WORLD RELIGIONS

(COMPARATIVE RELIGION)

Religion is one practice that is impossible to separate humanity from.

Wherever man is found there is a form of devotion to something and it is
virtually impossible for anyone to say that he does not want to be religious. If
he does, he will end up been religious, his religion will be uniquely his with
him being the only devotee. Even those that claim to be Atheists have what
they give devotion to. Religion has been defined by many people in different
ways. They define it in the manner in which they see it.

Below are some definitions of religion:

Religion is a belief in the existence of a Supernatural ruling power, the

Creator or Controller of the universe who has given to man a spiritual nature
which continues to exist after the death of the body.

Religion is belief in and worship of a Superhuman controlling power,

especially a personal God or gods

Religion is a set of beliefs, feelings, dogmas and practices that define the
relations between human being and sacred or divinity.

In the opinion of this writer religion can be defined as man's attempt to

relate with powers that controls the universe through worship and adoration
following some rules that are stipulated in some holy writ or handed down
through oral tradition.

Every given religion is identified by its community of believers, dogmas,

sacred books, rites, worship, sacraments, and moral prescription.

Religion and Philosophy have some things in common. Both Religion and
Philosophy seek to find answers to life's greatest questions of: who am I?
Why am I here? Where am I from? Where do I go from here? However, while
religion look to a Supreme Being or some powers beyond man for answers to
life greatest questions, philosophy looks to reasoning.

Both religion and philosophy emphasis knowledge and learning, but religion
hangs so much to faith while philosophy will only accept anything after there
is a proof arrived at through some systematic investigation. On this note
science is similar to philosophy because it depends on experimentation,
waiting for observation before coming to any conclusion after going through
a systematic process of investigation of any matter.

As at today religion is one of the greatest controlling force on earth.

Everyone on earth belong to one religion or the other hence the power of
religion on mankind is enormous. Many people have exploited this power
over the years to do so many things both positive and negative. Because of
the troubles, crisis and wars that have been caused by religion or that have
religious undertone, many have questioned the relevance of religion to
humanity. However, the truth remains that man cannot but be religious.

In this study, the world religions except Christianity will be considered. These
are: Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Though Judaism does not have the
status of world religion it will be considered along with these religions
because two major world religions originate from it. African Traditional
Religion (ATR) is also assuming a dimension that must no longer be ignored,
hence it will be considered along with these world religions. It is gradually
becoming an elitist religion with high profile adherents; people who are well
read in the African society are beginning to join the religion.

HINDUISM

Hinduism is the major religion of India. The population of its adherents is

about one Billion people. There is no known founder for this religion. "There
is no single founder of Hinduism as it was not founded as a religion. It was a
culture basically flourishing in India, which later took the form of a great
religion" (www.hinduismfacts.org 28/09/2015). "Hinduism cannot be

described as an organized religion. It was not founded by any individual"

(www.hinduism.co.za/founder.htm - 28/09/2015).

Hinduism began as a tradition long ago. Indian tradition has it that it was
founder by God and that it started around 3,000 B.C. The religion is so
diverse that some sects look completely different from the others and could
be thought to be another religion altogether. This religion is one of the pre-
historic religions; hence it is divided into different periods. There is the pre-
Vedic era (before the Vedas were written), the Vedic era and the post
Christianity era. The religion went through several changes in these various
periods.

In Hinduism there are several gods worshiped by the adherents, there are as
many as 360 million gods. However, one thing that is fundamental about all
the sects is that they believe in the trimutive gods. These are:

i. Brahma the creator,

ii. Vishnu the preserver
iii. Shiva the destroyer.

Generally they all worship the ten incarnation of Vishnu.

1. Fish-Matsya

2. Tortoise-Kuma

3. Boar-Varaha
4. Giant-Man Lion – Narashima

5. The Dwarf – Vamana

6. Rama with the axe – Parasurama

7. Sri Rama – Lord Rama

8. Sri Krishna – Lord Krishna

9. Buddha – Siddhartha

10. Kalki – A man riding a white horse with a drawn flaming sword

THE SACRED BOOKS

The sacred books of this religion are classified into two major groups; they
are:

1. The Sruti – which means the revealed

2. The smriti meaning the remembered.

There is no record to show that this religion has any sacred book until the
Bible was written. What the adherents of the religion were

doing before was to pass the teachings of the religion from generation to
generation through oral tradition until the emergence of the Vedas. T be
Vedas being the first set of books written in this religion came up after the
Old Testament Bible.

The Sruti are generally believed to have been divinely revealed, they include
the following:

1. Vedas

a. Rig Veda

b. Sama Veda

c. Yajur Veda

d. Arthava Veda

2. Brahmanas

3. Upanishads

The smriti are thought to have been composed by human authors and they
include:

1. Manu Smriti, very you

Smriti, “which scis out Hindu religious and social laws, in addition to
explaining the basis of the caste system” (Mankind Search for God 1990,
105)

1. Manu Smriti

2. The Epics

3. The Puranas

THE CASTE SYSTEM

The Hindus believe in the tradition that the first man the Creator created was
Manu and that every other person was created from the various parts of
Manu. They hold that the Brahmins (Priests) are the highest on the caste and
that they were created from the head of Manu, the Kshatriyas (the rulers and
the noble men) are the next on the caste and that they were created from
the chest of Manu. The next group on the caste is the Vaisyas (the
Merchants, artisans and Professionals) they are thought to have come from
the waist and legs of Manu, while the fourth group are the Sudras (Labour
and the down trodden) who are from the feet of Manu. This is the lowest of
the four castes. There are more other caste but these are the basic strata.

The Hindu society is highly stratified, though the caste system has been
proscribed by the government, the vestiges of it still remains in the Indian
society and it determine so many things that happen among them.

Some Key beliefs of Hinduism

1. Ahimsa – this is the belief in non-violence, it involves not hurting or killing

any living thing. This is the reason why most Hindu worshipers are
vegetarians. Some even go as far as wearing mouth piece to prevent insect
entering their mouth and getting killed.

2. Samsara – this refers to the doctrine of transmigration a belief that when

a man comes into the earth he continues in a cycle of rebirth. They teach
that when an individual returns to the earth he comes to correct any wrong
he has done in his earlier incarnation. As such if he did well he stands a
chance of been freed from the circle of rebirth. however, if he did not do well
he may come back in a lower caste.

3. Moksha or Mukti – this is the end of the cycle of rebirth, where an

individual is freed from the cycle of rebirth and enters into a state of blissful
peace called Nirvana. The individual is thrown off the wheel of life and will
continue in eternity happily after.

4. The Wheel of life – this describes the cycle that the soul goes through in
the course of rebirths. The individual is born into the world, he lives his life to
maturity storing for himself credits that will determine his fate after death.
When he dies he returns to the spirit realm and prepares to come back if he
is not free yet from the wheel.

PHILOSOPHY OF SALVATION

Salvation in Hinduism is seen as the freedom from the cycle (wheel) of life
and entering into the state of blissful peace (Nirvana). In Hinduism there are
four different ways of achieving this.

1. Karma Yoga

This is the way of salvation through some actions or performing some

religious practices. This involves carrying out certain religious

ceremonies, duties and rites. These requirements differ from one caste to the
other. The objective is to perform some works without regard for personal
gains.

2. Jnana Yoga

This is also known as "The Way of Knowledge." This requires use of the mind
and philosophy to come to a complete comprehension of the universe. It also
involves introspective yoga and withdrawal from the world and the practice
of austerities. It is the expression of self control and self denial.

3. Bhakti Yoga

This refers to the way of salvation through devotion. Salvation is reached

through acts of worship, based upon the love for God. This path is easier and
more spontaneous, and may be followed by persons of any caste, sex or age.
It means emotional attachment of individual worshipper to his personal god.

4. Raja Yoga

The way of salvation through physical exercises. This way involves the use of
meditation and yoga techniques. This method of reaching salvation is
typically used among only wondering monks. This way requires special
postures methods of breathing and rhythmical repetition of the proper
thought formulas.

The Hindu worshippers have a pantheon of gods; they revere the River
Ganges to which they come for pilgrimage on an annual basis. They believe
that once they wash in the river they have their sins washed away and they
receive spiritual renewal. The cow is highly respected in this religion; they
refer to the cow as their mother.

EVALUATION OF THE RELIGION

1. Modern day Hindu theologians tend to teach that Hinduism is
monotheistic. They claim that the Trimutive gods are one just like the

Trinity of the Christian Religion. However, this cannot be acceptable, since

the trimutive gods are worship individually and they have so many other
gods that they pay homage to. The Bible says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our
God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you
today are to be upon your hearts” (Deut. 6:4–7 NIV ) .

