The Superior Context of Religion and a Qualitative Citizenship Development
1.1 Background of the Study
The importance of religion and the value has introduced in developing the citizenship qualitative is a remarkable point in all aspects of life. Actually religion specially Christianity come to us an eyed opener and by so doing has destroyed the negative parts of life like fear, abuse, humiliation, intimidation, frustration, illiteracy, backwardness, sickness, pains of life, bigger injuries, murder selfishness, stealing and actually brought in a good and positive way of life. Religion Christianity in display has acted as an agent of transformation, renewal, capital empowerment, added education, health and social amenities to high grace the due development of the people.
Religion drives away fear, in other words, fear of killing of twins created in the image of God and after His likeness as the Bible implies religion, basically Christianity introduced an end to slave trade and duly selling out of the stubborn children and drove away the slave masters and slave drivers. Religion duly calls for a recognition and reassembling of one life and also duly drawing one’s own attention to developments as “Nabofa” after examining the various definitions of religion proposed that:
“Religion is man’s effort in satisfying certain emotional needs by establishing and maintaining cordial relations between himself and the supersensible world and his fellow man.1
Nto Edino people are among the Annang people and tribe. Clans in Obot Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Nto Edino Clan is one of the three produce, cola nuts and other raw materials in the country as their product, they also share in the gift of the rich oil-rich region of the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Glaring instance has basically shown to us the position of humans and the environment, placing the dignity of man first after God the creator.
The Superior Context of Religion and a Qualitative Citizenship Development
Religion distinctively Christianity has designed a style, model, mode-corporate ways of approaching God drawing closer to the father (God), in the positive understanding than in the negative understanding of killing, strangling animals, sprinkling blood and sacrificing to dumb idols, by a way of worship, in so far as religion came, it have us a picture of a true light and this light brought our developments morally, mentally, materially, socially, academically, emotionally, physically, spiritually and also developed our intelligence to a greater proportion in so much as advancement and promotions of a good conduct of life had a wider scope into the society starting from the citizenry. In the real-sense of it, this work holds the value religion attaches to the citizens and how religion has affected them positively and introduced a good gearing point to the due and qualitative citizenship development in its entirety.
This work therefore, concludes on how it can harness people to see to the valuable impact created by religion basically Christianity in uplifting the citizens in many areas of life.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The world that we live in needs a greater percentage of peace and calm outside armed robbery, kidnapping, Boko Aram, Militancy, heavy weight of violence, stealing that is through government white papers and blue-prints, wars and tribal man-slaughter needs a remoulding through the aspects of religion to re-shape the environments and the citizens in their moral upbringing outside which qualitative citizenship development cannot be achieved.
This cannot be done without first campaigning through religion basically Christianity, using the custodians of the moral ethics and developers of moral values through the church to contribute their quota on educating, teaching and developing the people as Kari Marx” defines religion as the opium of the people.2
Actually religion bring physical and spiritual co-existence to the people and with the maker (creator) being God. In a nutshell, Edward Tylor as quoted by group of author of … sees religion as ‘the belief in spiritual beings.3 Arinze defines religion thus: subjectively, religion is the consciousness of one’s dependence on a transcendent being and a tendency to worship Him. Objectively, religion is a body of truths, laws and rite by which man is subordinated to the transcendent being.4
These definitions have shown that a glance and a worship of this God has something meaningful to exhibit in one’s development rather than a mundane worship. The problem that the researcher is trying to solve is the problem of Mundane worship that has its focus on the earthly or worldly rather than a heavenly or spiritual one and also lacks interest and excitement. Religion and its worship has come to overwhelm Mundane worship
1.2 Objectives of the Study
Governments and leaderships of the society, and families are always on the peak to support the religious organizations to conduct campaigns, seminars, psemposiums, workshops, training and re-training the society at large to promote religions norms and cultivate the mind of co-habitation and accepting one another as God’s creation and His creation in its real senses outside this, this work is out to achieve the needed objectives as follows:
- To show the positive side of religion and review the understanding in Proverbs 18:10.
- To have a deeper understanding of the role and importance of religion.
- To also educate people to turn to the real worship of the living God in Nto Edino clan in Obot Akara Local Government Area.
- To actually design a means or medium of educating and reaching to the people to understand the authority in due and real corporate worship of the supreme God.
- And how it has duly led to the qualitative development of our citizens from our zone.
1.3 Significance of the Study
- This study will be of a great advantage or a greater significance to the young and new generations yet un-born.
- This work will serve as a capacity developer and development in the clan
- It will add value to deeper meanings to worshippers of the true God and God as the sovereign ruler of the universe.
- This work calls for a healthy understanding between the people and God and provides a good and a harmonized environment.
- This work serves as a spiritual regulator to the people.
- When this work has automatically reached its complete stage, it will be a standard map of evaluation on the citizenship qualitative development in the Christian view point of religion in Nto Edino Clan.