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BALANCING

RELIGION

AND REASON:

TISM
TRIO
A
A MEANS TO FOSTER PATRIOTISM
A MEANS T
A MEANS TO FOSTER PATRIOTISM
O F
OSTER P
AND UNDERSTANDING
AND UNDERSTANDING
ANDING
AND UNDER
ST
AMUTA PETER AGADA, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
INTRODUCTION paper sets to discuss the need of balancing Religion and
Reason to better Nigeria. This paper will consider Christianity
he continent of Africa is and Islamic Religions.
facing great emergence
Tof underdevelopment The Meaning of Religion and Reason
and Nigeria is not left out. This is
evident in her educational, Conceptualising ‘religion’ is elusive, as efforts to define religion
s o c i a l a n d e c o n o m i c suffer parochialism among various writers. Religion is simply a
deterioration. One of the causes belief system of a suzerainty relationship between perceived
of this underdevelopment is SUPREME BEING, God, and man, involving reverence, worship,
the inability to create a balance faith, trust and hope from the latter to the former. (Johnstone
between religion and reason. et al. 94).
Nigeria is highly religious.
According to the Pew Research Reason is the capacity of applying logic consciously by
Centre, as of 2015, the country is drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with
50 percent Muslim and 48.1 the aim of seeking the truth. Reasoning involves rational
p e rce n t C h ri s t i a n , w h i l e thinking and cognition using the intellect (Meynil 2).
approximately 2 percent
belong to the other or no Religious Challenges to National Development
religion. The proliferation of
C h u r c h e s d e s c r i b e s t h e Some of the Churches insist on the imminent coming of Jesus
m u l t i p l i ci ty o f C h ri s t i a n Christ to the point that members no longer see the need to go
denominations. It is a feature to school, since the coming of the Lord, what matters is for one
most notable in Nigerian to leave school, move about preaching the coming of the Lord.
Christianity. This connotes that This in turn creates more illiteracy and the problems
in terms of Prayers and worship associated with illiteracy. Economic activities have been
of the Supreme Being-God, stalled by those who claim that economy is worldly. What
Nigeria is in fact, second to matters is preaching the gospel. In commercial cities, many
none. This is indeed a thing of unguarded individuals have been deceived into accepting
joy that a nation such as Nigeria that hard work is not necessary for wealth. What matters is
has come to embrace God and prayer and dedication to reading of the Bible. As a result of this,
His works. It is worthy of note many able-bodied individuals who should have been gainfully
however that in this same employed spend time praying in the Church in total
religious Country (Nigeria), abandonment to the development of the economy.
there are so many shady Political development and scientific advancement have been
dealings that stunt the growth abandoned by those who have concluded that these are
of this nation and sadly enough, godless. When those who are supposed to develop the nation
religion also contributes to the see activities related to development as ungodly, their quota
stagnation in growth of this to the development of the nation is lost. This setback is caused
same religious country. It is as a result of the imbalance between Religion and Reason.
against this backdrop that this Religious extremism has great consequences on Nigerian