2. The teaching on samsara the doctrine of transmigration is not Biblical. The

Bible says, “And by God’s law death comes to men once, and after that they
are judged; so Christ, having at His first coming taken on Himself the sins of
men, will be seen a second time without sin, by those who are waiting for
Him, for their salvation (Heb. 9:27-28 NEB). This doctrine is part of Satan’s
ploy to keep people in deception that they will have another chance. It is
interesting that this belief permeates so many religions and traditions in the
world.

3. The way to salvation as taught in this religion is by works and by following

some moral codes. The Bible says, “Because by grace you have salvation
through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is given by God: not of works, so
that no man may take glory to himself” (Eph. 2:8-9NEB )

4. The caste system is not a humane system of belief. Whatever system that
discriminates among humanity on the bases of their birth is not godly and is
against the fundamental human right of equality of human beings
irrespective of colour, race, gender or place of birth.

REACHING THE ADHERENT OF THIS RELIGION

In this pragmatic age everyone is looking out for what works. To touch the
people in this religion there is need for conscientious prayers to break the
stronghold that has been built into their hearts. Like any other religion there
are strong demonic influences behind this religion and the yoke must be
broken to set those under its influence free.

1. Power evangelism is required here. They have seen things happening that
are supernatural; hence they need to see greater power in display that will
prove the supremacy of Christ.

2. The problem of sin and the sin nature is one common thing with all
humanity, this is also another link that could be used to reach them.
3. There are stories in this religion that can be used as a link to begin a
discussion. Such stories as the flood story is a universal one and the story of
creation.

4. Give the Hindu worshipper a New Testament Bible and follow him up to
ensure he reads it if he accepts it.

BUDDHISM

This religion began as a sect in Hinduism but took it’s own shape and form
which is different.

Buddhism traces its origin to India on the sixth century BCE and the
experiences of the man, Siddhartha Gautama, through which he became
known as the Buddha, The Awakened One. The events of his life the basic
inspiration upon which all Buddhist communities have been built (Handbook
of Religious Practice).

Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family about 560 B.C. His father's
name was King Suddhodana and his mother's name was Queen Maha Maya.
Buddhist tradition has it that before he was born his mother had a dream
where she was carried to the Himalayas and was bathed to purify and
remove every human stain from her. Then a white elephant came and went
round her for some time and eventually entered into her womb and she
became pregnant. When she narrated what she saw in her dream to the
king, he invited his wise men who informed him that he was going to have a
male child. They added that the child will become a king if he remains in the
palace, but will become a Buddha (a lord) if he leaves the house. The story
has it that he remain in the palace for twenty nine years without really
knowing what happens around him. He got married to his cousin at age
sixteen and at age twenty nine his son Rahula was born, this marked a
turning point in his life. He discovered that life was full of suffering, disease
and problems.

In search of the solution to these, he left the palace; put on the garment of
an ascetic and went away. After a process of self mortification, he was said to
experience a release and he entered Nirvana (State of blissful peace) even
without dying.

He became a teacher and went about spreading his new religion. The religion
got more acceptance outside India than it did at home. As at today there are
about 530 million adherents of the religion all over the world.

BUDDHISM SACRED SCRIPTURES

The scriptures are called the “Tripitaka” which means the three baskets.
They are:
 1. Vinaya Pitaka is the basket of discipline dealing with mainly rules and
regulations for monks and nuns.
2. Sutta Pitaka is the basket of discourses containing the sermons,
parables, and proverbs delivered by the Buddha and his leading
disciples.

The last basket is

3. Abhidhama Pitaka (the basket of ultimate doctrine); this is called the

Buddhist theology. It contains commentaries on Buddhist doctrines.

The fundamental teaching of Buddha is contained in what he called the

“Noble Truth” and the “Eight Fold Path.”

THE NOBLE TRUTH

1. Existence (Life) is characterized by suffering; suffering is universal.

2. Suffering is cause by attachment, cravings and clinging to things and
ideas that are inherently impermanent and limited.

3. We can work towards the alleviation of suffering by reducing our

attachment to things and ideas.

4. We become less attached to things and ideas through diligent practice of

the Eightfold Path.

Suffering in the context of the Buddhist belief is not the same as pain,
sorrow, loss or anything that is usually thought of as suffering. It refers
instead to the discontent felt by people when they experience pain, sorrow,

loss and so on. “Things rarely are exactly to our liking, and when they are
they do not stay that way, since everything is impermanent” (Handbook of
Religious Practice).

THE EIGHT FOLD PATH

The Buddha taught his followers that the best way to live is to observe the
eight fold path. According to him this eight fold path is the only way to be
free from suffering. They are as follows:

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

The Buddha did not teach his followers about any specific God, he only
emphasized the unity with one's atman (a person's permanent inner nature).
He freed the people from the endless chain of gods and goddesses that are
to be worshiped in Hinduism but however, did not remove such doctrine as
samsara, the wheel of life and salvation by self or human effort. Buddhism
chooses the middle point view of life; the Buddha does not take to any
extreme.

There are three major schools of thought in Buddhism. They are as follows:

1. Theravada – popularly called the lesser vehicle

This school of Buddhism is sometimes called the way of the elders. It is a

way that is not that popular with the people because of the strict rules that
must be complied with. Theravada Buddhism is the only surviving sect of the
early Buddhism practice. They uphold very strict rules and regulations and as
such have less membership as compared to the Mahayana. Their teachings
are drawn from the Tripitaka, or the Pali canon, which Buddhist scholars claim
to contain the earliest surviving record of Buddha's teachings. This sect is
commonly found in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Sri-Lanka. The teaching of
the Buddha according to the Theravada school of Buddhism are that they
should abstain from all kinds of evil, to accumulate all that is good, abstain
from false speech, avoid sexual misconduct, and purify their mind. This
according to them is possible through three trainings:

1. The development of ethical conduct,

2. Meditation and

3. Insight – wisdom.

Though these precepts are required to be observed they are not like the
Christian commandment which when broken has consequences attached.

2. Mahayana – this is called the greater vehicle.

This sect of Buddhism has more followership than the Theravada. This
branch of Buddhism originated from India and spread northward to China,
Japan, Korea, Vietnam etc. While Theravada emphasizes strict compliance
with some religious practices and see religion as what must be practiced on
full time basis, the Mahayana sect speak more of grace. It is much easier for
the people to follow, which is why they have more following than the
Theravada. They teach that the path to enlightenment (Nirvana) should be
open to all people rather than only monks. They rather become bodhisattvas,
the enlightened saint than arhats. They prefer to delay their nirvana in order
to help others. They accept later scriptures that the Theravada does not
accept.

3. Vajrayana.

This branch of Buddhism is an offshoot of the Mahayana and grew out of

India spreading to Tibet, China, and Japan etc. This sect believes and
incorporates several ritual practices into their religious devotion.

There are other sects that have grown out of these major sects, like Zen
Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism, and Nichren Buddhism etc.

SOME RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

Buddhism freed the people from the worship of several gods and some strict
rules of Hinduism, but still held onto some of their beliefs such as samsara,
nirvana etc. They see salvation in the same light as Hinduism

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where one needs to be free from the wheel of life. Buddha summarized life in
his four noble truths and taught his disciples that the way out of suffering is
to follow the eightfold path. The religion also emphasizes the golden rule (Do
unto other as you want them to do to you).

EVALUATION OF THE RELIGION

1. The teaching on the doctrine of Samsara (transmigration) is not godly. It is

a wise device by the Devil to keep people in bondage thinking that they can
have another chance if they waste this life. The Bible clearly states, “And
inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die after this comes judgment...”
(Heb. 9:27 -28 NASB). There is no other chance after this life, hence the need
to make the best use of this opportunity.

2. Like most other religions, Buddhism also emphasizes salvation through

human effort. This also is a false hope for humanity. “All of us have become
like one who is unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all
shrivel up like a leaf, and like wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6 NIV).
No human righteousness can please God.

3. There is no clear teaching on God in this religion, emphasis is on

developing oneself It is obvious from the Bible that there is nothing good that
can come from self, it is not the reformation of the old sinful nature (self)
that man requires but a new heart altogether. The Bible says, “I will give you
a new heart and put a new spirit in you, I will remove from you your heart of
stone and give you a new heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and
move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel
36:26 NIV).

