 1919, Lugard was made Governor General of the
now combined Colony of Nigeria. Throughout his tenure, Lugard sought
strenuously to secure the amelioration of the condition of the native people. [4]
Part of
these conflicts has its ontology on the missionary methods that created
unhealthy rivalry between Christianity and African Traditional Religion. [5]
These same reasons are couched in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall apart”. One is tempted to think that conflicts and
violence are foreign vices that were imported to Nigeria. For instance, Othman
Dan Fodio’s method of evangelization through jihad to propagate Islam did not paint
the true picture of Islam that believes in persuasion. Although Nigeria had witnessed
religious intolerance in the past but since the phenomenon of the Islamic sect
popularly called Boko Haram in 2002, Nigeria has be counted as a terrorist country. Boko
Haram in Nigeria claims to have a link with the Osama Bin Laden Al Qadar group.
We can group the conflicts in Nigeria as follows: Christian /
ATR Conflicts; Christian / Muslim Conflicts and Political related Conflicts
2.1 Christian / ATR
Conflicts
Nigeria has
witnessed conflicts between the Christians and the adherents of the traditional
religions. This could be a conflict of the culture of Africa and the culture of
Europe that accompanied the gospel message of the missionaries. Let’s take a
look at the chronology of religious conflicts between Christianity and the
traditional religions in some parts of Nigeria.
1977-1980 The institution of “Okuku
Onye Uwa” connected with traditional belief in reincarnation led to the
conflict between the Christians and the Traditional worshippers in Awka. [6]
1989-1991 conflicts
between the Christians and the Traditional worshippers over the institution of
the traditional masquerade in Northern Igbo especially in Aku. Omaba, Akatakpa and Oliokpa masquerades generated conflict in Nsukka and its environ. [7]
1993 – 1996- Conflicts over traditional
burial rites and customs associated with them. This included not allowing a
woman to view the corpse of the late husband. [8]
1999 April 25 - Conflicts in Owerri
over the uprooting of Ikenga Statue by some Christian fanatics who replaced it
with a white cross. The Ofo na Ogu – symbols
of justice and innocence – mounted at Cherubim junction on Wethedral Road,
Owerri was demolished. [9]
2000 September– In Ogidi town, Idemili
Local Government of Anambra State, Christian youths who claimed that the root
cause of their stagnation in progress was the offensive deities and shrines in
the town went on rampage and destroyed many traditional shrines with their
valuable cultic sacred symbols and images. [10]
2002 February – Neke community in Enugu
State was in disarray over traditional worship and rites in a shrine alleged by
Christians to be consuming human victims as sacrifice. [11]
2.2 Christian / Muslim Conflicts
It is argued by some
people that there is no conflict between Islam and Christianity in Nigeria. But
some causes of violence and operations in the Northern part of Nigeria seem to
negate this position. Some Christians report the difficulty of acquiring land
to build Churches in the Northern part of Nigeria whereas the Christians in the
South not only give land but assist the Muslims to build their mosques. The
Muslims in the Southern part of Nigeria also give Christians land to build
Churches and even contribute to the development of the Church. We can highlight
the following as moments of conflicts between the Christians and Muslims.
1980
- 1984 Maitatsine
revolts in Kano, Bauchi, Katsina
1985
– 1986 – The Christian Cross standing to the east of the
newly built Muslim Mosque in the University of Ibadan became the bone of
contention between the Moslems and the Christians. [12]
1991
– Many Muslims and Christians died in
the Zango Kataf riot in Southern Kaduna.
2002
February - About 100 people were killed in
Lagos in the clashes between Hausas from mainly-Islamic north and ethnic
Yorubas from predominantly-Christian Southwest.
2002
November - More than 200 people died in four
days of rioting. This was caused by some Muslim fanatics over the planned Miss
World Beauty Pageant in Kaduna in December. The event was relocated to Britain.
