Alex Ikechukwu Okpoko
Department of Archaeology and Tourism,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka
and
Augustine Onyekwelu Onu
Department of Sociology and Anthropology,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Introduction
As noted by Okwueze (2003), religion can be understood as a regulated pattern of
life of a people in which experiences, beliefs and knowledge are reflected in man’s
conception of himself in relation to others, his social world, the physical as well as
the metaphysical world. In sociology, there are broadly two approaches to the
definition of religion. The first, following Durkheim (1912) defines religion in
terms of its social function. According to Durkheim, religion is a system of beliefs
and rituals with reference to the sacred which binds people together into social
groups. In this sense, some sociologists have extended the notion of religion to
include nationalism. The second approach in line with Weber’s view, religion is
defined as any set of coherent answers to human existential dilemmas: birth,
sileness or death-which make the words meaningful. In this sense religion is the
human response to those things which concern us ultimately.
The implication of this definition is that all human beings are religious,
since we are all faced by the existential problems of disease, aging and death.
Drawing from Okwuese (2003), a major concern which has emerged in the study of
religion is the examination of its relationships with economic, political, cultural and
social institutions as well as its diverse functions and dysfunctions in the life of
society. The universality of religion manifest itself in the ease with which we see in
virtually all societies, certain sacred ritual and belief which obtain in circumstances
with unpredictable outcome and in which people more often than not appear
subjected to forces beyond their own control (Okuweze, (2003). These events bring
with them uncertainties and anxieties concerning so many questions about life,
death, success or failure in human endeavour. The answers, which come to allay
these anxieties, are often couched in supernatural and transcended values that make
religion the only source, which can provide the succor that can help man cope with
the frustrations, anxieties and vicissitudes that characterize human life (Oyo,
1988:127, cited from Okwueze, 2003:5).
From the above it becomes apparent that Africans are intensely religious. The basic
tenets of their indigenous religions hold a belief in a supreme deity. The supreme
being is a divine creator, a being who is the essence and the total of goodness and
benevolence. He is the light and life, the creator of law, order and all that is good in
the world. He is the universal cosmic energy, the unity behind all things.
Below the Ultimate Reality are the minor gods. These are personifications
of natural phenomena. They constitute a power external to man and society and
beyond man’s understanding or control. The family consists not only of living
individuals but also of the ancestors and those who are not yet born. The forbears are
thought to have great power over the conduct of the living. This they exercise from
the sacred realm, the other world which seems to mirror the organization of the
material world very closely. These unseen personalities (God, gods and ancestors)
receive attention from man in terms of sacrifice and offering.
Today, as a result of Christian missionary enterprise in western education
and modern medicine, many Africans are Christians. Many have become Moslems
or adherents to some other historical religions. Besides, the pressure of overpopulation
and the growth of urban centres are forcing many Africans to migrate
seasonally in search of new ways of making a living, and those who do not settle,
return with alien beliefs and customs. All this notwithstanding, the traditional
religious beliefs and practices still play an important part in their lives and are
powerful unifying force as was the case in the days of those. And the future appears
bright for the indigenous religious beliefs and practices for it will be some time
before the effects of the absorption of alien customs in many African societies can
be fully appreciated.