REACHING OUT TO THE ADHERENTS OF THIS RELIGION

This religion is reputed for several things supernatural such as speaking with
strange languages that were not learnt like tongue speaking in Christianity.
Sometimes their priest, monks or nun prophecies and the

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prophecies come to pass. If Christianity must make impact on these people it

must show the people the superior God who is the King of kings and the Lord
of lords.

1. Power evangelism is needed here because they will need to see signs and
wonders to believe.

2. The teaching of Buddha is also a good ground for starting a discussion

with them. For instance, the Four Noble Truth and the Eightfold Pathway are
good platform to lash on to preach to them. Tell your friend that Buddhist
moral teachings such as the Noble truth and Eightfold Path are
commendable, but explain that no one can avoid doing wrong. Explain the
biblical concept of sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
(Rom. 3:23 NIV).

3. They believe in life after death this also could be a platform for reaching
out to them.

4. The frustration of many who want to please the Creator and are not
making tangible progress is also another opportunity to call them to look in
the direction of Christianity.

5. The Buddhist should be told that Buddha taught many commendable

things. However, he should be shown that Jesus is the unique incarnation of
God. His sinless life, death on the cross as the or atonement for sin, and
bodily resurrection should be emphasized.

6. If he is willing to receive the Bible, he should be given the New Testament

in his language. He should be followed up to ensure he reads it.

JUDAISM

This religion does not command the kind of followership that the other day
world religions command and its spread is limited. However, this religion is
the root of two major world religions. Both Christianity and Islam have their
roots in Judaism and as such is worthy of studying along with other world
religions. It is the first and the oldest monotheistic religion.

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The religion was believed to have been founded by Abraham who once lived
in a place called Mesopotamia (the Fertile Crescent) around 2000 B.C. He
and his family were idol worshippers (Josh. 24: 2) before he had a strange
encounter with the living God. The Lord appeared to him in a dream and
spoke to him. He accepted the Lord and began a relationship with Him.
Abraham's experience was of course strange to those living around him
because he was the only one they know who was serving the unseen God.
God asked him to leave his land of heritage to go to a place that he will
eventually have as his own and that will be his in perpetuity (Gen. 12:1-5).

The religion has gone through several changes and modifications as the
dealing of God with His people keeps making progress. Abraham settled in
the Promised Land which is the same place occupied by present day Israel
(the name given by God to Abraham's grandson Jacob). Abraham became
known as the Hebrew which meaning, “the man who crossed over,” having
crossed over the river Euphrates to get to the Promised Land. The people
continued in the land over a period of time. They co-existed with the
Canaanites a wicked and warlike people. When faced with famine they
moved to Egypt where Joseph the son of Jacob has become the Prime
Minister. The descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob grew from
just a little family to a nation in the land of Egypt. They lived here for about
four hundred and thirty years. In the days when Joseph was on the throne
they were highly respected and revered. Their position degenerated from
that of royal princes and princesses to that of slaves after the death of
Joseph. Consequently, God raised Moses a man who was born in the midst of
crisis and brought up by divine providence partly by his mother but as a
surrogated mother for the princess of Egypt. He was trained in the palace of
Pharaoh as a prince of Egypt. He eventually became God's instrument to
lead Israel out of slavery to the Promised Land. This journey he began he
could not conclude. His position was taken over by Joshua who was his
disciple.

In the days of Abraham, he began by building altars whenever he had any

dealings with God that is outstanding as a memorial. He recognized that

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God is Omnipresent and could be worshiped anywhere. He served God by

offering sacrifices to Him. He held unto God's promise and walked with Him
all the days of his life.

Isaac, Jacob and all the patriarchs served the Lord the way Abraham did.
However, after the liberation from Egypt God introduced the law to them
upon their request in the desert. They built the Tabernacle for the worship of
God and a place of meeting with the Lord. The tabernacle was a mobile place
of worship, when they got to the Promised Land they had a temporary place
of worship until the Temple was built by Solomon.

SACRED BOOKS

The major source of authority in this religion is the TaNaKh. This is the
abbreviation for Torah, Navi'im and the Kethuvim. 1. The Torah is the five
books of Moses. Sometimes the name is used to refer to the Jewish Bible as a
whole as well as the oral Law the Talmud.

2. The Navi’im – the Prophets, this covers from the book of Joshua through
to the Major Prophets excluding the book of Daniel and the Minor Prophets
(Hosea to Malachi).

3. The Kethuvim – the writings, this consist of the poetic books, i.e. Job,
Psalm, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs and Lamentations. This also
include Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah and first and second Chronicles.

Another source of authority in this religion is the Talmud. The Orthodox Jews
do not only believe that God gave the law to Moses, they also believe that
Moses received the unwritten or the oral law which is the explanation of how
to carry to out the law. They believe that this was passed on for generations
orally, but were compiled with commentaries and explanations by Rabbis
from the second century A.D. The Talmud is divided into two:

1. The Mishnah – This a collection of commentaries supplementing

scriptural Law, based on the explanation of some of their early teachers. It
was put in written form in the late second and third centuries A.D.

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2. The Gemara – This is a collection of commentaries on the Mishnal, by

Rabbis between the third and sixth centuries A.D.

BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

At the heart of Judaism is the “Shema” , “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God,
the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your might” (Deut. 6:4, 5 NASB).

The Jewish believers believe there is only one God who created the universe
with whom every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship The
Jews' relationship with God is a covenant relationship. In exchange for the
many good deeds that God has done and continue to do for the Jewish
people, they keep God's law and seek to bring holiness into every aspect of
their lives. The Jewish religion sees sin as an act and not a state, as such
they reject the teaching that man has a depraved human nature that makes
it impossible for him to please God no matter how he tries. They believe that
man can live by observing the law. The Rabbis broke the law into 613
precepts – 365 negative precepts and 248 positive precepts. By their view of
sin they have removed the need for a Saviour. Many of them are not looking
forward to the coming of the Messiah; those who do are only expecting a
personality who will be a political leader or a social deliverer and not a
Saviour from Sin.
Traditionally, Jewish life is guided by the 613 Godly commandments derived
from Torah. The Talmud (based on oral Torah), and the Code of Jewish Law
("Shulchan Aruch"), arranged rabbinic (i.e. scholarly) commentary on
religious law, are highly specific about individual and community conduct
(Handbook of Religious Beliefs and Practices). Though all the Jews generally
believe in what were mentioned above, some depending on their sect have
some other additional things they believe in. Hence salvation in Judaism is
seen in terms of just following the laws and practicing all that the religion
stipulates.

In the days of Jesus the most committed group in Judaism were the Pharisees
and the Scribes. The Scribes who were responsible for the copying of the
scripture for the people were also part of the Pharisee sect. Even Christianity
started as a sect of Judaism. They continued to use the temple with the main
line Judaizers until they

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were virtually chased out the temple. Below are the most prominent sects of
Judaism in the time of Christ on Earth:

The Pharisees

The Pharisees in the New Testament times were deeply committed to moral
behaviour and a scholarly approach to the scriptures. Thy rigidly adhere to
the Mosaic Laws. They developed an oral form of the Torah because some of
the Laws are vague. They believe in literal afterlife and the bodily
resurrection of the dead. Most of the present day sects grew out the Pharisee
sects. Jesus openly criticized them for their legalistic practices and their
deliberate twist of the scripture. He also rebuked them for exalting their
traditions above the Law of God. Though Jesus had very harsh words for this
sect, they were not all bad as Christianity owe a lot to this group. They were
very serious with religion though some of them were hypocrites. They are
known as the Synagogue's Party. They continued to exist after the
destruction of the temple

The Sadducees

The Sadducees were quite different from the Pharisees. They do not believe
in the literal afterlife or in bodily resurrection of the dead. They do not
believe in the existence of angels nor demons. This sect was a very liberal
group and is made up of the elites in the society. They were more interested
in politics and were the group that cooperated mostly with the Romans. They
do not hold rigidly to the Old Testament laws as the Pharisees. They were
known as the temple party and the high priests were appointed from among
them.

This group disappeared after the destruction of the Temple in A D. 70.

The Essenes

The Essenes were a monastic group. They felt that God is calling them to
isolate themselves from the society in preparation for the end of the world.
They were seen as a "doom's day sect." They hold that God wants them to
remain passive and wait patiently for the end of time. It is to the credit of this
sect that the Dead Sea scrolls were preserved. The Dead Sea scroll is one
document that has helped to prove the authenticity of the Old

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Testament Books. They are the oldest manuscripts of the Old Testament ever
found till date. They were older than the previous ones known.