2004
May - State of emergency was declared in the
Central Plateau State after more than 200 Muslims were killed in Yelwa. This
was as a result of an attack by some Christian militia. There were revenge
attacks launched by Muslim youths in Kano.
2006
February - More than 100 people were killed as
a result of religious violence in mainly-Muslim towns of the north and reprisal
attack in the southern city of Onitsha when the bodies of the Easterners killed
in the North reached Onitsha.
2009
July - Maiduguri police stations were stormed
by Boko Haram Hundreds died in North Eastern Nigeria after the Boko Haram
Islamist movement launched a campaign of violence in a bid to have Sharia law
imposed on the entire country. Security forces stormed Boko Haram's stronghold
and killed the movement's leader.
2010
January - About 149 people were killed during
the two days of violence between Christian and Muslim gangs in the central city
of Jos.
2010
March - More than 120 people were killed in
clashes between Muslims and Christians in the flashpoint city of Jos.
2010
December - Christmas Eve bomb attacks near
central city of Jos kill at least 80 people. Attacks claimed by Islamist sect
Boko Haram sparked clashes between Christians and Muslims. Some 200 killed in
reprisal attacks.
2.3 Political related
conflicts
It is
becoming obvious that a lot of the violence that are named religious conflicts
have political undertone. The following chronology is just an indication of how
some politicians use religion to cause violence and fuel their selfish
ambition.
2011 January 1- Bomb blast in Abacha Barrack in Abuja
2011 May – Post election violence in some states in the Northern
part of Nigeria
2011 June - Police Head quarter (HQ) bombed in Abuja
2011 August
- UN HQ bombed in Abuja
2011 September – Muslim
fanatics freed hundreds of prisoners
from Maiduguri jail
2011 November - Co-ordinated bomb and gun attacks in Yobe and Borno
States
2011
December 25- Multiple bomb
attacks on Christmas Day killing many people.
2012 March 11 – Bomb blast in St. Finbarr’s
Catholic Church killing about 8 people.
3. Dialogue
as a tool for Mission
The above chronology of conflicts and
violence has awakened the consciousness of many to the need of dialogue as a
lasting solution to violence. Some Muslims are feeling embarrassed that Islam
is now associated with violence and terrorism because of the violence of Boko
Haram who claim to be an Islamic sect. The international Communities are
becoming interested in assisting Nigeria to fight terrorism through dialogue.
In November 18-19, 2011, The UFUK Dialogue Foundation organized an
international conference at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja with the theme: Establishing
a Culture of Coexistence and Mutual Understanding. On March 3, 2012,
the Canadian Embassy called a meeting of a few scholars to a discussion on what
the Canadian Government can do to assist Nigeria in fighting terrorism. The
theme of the discussion was: Religious Freedom. On March 6, 2012
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom had a meeting at
the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja with some religious leaders on what America
government could do to help Nigeria achieve peaceful coexistence and promote
human dignity. The department of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic
Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) has created a forum for dialogue between Catholic
and Muslim Women. The department has also initiated dialogue between Catholic
and Muslim Youths. A lot of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are springing
up and seeking recognition by the department of Mission and Dialogue. Series of
attempts have been made by government to dialogue with the Boko Haram sects.
Within the context of the definition
of dialogue as a “conversation between two or more persons especially
of a formal or imaginary nature; an exchange of views in the hope of
ultimately reaching agreement;”[13] Dialogue has been
used in Nigeria to help people resolve long-standing conflicts and to build deeper
understanding of contentious issues.
Dialogue is not about judging, weighing, or making decisions, but about
understanding and learning. Dialogue dispels stereotypes, builds trust, and
enables people to be open to perspectives that are very different from their
own.[14]
Dialogue is one sure way to heal memories and wounded hearts.
