Nsukka Journal of Religion and Cultural Studies (Oct 2023)
Religion! Guilty as charged!? A phenomenological appraisal
Abstract
The pervasiveness of the understanding of religion and its amenability to persons and circumstances see it in every area of life. Politics is one of such areas. Their relationship with each other, given their seemingly divergent contents and orientations, has been contentious through times. They are sometimes pitched against each other, or one is seen to be exploited by the other. Religion is accused as being instrumentalised by politicians to access power through religion-induced violence. This theoretical paper seeks to examine whether religion is as guilty as she is charged in the issues of conflicts associated with it in politics and political settings. The study establishes through phenomenological prism, that the true understanding of religion, despite the inherent potentials for peace and violence, exonerates and acquits it from those charges. It invites to a rethink about the abuses of religion, to the upholding of the true understanding of religion, and urges its non-instrumentalisation in politics.