The Zealots

The Zealots were the smallest of the four sects. They believed also in the
doom's day, but unlike the Essene they believe that their activities will
hasten the coming of the end. They engage in violent acts against the
Roman government and inciting others to revolt against them. They believed
in most of what the Pharisees stand for, except that they also believed that
to achieve their goal they needed the use some measure of violence against
the Roman government.

The sects mentioned above no longer exist today but some of their beliefs
and practices are still being upheld by the modern sects existing. There are
about four major sects existing today. These are:

1. The Orthodox Judaism

This group is the strictest among the four. They believe that the Torah was
divinely revealed by God and in addition to that they believe that God also
gave them His verbal instruction which is today compiled in the Talmud. They
hold unto the Halachah which is the legal aspect of Judaism. Orthodox
Judaism, places the greatest and strictest demands on its adherents in its
concern for preserving religious belief and observing strict religious codes of
behaviour. "Hassidim", also seen as "Ultra Orthodox Jews", are considered
the most pious of Orthodox Jews.

2. The Conservative Judaism

This sect began in 1845 in Germany. It began as an off-shoot of the Reform

Judaism which was felt to have given away too much of the Jewish tradition
of the religion. As its name implies this sect came in to conserve some of the
culture and the tradition of the Jews that is associated with the religion. They
do not accept that the oral law was received by Moses from God, but believe
that it was the invention of the Rabbis who intend to make the religion
conform to modern times.

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Hebrew and English languages are used in their liturgy and maintain strict
dietary laws (kashruth). Men and women are allowed to stay in the same
place and even sit together during worship; this is contrary to what the
Orthodox do.

3. The Reform Judaism

This sect is also called the Liberal or the Progressive Judaism. The sect
emerged in Germany in the nineteenth century. It is based on the teaching of
an eighteenth century Jewish scholar called Moses Mendelssohn, who holds
that the Jewish people should be assimilated into the societies where they
found themselves and that they should imbibe the European culture. They
deny the Torah as divinely revealed and do not accept that there was any
oral law. The scriptures, according to this sect are developed by human
beings and are subject to error and manipulation in the course of
interpretation. The teaching on eschatology is not accepted among this sect
and they do not believe in a personal messiah. They do not believe in the
rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. They see the dispersion of the Jewish
people among nations as a messianic move by God to spread His knowledge
among those nations. They regarded the strict dietary laws and dressing as
obsolete, and see separation for worship along gender lines as irrelevant.

4. Reconstructionism

This is the latest of all the sects in Judaism. They reject the assertion that the
Torah was given to Moses on Mount Sinai, views Judaism as a continual
process of evolution. They believe the inherited Jewish beliefs and tradition
should be made in such a way that it fit into the needs of this modern world.
Animal sacrifices have been stopped since the destruction of the Temple in
AD 70. Today animal sacrifices have been replaced with prayers and other
good deed. In a typical service in the Synagogue the service consist of
prayers, reading of the Torah and singing of praise to God. The prayer is
generally built around the shema. When the Torah is to be read it is first

19

taken in procession round the congregation and everyone touches it with the
finger or a prayer book and then kiss what they use to touch it.

Salvation for the Jewish people is always seen in terms of the whole
community together. When they were under the Roman dominance they see
salvation as the freedom from the rule of the Romans. The religion does not
emphasis much on life after death except that it teaches about resurrection.

Some Feast of Yahweh

There are seven important feasts in this religion; they mark some significant
events in the life of the children of Israel. These feasts are called the feast of
Yahweh. They are as follows:
1. The Great Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

This is referred to as the Great Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) which is

considered to be the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. The people
spend the day fasting and praying. They wear white garments, they will hold
a special fifth a worship services on this day, and it concludes with the
Shofar, a special trumpet being blown. The high priest goes into the Holy of
Holies on this day to make the holiest of all sacrifice a on behalf of the whole
nation. The whole congregation of Israel will remain in a solemn mood until
the high priest comes out of the temple. A chain is attached to the ankle of
the High Priest as he goes into the holy of holies. This is done because they
know that God is of the strictest perfection and that the High Priest may not
come out alive if anything goes wrong. In case he dies in the holy of holies
the chain tied to his ankle will be used to pull his corpse out for burial. The
whole congregation keeps waiting until he comes out of the Holy of Holies
after completing the sacrifices.

2. The Feast of Passover (Pesach)

The Passover was instituted by God in Egypt to marking the end of Israelites'
stay in bondage. They were to take a lamb of not more than a year old,
slaughter and apply the blood on the lintel of their houses and on

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the door post. The meat must be eaten roasted. They were to eat the
Passover with unleavened bread; it must also be eaten along with bitter
herbs. This became an ordinance in the land of Israel that must be observed
annually. "The Passover is the most important Jewish festival. It was the first
of the three feasts at which all males in Israel were bound to appear before
the Lord. For thirty-four hundred years, it has been the holy day, the feast of
redemption." (Fouchs. 1985, 16). There are two Passovers in the Bible the
Egyptian Passover and the annual festival that celebrate the remembrance of
the Egyptian Passover redemption to Israel.

3. The Feast of First Fruit

Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, when you enter the land which I
am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the
sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf
before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the Sabbath the
priest shall wave it...... It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your
generations in all your dwelling places (Lev. 23:10-14 NASB).

This feast is the third instituted by Yahweh for the children of Israel. It is
celebrated during the Passover week. Fouchs writes,

Passover week, in the days of the Temple, originally consisted of three main
events (1) the Passover lamb slain on the fourteenth of Nisan, (2) the feast of
unleavened Bread beginning on the fifteenth of Nisan, and (3) the offering of
Firstfruits on the sixteenth of Nisan (Fouchs. 1985, 29).

The Passover day could fall on any day of the week. However, it is normally
celebrated as a Sabbath of rest in the land of Israel. Hence in that week
there will be two Sabbath days: the normal Sabbath and the special Sabbath
of the Passover. Except the Passover day coincides with the regular weekly
Sabbath. The chronology above is not accepted by the Sadducees, they
believed that the Sabbath should be the normal regular Sabbath. They fail to
realize that it is not only the seventh day of the week that is referred to as
Sabbath. It is obvious that there are days that were referred to as Sabbath in
the Bible that were not the seventh day of the week. Fouchs opines, “The
word 'Sabbath' not only refers to the seventh

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day of the week, it also clearly refers to the day of the festivals themselves
(Lev. 23.24 - 25, 32, 39 )” (Fouchs. 1985, 29 ). Josephus further clarifies this
when he wrote: “But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the
sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for
before that day they do not touch them” (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews).

4. The Feast of Pentecost

The feast of Pentecost is also called the feast of weeks. According to

unanimous Jewish tradition, which was universally accepted at the time of
Christ, the day of Pentecost was the anniversary of the giving the Law on
Mount Sinai, which the feast of weeks was intended to commemorate. The
people count from the day of Passover seven weeks and on the fiftieth day
they celebrate Pentecost. It is the climax of Israel's grain harvest.

The beginning of the grain harvest was marked by the sacrifice, at the
sanctuary of omer, the first sheaf of the newly cut barley; fifty days later, at
the close of the harvest period, two loaves of bread, baked from wheat of the
new crop, were offered as sacrifice. This bread offering was called the first
fruits of wheat harvest and the festival was therefore also called Yom ha-
Bikkurim, the day of offering the first loaves of the new crop to God.
(Schauss. Jewish Festivals pp. 86-87).

5. The Feast of Dedication

Hanukkah is a post-Mosaic Jewish holy day. It is not mentioned in the Old

Testament, but it is mentioned by name in the New Testament: "Then came
the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was in winter, and Jesus was in the
temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade" (John 10:22-23), (Fouchs.
1985, 86).

This feast is called Hanukkah. It was instituted after the desecration of the
Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes when he erected the statue of the Greek god
Zeus in it. He also sacrificed a pig in the Temple. This led to a very serious
revolt led by a Jewish priest called Matthathias in conjunction with his sons.
They began a war of insurrection against the government of Epiphanes and
after a bloody war that lasted twenty four years they won the battle. The
people were known as the Maccabeus. Grayzel writes:

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In the Temple above the altar was placed a statue of Jupiter bearing an
obvious resemblance to Antiochus. Over such a Temple, Menelaus (who
supplanted Jason by a larger bribe) consented to remain as high priest. To
that statue were brought as sacrifices the animal most detestable by the
Jews, the pig. An abominable act had been perpetrated on that twenty-fifth
day of Kislev in the year 168 B.C.E and, to use the descriptive expression of
the book of Maccabees, it left the Jewish people desolate (Grayzel, 54)

After the battle they Jewish people took time to re-consecrate the Temple.
This led to the institution of this feast. What Antiochus did was the first
fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel. “Forces from him will arise, desecrate
the sanctuary fortress, and do away with regular sacrifice. And they will set
up the abomination of desolation” (Dan. 11:31 NASB). The second fulfillment
of this prophecy will come up during the reign of the Anti-Christ as declared
by the Lord Jesus, “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF
DESOLUTION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in
the holy place let the reader understand” (Matt.24:15 NASB).