In dialogue, understanding
is the key word. Nigerians have gone through many faces of violence, slavery
and colonialism to the extent that the value of trust has been replaced with
prejudice, preconception and mutual suspicions. These, call for education,
debriefing, healing of memory, mental reconstruction, reconciliation and
compassion. According to John Wesley: I have no more right to object to a
man for holding a different opinion from mine than
I have to differ with a man because he wears a wig and I wear my own hair. We
think and let’s think. In other
words while we think, we should let
others think their own way. According to T.R. Glover: Remember that
whatever your hand finds to do, someone thinks differently! According to Fethullah Gűlen:
In the modern world the only way to get others to accept your ideas is
by persuasion. He described those who resort to force as being intellectually
bankrupt; people will always demand freedom of choice in the way they run their
affairs and in their expression of their spiritual and religious values. [15]
For Godfrey I. Onah,
Inter-religious dialogue is first a dialogue between human beings before being
a dialogue between religions. It is an encounter between human beings in order
to share with one another, things that concern them intimately as human persons
in their relationship with God, with the world, and with one another. [16]
In spite of the present challenges in Nigeria, there are areas were
dialogue has worked in Nigeria. In the
aspect of Dialogue of Life, many Muslims, Christians and traditional
worshippers in Nigeria live in
the same family, attend the same school and work together in the same office
and other places of work. These are avenues and occasion for some Nigerians to share
life together in love and peaceful coexistence. In the Dialogue of Social
Engagements, Some people of different religions in Nigeria often meet in
different life situations, like ceremonies, trade and even join together to
fight injustice and diseases. This
collaboration between Christians and people of other religions have promoted
the integral development and liberation of people in some parts of Nigeria. In
Nigeria some Muslims and Christians have issued joint statements to condemn the
menace of Boko Haram and other forms of social ills. In the Dialogue of
Theological Exchange, scholars of different religions in Nigeria organize
seminars and workshops to discuss theological issues. In the Dialogue of
religious experience, people of different religions in Nigeria sometimes
use any given opportunity to share their religious experience and dreams. This
sharing of testimonies and narration of what God has done in their individual
life has led others to be converted interiorly. This was my personal experience
when I was in Fatima College, Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria when my friend through
my testimonies gave up hard drugs.
4 The Mandate of the
Church – Dialogue is not an Option
The
Catholic Church in the Second Vatican Council taught in Nostra aetate,
(Declaration
on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions) that “We cannot truly pray to God the Father of all if we treat any people
in other than brotherly fashion, for all men are created in God’s image” (n. 5) To promote the reconciliation
between man and God, Pope John Paul II called for the Day of Prayer
for Peace in Assisi on 27 October 1986. He convoked: “Day of Pardon
”in Rome on 12 March 2000. The day was described as the “purification
of memory”. Pope John Paul II said: “The
recognition of past wrongs serves to reawaken our consciences to the
compromises of the present, opening the way to conversion for everyone”.
Meetings in inter-religious dialogue do not of themselves remove the pains of
the past or present. For reconciliation we have to recognize that our
neighbours have been victims of our injustice, our anger, our exploitation. On
the 24th of January 2002
he called for another day of prayer for peace in Assisi. [17]
At the
beginning of his Pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI reminded believers in the
following words: “We are not some casual
and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of
God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.” [18]
And in his Message for
the World Day of Peace in 2007 he reiterated: “As one
created in the image of God, each individual human being has the dignity of a
person; he or she is not just something, but someone, capable of
self-knowledge, self-possession, free self-giving and entering into communion
with others.[19]
All this
affirms St. John in his first letter: “Whoever
says, ‘I am in the light’ while hating a brother or sister, is still in the
darkness” (1 John 2:9). Pope Benedict XVI appealed passionately at a
traditional Christian prayer that:
In the world
there is too much violence, too much injustice, and therefore
that this situation cannot be overcome except by countering it with more love, with more goodness. This ‘more’ comes from
God: it is his mercy which was made flesh in Jesus and which alone can ‘tip the
balance’ of the world from evil to good, starting with that small and decisive
“world” which is the human heart”[20].