6. The Feast of Trumpets

Pentecost closes all spring time feast in Israel, it is followed by four long
summer months in which harvest were gathered before the next important
feast which is called the Feast of Trumpets. This was also instituted by God in
Leviticus.

Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel saying,
“In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall offering by fire to
the Lord” (Lev.23:24-25 NASB).

Not much is known about the way this feast is commemorated but most
commentators believe that on that day the trumpet is blown from morning to
evening. The trumpets blown are not the silver trumpet but the horns of
different animals except that of an ox or a calf. A Jewish commentator writes:

The trumpets are blown to remind Israel of: (1) the Creator, (2) the duty to
return to God; (3) the revelation on Mount Sinai; (4) the exhortation of the
prophets; (5) the destruction of the Temple; (6) the binding of Isaac for
sacrifice; (7) imminent danger; (8) the day of

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judgment, (9) the redemption of Israel; (10) the resurrection (Gaon. The
Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 14 p. 1447)

This feast is believed among theologians as a type of the trumpet sound that
will usher in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The righteous will be
gathered to the sky to meet with Him at the sound of the trumpet.

7. The Feast of Tabernacles

This Feast is the most joyous of all the feast of Yahweh celebrated among the
Jewish people. They have reaped all their harvest and they have every
reason to appreciate God for all that he has done for them in the year.
Fouchs writes, “The most joyful of Israel's festivals was the feast of
Tabernacles. It came at the end of the harvest when the hearts of the people
were naturally gladdened” 1985, 74 ) This feast is (Fouchs, They travelled
also called the feast of booths; it is to journey of the children of Israel in the
wilderness as to the Promised Land. They were living in tents because they
were like pilgrims in the desert, hence no permanent buildings because they
could be asked by God to move only having campo for just some few days.

You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It
shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate
it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths for seven days; all the
native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know
that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the
land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God (Lev. 23:41-43 NASB).

Generally the Jewish religion believes that man is born as a good person and
that he is capable of choosing and doing the right things. In their own
philosophy, salvation is obtained by obeying the law. They do not believe in
the Christian concept of inherited sin (Adamic nature).

EVALUATION OF THE RELIGION

1. The depraved nature of man is obviously in display right from the Old
Testament. The continuous rising and falling of the children of Israel in their
relationship with God is the consequence of this depravity. It was not
because they do not have the Law, but because there is a rebellious nature
that man is born with that will always

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want to go against God. David confessed, “Behold I was brought forth in

iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 50:5). The natural man
will always want to go his own way, he can never please God (Rom. 8:8).
However, Judaism does not recognize this human nature as the problem of
humanity.
2. It is an obvious lesson from the life of the Israelites that the law cannot
save anyone and that the human nature will always circumvent the law.
Following the Law only makes men legalistic, judgmental and arrogant, it
does not produce righteousness. Paul writes:

More than that I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things
and counted them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ and may be found in
Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that
which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on
the basis of faith (Phil. 3:8-9 NASB). Righteousness that is to God is that one
that comes through faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary. This
righteousness is bestowed on men who accept Christ by faith.

3. Belief in afterlife without belief in divine judgment of the wicked and the
reward for the righteous amount to a waste of time. If the wicked will not be
punished for their deeds and the righteous will not be rewarded by the
Creator, religious belief will not make sense and God will be seen as an
unjust God. (Gal. 5:19-21; Ps. 9:17; 11:4-7). The Bible makes it abundantly
clear that there is judgment after this life both for the righteous and the
wicked. The Bible says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10 NASB).
The wicked as well will be judged appropriately.

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and
books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life;
and the dead were judged

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from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds
(Rev. 20:12 NASB).

God is just whatever anyone does will be judged after this present life.

REACHING OUT TO THE ADHERENTS OF THE RELIGION

Judaism ironically was the covenant religion of the fathers (Patriarchs) but
when God brought to fulfillment most of the prophecies that were sent
through the prophets to pass, they rejected what God brought to them.
Christianity would have been a reformation of Judaism if the leaders of the
religion when Jesus came accepted the move of God that was to begin with
Israel. They do not see Jesus as their promised messiah and as such they do
not accept the gospel. However, they can still be reached by applying the
following strategies:
1. There is need for deliberate and serious prayers for these people to pull
down the stronghold that has been built in their hearts. Some of them see
Judaism as their identity and departing from it as losing their Jewish identity.

2. Preaching to them will require use of the Old Testament and building
whatever one wants to tell them on the basis of that.

3. The Old Testament fulfilled should be used to demonstrate how Jesus

fulfilled prophecies as the Messiah.

4. Share your testimony of faith in Christ with them.

ISLAM

This religion is one of the monotheistic religions in the world. It is the second
largest religion next to Christianity with a population of about 1.6 billion
(www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religion). There are of course several claims
especially from Islamic sources that their population is over two billion this
claim cannot be verified. The religion began in the seventh century in the
Arabian Peninsula. The religion was founded by Prophet Muhammad who was
born in Mecca in 570/571 AD. A. Raheem in his book, “History of Islam” put
his date of birth at 571 AD; some other sources put it at 570 AD.

26

Muhammad’s father’s name was Abdallah the son of Abd al Muttalib and his
mother's name was Amina. The father was from Mecca and from the Quraysh
tribe while the mother was from Medina, a city that is about a hundred miles
from Mecca. The father died before he was born. In the traditional manner of
bringing children up in his days, he was sent to the desert to be brought up
by a surrogate mother. This was an old tradition practiced by the Arabs in
those days to enable the children learn the culture of the people as it was
originally. He returned to his mother after the period with the surrogate
mother. When he was six years old the mother took him to Medina to visit
her family. On their way back she died and he was taken to his grandfather
by the mother’s maid. He lived with his grandfather until he (grandfather)
died. He then joined his uncle Abu Talib.

He got a job with a wealthy Meccan widow called Khadijah. The woman
eventually married him and they both had some children. She was forty
while Mohammad was twenty five when they got married. After his marriage
he had more time for his usual meditation in a cave called Hira. On one of his
visit to the cave he had an encounter with a spirit. The spirit asked him to
read and since he was not learned he said he cannot, and then the spirit
pressed him hard that he felt as if life was being snuffed out of him. He was
able to recite what he was asked to recite eventually. When he got home he
told his wife and she took him to her cousin who was a Christian Monk called
Waraqa. Waraqa was the one who told Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that the
spirit he encountered was angel Gabriel and that God is calling him to be a
prophet. Tradition has it that early in his life Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
travelled with his uncle to Syria and that they met a Christian Monk called
Bahira who claim to see a little cloud just above his head. He interpreted it to
mean that he was a special person. Anne Cooper writes, “According to
traditions, he travelled to Syria on trips with his uncle. It is said that he met
Bahira, a Syrian Christian monk, who noticed that he had the mark of
someone special” (Cooper, 2003, 99). After a long while he began to receive
revelations that he recites to his followers. His followers commit the

27

revelations to memory, the same was put into writing years after. This
compilation is what is now called the Qur'an.

The emergence of Muhammad (SAW) was like an answer to the yearning of

the people living in the Arabian Peninsula. His arrival was in a time of
corruption in the land, the land was pervaded with so much wickedness and
lawlessness every where. The period was called the jahiliya period (Time of
ignorance). Though the church has existed in this place for quite some time
their teachings were full of heresies. The literacy level that was very low and
the fact that not many had access to the Bible made the situation worst.
History has it that most of the heretical teachers in the Church during this
period were normally bandished to Arabia. There were in this area such
Christians known as the Jacobites and the Nestorians flourishing in the area
during this period. Since they were alienated from the Western Church they
continued in their errors and also spread it as well.

The culture of the people was generally cruel. The women were treated as if
they were subhuman and the girl child was regarded as disadvantage. They
could be buried alive if the father so desire after birth, Those who kept them
only bear with them for a while and marry them away in most case at very
early ages. The Arabs of that time engaged in raiding others. A. Raheem
writes, “If we have no one to raid we raid our brothers.” A lot of atrocity
prevailed in the peninsula during this period.

Before his encounter with the spirit in the cave Muhammad (SAW) has been
known as a good and upright man. Even from a young age he was said to be
a very good arbiter in cases that looked complex. His wife Khadijah was his
first convert to the new religion, his friend Abu Bakr and Zaid also joined. He
also won over his influential uncle. His emphasis was that there is only one
God who is Allah as against polytheism that was the major practice in Mecca
at that time. The Kaaba the Muslims’ holiest site today was said to a
pantheon of 360 gods as at that time. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his
followers were persecuted so seriously that at a time the prophet in a bid to
save the religion and preserve it, he sent some of his converts to Abyssinia.
The persecution became more sever after the death of his wife Khadijah and
his influential uncle Abu Talib; it became even unbearable for the prophet
himself. He eventually decided to leave Mecca and took his journey to
Medina the birth place of his mother. The year of his flight became the first
year of the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar takes its reference from
that flight. The year was 622 AD.

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In Medina Prophet Muhammad (SAW) gained more converts and engage in

several wars with the people of Mecca and several others. He eventually
conquered Mecca and returned there as the King and the spiritual leader. He
died ten years after his flight in 632 AD. Before his death has been able to
lay a very solid foundation for the religion and had put it in the path of
sustained growth. The religion has spread from the Arabian peninsula to
every part of the world today. It is making a very serious impression in the
western world now. The religion entered into Nigeria Islam first entered
Nigeria through Borno in the northeast in the 11 th century. The religion
spread through the works of Muslim clerics and traders. According to Al-Aluri,
the first Mosque was built in Ọyọ-Ile in AD 1550 although, there were no
Yoruba Muslims, the Mosque only served the spiritual needs of foreign Muslims
living in Ọyọ. Progressively, Islam came to Yoruba land, and Muslims started
building Mosques: Iwo town led, with a Mosque built in 1655. The next in was
Iṣẹyin, in 1760; Lagos, 1774. The first Mosque to be built in Ṣaki was built in
1790; and Oṣogbo, 1889. The religion continued to spread quietly until the
coming of a reformer called Usman Dan Fodio came with the jihad in 1804.
He founded the Sokoto caliphate.

Islam is also making incursions into the southeast and the south south.

THE SOURCES OF AUTHORITY

There are three major sources of authority in Islam. These are the Qur’an,
the Hadith and the Shari’a

1. The Qur'an

This is the main source of authority in Islam. This book been revealed to
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by angel Gabriel. The words in Arabic are
believed to be inspired and the translations are often not regarded by Muslim
scholars. It consists of 114 chapters. The chapter is called Surah and the
verse called Aya. The longest of the chapters is chapter two with 286 verses
and apart from Chapter 1, the length of the chapters reduces from the
earlier chapters to the last chapter. The shortest chapter is chapter 114 and
it is made up of six short verses.

The Hadith

The hadith is the compilation of the teachings, deeds, clear declarations and
silent approvals of the prophet. “These sayings actions of Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) date from the Medinan period of his ministry. They were
handed down by words of mouth through his companions and early
followers” (Cooper, 2003, 132).

The Sunni have six collections of the Hadith. They are:

1. Al Bukhari (He died in AD. 870).

2. Muslim (He died in AD. 874)

3. Abu Dawud (He died in AD. 888)

4. Al Tirmidhi (He died in AD. 892)

5. An Nasa'i (He died in AD, 915 )

6. Ibn Majah (He died in AD. 998)

The Shiite sect also has their own Hadiths. Generally among the Muslims Al
Bukhari's Hadith is the most accepted and most reliable because he is said to
have travelled wide and consulted widely to come to his conclusions and
compilations.

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The Shari 'a

"The Shari' a (Islamic law) is much more than a legal system or a code of
practice. It originates from none other than God himself. It is based directly
on the commandments concerning religious duties found in the Qur'an"
(Cooper. 2003, 131). The Shari 'a law regulates the life of every committed
Muslim. This jurisprudence is classified under five leg Sharia means “the
correct path” in Arabic. In Islam, it refers to the divine counsel that
Muslims follow to live moral lives and grow close to God. Sharia is derived
from two main sources: the Quran, which is considered the direct word of
God, and hadith—thousands of sayings and practices attributed to the
Prophet Mohammed that collectively form the Sunna. Some of the
traditions and narratives included in these sources evolved from those in
Judaism and Christianity, the other Abrahamic religions. Shiite Muslims
include the words and deeds of some of the prophet’s family in the Sunna.
However, sharia largely comprises the interpretive tradition of Muslim
scholars.

The Prophet Mohammed is considered the most pious of all believers, and
his actions became a model for all Muslims. The process of interpreting
sharia, known as figh, developed over hundreds of years after he died in
the seventh century and as the Islamic empire expanded outward from
Mecca and Medina, where he lived and died, in modern-day Saudi Arabia.

Sharia isn’t the same as Islamic law. Muslims believe sharia refers to the
perfect, immutable values understood only by God, while Islamic laws are
those based on interpretations of sharia. Interpreting sharia requires deep
knowledge of the Quran and Sunna, fluency in Arabic, and expertise in
legal theory. However, modern Islamic seminaries have not standardized
the level of competency nor the length of study necessary to qualify as a
jurist, says Khaled Abou El FadI, a Muslim jurist and law professor at the
University of California, Los Angeles. Also, interpretations of sharia can
conflict depending on who is interpreting them. “On any legal issue, there
are ten different opinions,” Abou El Fadl says.

Islamic law varies by country, is influenced by customs, and evolves over

time. Sharia is also the basis of legal opinions called fatwas, which are
issued by Muslim scholars in response to requests from individual Muslims
or from governments seeking guidance on a specific issue. In Sunni Islam,
fatwas are strictly advisory; in Shiite Islam, practitioners are obligated to
follow the fatwas of the religious leader of their choice.
1. Fard – these are those things that are considered absolute duty involving
reward for acting or punishment for failing to act.

2. Mustahabb – these are commendable or meritorious actions involving a

reward for doing them but no punishment for not doing them.

3. Ja'iz or Mubah – these are actions that are permitted, there is no reward
for doing and no punishment for not doing them.

4. Makruh – these are actions that are reprehensible but the law is
indifferent to them. No reward for doing and no punishment for not doing.

5. Haram – these are actions or things that are forbidden, the doing of which
is punishable.

THE BELIFS AND PRACTICES OF THE RELIGION

A. The Five Pillars

1. Shahadah – reciting the creed “No God but Allah; Muhammad is the
messenger of Allah” (Surah 33:40). Anyone who recites this is have become
a Muslim even if he was an infidel before.
2. Salat – the five daily prayers. The adherents of Islam are required as part
of their religious obligation to pray five times every day facing Mecca (Qibla)
(Surah 2:144). The prayer is preceded by ablution, the ritual of washing of
hands, legs and wiping of head with water. They are also required to clean
their nostrils, ears and mouth with water as part of the ablution. Where on a
journey and there is no water, good clean sand can be used. The prayer is
like poems and does not include any requests. Requests are only made when
sitting on the mat after the real prayer recitation is over.

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3. Zakat – Charitable giving. Every Muslim is required to contribute 2.5% of

their income for this purpose. This contribution is compulsory for every able
bodied Muslim. It is believed among the Muslims that this purifies the
remaining income irrespective of the source (Surah 24:56).

4. Sawm – this refers to the fasting in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. It
is for a period of thirty days, though on many occasion it could be less than
that depending on when the moon is sighted (Surah 2:183-185). They are
required to abstain from eating or drinking from dawn to dusk. They are to
eat early in the morning before they commence the fast.

5. Hajj - every Muslim is required to go on pilgrimage to Mecca at least once

in a life time. It is a compulsory duty for those who are healthy and can
afford it (Surah 3:97).

The Seven Pillars of Beliefs

Every professing Muslims must believe in the following as part of their

expression of faith in the religion.

1. Belief in one God who is Allah (Tawhid) (Surah 23:116, 117).

2. Belief in Angels and Jinn (Surah 2:177).

3. Belief in the divine books, these are: Torah (Taurat), Gospel (Injil) , Psalm
(Zabur), Scrolls of Abraham and the Qur'an. However, they believe that the
scroll of Abraham is lost while the Torah, the Gospel and the Psalm have
been corrupted by the Jewish people and the Christians. So to them the only
authentic revelation from God that is available today is the Qur'an.