The Pope has
said repeatedly that dialogue cannot be reduced to an optional extra. He wrote
in his message for
the XXth anniversary of the first Assisi Meeting in 1986…
Peace is not something only to be sought in halls of government, but also in
the halls of our synagogues, our churches, our mosques, our temples, our
pagodas, our gurudwaras, our atash berhrams, our schools, our
workplaces, our homes and most importantly in our hearts” [21]
The Church in Nigeria is not left out in the mission of dialogue with other
religions
5. Department of Mission and Dialogue, Catholic Secretariat of
Nigeria (CSN)
The creation
of the department of Mission and Dialogue in the Catholic Secretariat of
Nigeria is one of the responses of the Church in Nigeria to the mandate of the
Second Vatican Council. The department coordinates and facilitates activities
of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference in the area of mission animation and
formation of Nigerian Catholics. The department promotes ecumenical dialogue
within the Christian family and dialogue with other religious bodies. Thus the
department operates under the committees of Mission, Ecumenism, & Inter-
Religious Dialogue.
Mission Committee: Focuses on animation
of priests, religious and laity and on creating awareness for full
participation of the people of God in the universal mission of the Church. It
operates with a National missionary Council which draws its membership from the
clergy, Religious and laity. It coordinates the missionary activities of the
dioceses and religious congregations, especially in the area of the mission ad gentes sending out missionaries to
other dioceses and countries. It also collaborates with the Pontifical Mission
Societies (PMS) in line with the recommendations of “Cooperatio Missionalis” (Instructions of the Congregation for the
evangelization of peoples on Missionary Cooperation).
Committee on Ecumenism: Promotes
Christian unity at human, social, political and religious areas. It aims at
bringing the various Christian denominations in the country together to study
and understand each other better, work together in identifying areas of
agreement and deepening them, while seeking solutions to areas of disagreement.
Committee on Dialogue: The Committee
for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Department of Mission and Dialogue of the
Catholic Bishops Conference seeks to interact with other believers, especially
of the African Traditional Religion and the Islamic Religion. Attempts are made
to build bridges and to recognize and act as people who believe in the
supremacy of God, to cooperate in the promotion of the good of all in Nigeria,
and to cultivate the culture of respect for other people’s religion. The
Committee helps dioceses, parishes and Religious congregations in their own
efforts at dialogue with other religious bodies at the local level.
5.3 Efforts
of the Muslims in Nigeria
In Northern Nigeria, a lot of dialogue is going on between
Christians and Muslims. The following are key indicators: Meetings of the
Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria FOMWAN and the Women Wing of
the Christian Association of Nigeria WOWICAN and Meetings of the Christian and
Muslim youths. This dialogue has been beneficial to both religions. Things
would have been worst according to Archbishop John Onaiyekan who also refers to
similar international efforts like the famous letter on “A Common Word” by over 250
high level Muslim leaders from all over the world, the Christian-Muslim
dialogue initiatives from Saudi Arabia and
Jordan, the visit of the Saudi King to Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican, to
mention just a few examples. On April 28, 2004 AllAfrica.com posted a Daily Trust (Abuja)
article that reported that "Secretary General, Supreme Council for Islamic
Affairs, Dr. Lateef Adegbite and Kano State Governor Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau
have stressed the importance of dialogue in promoting peace and religious
harmony.[22]
The Nigeria
Inter Religious Council (NIREC) came into being after the dawn of democracy in
1999 to serve as a platform for high-level dialogue between the leaders of
Christians and Muslims in this country, thereby promoting public good. [23]
The major aim was to promote understanding, appreciation of one another and the
generation of mutual respect between Christians and Muslims. It is made up of
50 members, 25 Christians and 25 Muslims. The Council is co-chaired by the
Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for
Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), and President of the Christian Association of Nigeria
(CAN). The Catholic Church has five representatives in NIREC.