4. Belief in many prophets but one message. They believe that the first
prophet was Adam. Others include: Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob, Moses,
Joseph, David, Solomon, Jesus and the seal of the prophets Muhammad
(SAW) (Surah 4:136; 33:40). It is their belief that Muhammad (SAW) was the
last and the greatest of the entire prophets.

5. Belief in the Great Day of Judgment (Alqiyyamat). They believe that on this
day the graves will b sawe opened and all the dead will rise to face the
judgement of God.
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6. Belief in destiny – to them everything that happens on earth or to a man

has been so decreed by God. This could be good or bad, whichever one
comes he should just accept it as his fate.

7. Belief in mission (Dawah) – Every Muslim see Dawah (Mission) as a duty

that must be carry out in whatever way they can. Those who are rich spend
their money for this course in spreading the religion. They build mosques and
training centres in the bid to spread the religion. Some employ violent means
to achieve this.

Islam teaches that there is reward for the righteous and punishment for the
wicked. However, their philosophy of salvation is that they will be saved
through good works. They teach that on the Day of Judgment God will weigh
on a balance the good works done by an individual as against the evil he did.
Whichever weighs more determines the fate of such a person. If his evil
works are heavier than his good works he goes to hell (Jahanama), except by
God’s prerogative of mercy He decides to overlook that. And if his good
works surpass his evil works on the other hand he goes to paradise except
again by his divine decision He thinks otherwise. Hence no Muslim is sure of
his placement in the hereafter, they are all hoping for the best. There is no
way anyone can be rest assured that he will enter into paradise. However,
the religion teaches that anyone who dies in the course of fighting for the
religion (Jihad) has automatic ride into paradise because he has died a
martyr. The Muslims believe that they can still pray for the dead. They
believe that such prayers can influence God's decision over their placement
or at least their condition in the grave. They teach that the dead remains in
the grave until the Day of Judgment. In the grave according to them the
Muslim who has answered the angel sent by God to him correctly will
experience paradise right there, while none Muslims will experience the
effect of hell there until the day of resurrection. The Muslim martyrs are
excluded from the experience of the grave once they die they go straight to
paradise.

EVALUATION OF THE RELIGION

The founder of Islam has known other religions especially Christianity before
he began, as such his attack was clearly against it (Christianity).

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1. Islam does not believe in the fallen deprave nature of man, they teach
that children are born innocent and sinless. This belief cannot be
substantiated in the face of the way children exhibit some attitude that is
clear they never learnt from their parents.
2. The concept of Zakat where once a person pays 2.5 percent of his income
it purifies the rest no matter the source of the money is a recipe for
corruption and get rich at all cost syndrome.

3. Their philosophy of salvation lays emphasis on good works as way to

salvation. It is obvious that no good work is enough to save anyone.

4. That God will weigh one's good work against one’s evil work and
whichever is heavier determines where one goes is deceptive. The
experience of Adam in the Garden of Eden should teach everyone that one
single sin outweighs thousands or even millions of good works. The few
weeks, months or years he spent in the garden were spent doing good works
but when he committed only one sin, he was thrown out of the garden.

5. There is also emphasis on obeying the Law. The flesh of course continued
to make a mess of the Law because the law can only be established to have
been by two or three witnesses. However, sins can be committed without
engaging in the physical act and no one can see or read that.

6. Belief in destiny or divine decree is against God's divine law of equity and
justice. How will a just God destine a man to sin and still stand and to punish
such a person. This is very retrogressive because it makes people to be
limited since they believe that no matter what they do it will have little or no
effect. So they resign to fate. This is fatalism, it is ungodly.

REACHING OUT TO THE ADHERENTS OF THE RELIGION

1. Take time to build relationships with Muslims. To reach them, there is need
to build good relationship and build trust on individual bases. Never allow
other Muslims to know about your relationship with any other Muslim this
could be dangerous and could put them off.

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2. Leave the matters of the Trinity until much later in the relationship. Begin
discussions with the stories that are common in both the Bible and Qur'an.
Matters such as the creation, stories of Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, and Moses
etc. are good examples.

3. Emphasize the problem of sin and sin nature.

4. Never be in a hurry to introduce teaching about Jesus and His atoning

death. This should be left until a good relationship has been built and the
individual has developed interest in the Bible. Because one of the stronghold
in the heart of Muslims is that God has no son and no one should share His
authority with Him.

5. Warfare prayer is seriously required for this religion because winning them
is a battle against strong forces of darkness
AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION

This religion has been thought of as a dying religion some years ago. With
the advent of Christianity and conversion of several adherents of the religion,
it appears the end of this religion was near. However, with recent
development it is becoming clear that the religion will soon pose a serious
problem for Christianity. In recent time several highly placed people in the
African society are turning to ATR and are making it look attractive to the
younger generation. There are such personalities like Professor Wole Soyinka
the first Nobel Lauret in literature from Nigeria, Professor (Babalawo) Wande
Abimbola the former Vice Chancellor of former University of Ife (Now
Obafemi Awolowo University) as popular adherents of this religion. Prince
(Babalawo) Adigun Olosun has taken the religion further with his Irunmole
Temples in Nigeria and Germany.

African Traditional Religion (ATR) is a religion that is indigenous to the African

people. It has no founder. It evolved with the African society and has spread
beyond the shores of Africa to the American continents and Europe. It is
becoming popular in the Caribbean and in Brazil. It is common place to see

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Sango worshipers in Brazil and some countries of South America. Like other
world religion it is beginning to get entrenched and getting attention in the
world.

SACRED BOOKS

One of the major setbacks this religion had suffered over the years was the
absence of sacred books with which its adherent would have claim divine
revelation. The story is beginning to change with highly educated people
becoming members of the religion. Prince Olosun has started publishing
some magazine of this religion from his base in Germany. One of such
publications is the “Ase” magazine. The “Odu Ifa” is now being put together
in written form and can be studied like any other course in school. Many
books are beginning to come out from among the adherents of the religion
now. Formally all the beliefs and practices were transmitted from generation
to generation through oral tradition. The toga of secrecy in which African
Traditional Religion was shrouded is giving way gradually. In a matter of time
this religion will also be laying claim to some written documents that the
adherents will begin to point to as their own divine revelation.

This religion has been greatly misunderstood especially by foreign writers, a

lot of who did not step on the soil of Africa. They called the religion so many
names that actually do not suit it because the religion is not too different
from other world religions like Hinduism and Buddhism.
African Traditional Religion like all other religion has its own priest that direct
proceedings. The priesthood in most cases is hereditary. If one’s father was a
priest he automatically takes over from him when he dies.

When the people want to hear from the divinities the priest are the go
between that receives the message for the people. Sometimes they consult
the oracle. The life of the Yoruba people of South Western Nigeria naturally
revolves around the Ifa oracle. When a child is born into the world, Ifa is
consulted to know what he is on earth to achieve for the creator. When he is
maturing Ifa is consulted to know what profession he will take to. When he is
to make a choice of a wife after all necessary investigation is carried

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out, the oracle must also give the final verdict before the arrangement could
continue. In taking vital decisions ifa must be consulted.

BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

Though the practices may differ a little as one goes from place to place,
African Traditional Religion is generally the same all over the continent. The
differences are actually minor when closely studied. They all believe in the
existence of a Supreme Being who is one mighty personality whom they
believe is above but had appointed Divinities through whom he can be
reached. Generally, there is no shrine for this Supreme Being where he is
worshipped. The Yoruba calls him many names which depicts his attributes.
They call him Olodumare (The Almighty), Olorun (the owner of Heaven),
Eleda (The Creator). The Igbo of South Eastern Nigeria call him Chukwu (the
greatest of all gods). This makes some authority in African Traditional
Religion to write that it is not polytheistic but monotheistic. Professor Bolaji
Idowu refers to it as “diffused monotheism.” He writes “Here we have a
monotheism in which there exist other powers Deity (Creator) such being
and authority that they can be treated, for practical purposes, almost as
ends in themselves” (Idowu. 1962. 202)

The fact that the Africans have the knowledge of the Supreme Being called in
English God cannot be overemphasized because the various names the
Africans call the Almighty God were not given to them by the Christian
missionaries nor by Islam. This knowledge should be as a result of how God
has made Himself known to man through the general revelation and the
vacuum that is in the heart of man that makes him desire to relate with the
Creator. On the other hand it could be part of the carryovers that they came
with from the dispersion at Babel which was the cradle of human civilization.

Some of the earlier commentators on African Traditional Religion refer to it as

idolatrous because of the use of various symbols and the way homage is
being paid to such symbols. Awolalu argues,
Idol means a false god; and so idolatry is worshipping of false gods or that
which is not real. The word idol is used to describe the object

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which is an emblem of that which is worshipped by the Africans. The object

may be a piece of wood or iron or stone. These objects are symbolic. Each of
them has a meaning beyond itself, and therefore is not an end in itself. It is
only a means to the end… Symbolic representation is not peculiar to African
Traditional Religion. It is found in most religions. It is used principally to aid
man’s perception and concentration and to remind the worshipper of the
divine presence… But experience shows that material representation often
becomes a danger in religion when the worshippers make the emblems an
end in themselves..... African Traditional Religion is not essentially idolatrous,
but it has a tendency to become so if the cult and the symbols of the
divinities are emphasized as to exclude the Supreme Being (Awolału. 1976,
8).

It is a proven fact that the Africans have knowledge of God and seek to
worship Him but they sought to reach Him in such a way that set Him aside
while symbols and divinities are turned to the actual object of worship.

Like some of the oriental religions African Religion believes in the doctrine of
transmigration. This is depicted in the names that children are called in the
societies. Names like Babatunde meaning Baba (Father) who died has
returned in the now baby that is born. Names like Yetunde or lyabo which
means that mother who died has returned. This belief is a general one in
Africa.

Some of the teachers of the religion teaches that many roads leads to the
market but all converge there in other words, it does not matter what road a
man takes it leads to heaven and as such it does how or what he worships if
he does it well he will make it to heaven.

African Traditional Religion teaches that there is retribution after life. They
believe that God will judge every misdeed by any person on earth.

The belief in the living dead is one of the major beliefs of the African
Traditional Religion. They believe that when people die they still have
influence in the land of the living. So they are always mentioned when
important ceremonies are being held in their families. They believe that their
dead relatives are in the spirit realm influencing thing on their behalf. When
masquerades come out, the belief among the adherents of African Traditional
Religion is that their ancestors came to visit them. Ironically many of them
know the person(s) in the garb yet they are ecstatic and jubilant before the
masquerade. They make their requests known to the masquerade and trust
to get response from the Almighty God.
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African Traditional Religion does not teach about heaven and hell. However,
they believe that there is judgment. They teach that whatever any one has
done he or she will pay or be rewarded for it in the hereafter.

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION

The attributes of God in ATR could be deduced from what they called God.

1. They believe He is omnipotent – The Yoruba call Him Alagabara nla (All
Powerful God). All adherent of ATR believe the Supreme Being God can do all
things.

2. He is believed to know all things and every secret. He is Arinurode (One

who sees both things that are open and those hidden).

3. He is the God that cares for all on Earth but in heaven he is selective in His
care (Ajoke aye asake Orun). This shows that even in ATR God is seen as
loving and caring.

4. He is believed to be immortal – the Yoruba call Him Oba Aiku, Oba

Ayeraye. The Immortal King and the eternal King.

PHILOSOPHY OF SALVATION

There is no clear philosophy of salvation in this religion, however, they teach

that the Lord of heaven and earth wants people to do good to others. Their
believe is anchored on the golden rule: “Doing to others what you will want
them to do to you”

The philosophy of salvation in this religion is also based on works, doing

good works to impress the Creator God.

MEANS OF WORSHIP

1. Sacrifices – Animals are offered as a means of worshipping the God,

however, it is done through divinities since there is no shrine or place
where the Almighty God is specifically worshipped in African Traditional
Religion. The animals that are used for sacrifices must be without
blemish. The blood of the animal is poured in a place in the shrine and
possibly part of the flesh of the animal is also left in the shrine.
2. Offerings

In ATR offerings could be blood of animals, food, drinks like beer, honey,
milk, palm wine etc. food offering could include boiled or roasted yam with
palm oil, eggs, cola nuts, alligator pepper etc.

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3. Prayer
The prayers are said when giving their sacrifices and offerings. Sometimes it
is done by the oldest or the elders in the community or the priest of the
divinity where the prayer is being said. When prayers are offered, libation
(pouring of drink) accompanies it sometimes.

EVALUATION OF THE RELIGION

Several scholars in African Traditional Religion of African descent have come

up with several arguments to show that the religion is not polytheism. They
look at the religion as monotheism. Bolaji Idowu refers to it as “diffused
monotheism.” Awolalu in support of this writes;

The Yoruba, for example never rank the Supreme Being, Olodumare with the
divinities (Orisa), neither do the Edo confuse Osanobuwa with the divinities
(ebo). The truth of the matter is that Africans hold the Supreme Being as a
venerable majesty who has several servants (the divinities) under Him to
carry out His desires. He is in class by Himself. This is why it is not
appropriate to describe the religion as polytheistic (Awolalu. 1976 .9).

Gehman also wrote in the same vein, “... The ATR's beliefs in God are the
weak remains of an earlier, clearer knowledge of God. The Creator has not
left himself without a witness” (Gehman. 2013, 197).

These arguments are interesting and sounds convincing, however, even if

the religion is not polytheistic it does not still say that it is correct. It is true
that the ATR adherents do not have any representation of the Supreme
Being; this does not say they understood how to reach Him. This religion by
Biblical standard falls short of the requirements of God to bring salvation to
mankind.

1. It is not enough to acknowledge the existence of God, He has to be

worshipped and given His pride of place in the life of those who worship Him.
Rom. 1:28-32.

2. This religion has no clear cut philosophy of salvation, it is based on

morality. It is obvious from human experiences that moral laws are never
enough to guide human beings, there is need for a superior

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principle through which man can be saved. This principle is the principle of
grace. Eph. 2:8-9.

3. The assertion that because the name of God is being mentioned along
with the worship and divinities were only being used as intermediary to reach
God and not worshipped cannot be totally true.

4. Sacrifices are still being done; in some cases even human beings are still
being offered as sacrifices. There is no other sacrifice that is acceptable to
God beyond the sacrifice of Jesus. Every other sacrifice that is being offered
today is made to demons, there is no way God will be demanding that a
fellow human being be offered to Him as a sacrifice.

5. So many hidden practices are involved in African Traditional Religion.

These occult practices are only made known to the initiated; God will not do
anything that will be limited to just some people.

6. Like the Oriental religions like Buddhism, ATR adherents believe in the
doctrine of transmigration. This is the continuation of the deception of the
Devil to mankind that they can still have another chance having wasted this
life. This is not true because the Bible makes it clear that after death is
judgement. Heb. 9:27.

REACHING THE ADHERENTS OF THE RELIGION

Christianity has some link points that can be exploited to reach the ATR
adherents. Below are some of such link points.

1. Though the matter of sin is not clear in ATR yet the adherents can easily
be made to see the problem of the fallen nature of man and the helplessness
of men and their struggles with the sin nature.

2. ATR believes in sacrifices and even human sacrifice, to introduce the

subject of the sacrifice of Jesus the only begotten Son of God will not be
strange to them. There are several stories of some kings who offered their
children as sacrifice for the peace of their land, this fits into the story of the
cross.

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3. The belief in a Supreme Being also offers another opportunity to start a

discussion with them. The only problem is in convincing them that the way
they have been going about His worship is not proper and that it has to be
through His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ).

4. The fact that ATR does not have a harmonized sacred book that they can
claim came to them by revelation is a loop hole that Christianity can still
cash on. This however will not last for too long because soon they will have
books that they will be looking to as their own source of authority.

5. Whoever is dealing with practitioners of this religion should understand

that he is dealing with demonic influence and powers that have held the
people for so long a time. As such warfare is required here to free the people
from the grips of the Devil.

Conclusion

There are several religions on earth and several new ones are emerging
every passing day. They are all man’s efforts to try to relate or to reach the
Supreme power(s) that have authority over the universe. But there is no
search from man that can produce anything tangible. All such attempt will
end in a blind end where there is no hope. This is the more reason why man
should look for God’s own arrangement for the salvation of mankind and for
the restoration of the relationship between man and God.

God in His bid to restore the lost man made an arrangement where God the
Son was made man to come down and dwell among men to show them how
to live to please God. The Lord also laid down His life for the salvation of the
fallen man. Anyone that accept the sacrifice of Jesus is saved from his sins
and from the power of Sin, such are the people that can enjoy fellowship with
the Creator God. This is the way of victory; it is the way of the cross.

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