6. Conclusion
From the above exposition, we can conclude
that the recent terrorism in Nigeria is very new. No one would have ever
imagined that a Nigerian could take his life as a suicide bomber for whatever
reason. We can affirm that the recent disturbances in the country have deeper
motives than religion. Some politicians have vowed to make Nigeria ungovernable
if they did not win the elections. This modern trend of terror in Nigeria has a
lot of political implications. Christians, Muslims and the Traditional
adherents must therefore come together to pray and work against these enemies
of Nigeria. No religion preaches violence, has become a giggle in all the
channels of Nigeria television stations. Religion has been abused for selfish
reasons. We have no option but to continue the project of dialogue in the
spirit of Africae Munus with the following exhortation:
As many social movements indicate, peace in
Africa, as elsewhere, is conditioned by inter-religious relations. Hence it is
important for the Church to promote dialogue as a spiritual disposition, so
that believers may learn to work together, for example in associations for
justice and peace, in a spirit of trust and mutual help. Families must be
educated in attentive listening, fraternity and respect without fear of the
other. [24] One thing only is necessary (cf. Lk 10:42) and capable of quenching
every human person’s thirst for eternity and all humanity’s desire for unity:
love and contemplation of him before whom Saint Augustine cried out: “Eternal
Truth, true love, beloved eternity!”[25]
[1] New York: Prentice Hall,
1993; pg. 271
[2] A. Ekwunife, Historical Overview of Religious and
Inter-religious Conflicts in Nigeria –Management, Resolutions and Prevention in Hypolite A. Adigwe Ed, One God, Many Religions: Let us
talk. (Abuja, CSN & PMS, 2003) P. 15
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Lugard,_1st_Baron_Lugard
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Lugard,_1st_Baron_Lugard
[5] Cornelius A. Omonokhua, The
God of our Ancestors; (Benin City, Hexagon, 2005) Pp 25-26
[6] Ekwunife P. 23
[7] Ekwunife 23
[8] Ekwunife 23
[9] Ekwunife 23
[10] Ekwunife 23
[11] Ekwunife 23
[12] A. Ekwunife, Historical Overview of Religious and
Inter-religious Conflicts in Nigeria –Management, Resolutions and Prevention in Hypolite A. Adigwe Ed, One God, Many Religions: Let us
talk. (Abuja, CSN & PMS, 2003) P. 24 ; Daily Star, May 2, 1986:6; Tribune,
July 13, 1986, National Concord, July
25, 1986, The Statesman, July 1986:3
[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogue
[16] Godfrey I. Onah, Reflections on Dignitatis Humanae, 2-4, The
Anthropological Basis for Interreligious Dialogue in Chidi Denis Isizoh
(Ed.) Milestones in Inter-religious Dialogue. (Rome . Lagos, Ceedee
Publications, 2002) P. 84.
[17] Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Peace: a Single Goal and a Shared Intention,
(Vatican City 2002) Pp. 6-7
[18] Pope Benedict XVI, Homily of His
Holiness Benedict XVI at the Inaugural Mass at the beginning of his Pontificate
held at St. Peter’s Square on 24 April 2005.
[19] Pope Benedict XVI, World Day of
Peace 2007, n. 2.
[20] Benedict XVI, Angelus Reflection for Sunday,
18 February 2007.
[21] Pro Dialogo, 123, 2006/3, p. 322-323
[22] http://pluralism.org/news/view/7736
[23] http://allafrica.com/stories/200806230739.html
[24] Cf. ID, Encyclical letter Caritas
in Veritate (29 June 2009), 36: AAS
101 (2009), 672
[25] Confessions, VII, 10, 16:
PL 32, 742. Africa’s Commitment, Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortaion, Africae Munus of his Holiness Pope Benedict
XVI 88 (Nairobi, Paulines, 2011), P. 44
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