Review of Arts and Humanities

The Philosophical Inquiry into the Dilemma of Religious Language and Its Challenges for Churches in Nigeria
Obasola Kehinde Emmanuel (Ph.D)

Abstract
The problem of religious language is worrisome to the practitioners of Abrahamic faiths in Nigeria because it has the potential to undermine the claims made by these religious traditions. These three major faiths proclaim truths about God in written texts, commentaries traditions and oral teachings. In fact, speech about God is essential to both personal praxis and organized celebration in these religious traditions and without adequate solution to the problem of religious language, human speech about God is called to question. In addition, without the ability to speak about God and to understand the meaning of what is spoken, the Abrahamic faiths are vulnerable to the criticism that their sacred texts and teachings are unintelligible and may be seen as invalid. Therefore, this paper employed a philosophical method of a critical analysis in investigating the dilemma of religious language and the challenges it poses to the churches in Nigeria. The paper posits that the churches in Nigeria need to understand the meaning of the esoteric words often used by the clerics in order for those words to be meaningful and impactful among the different church adherents in the country.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/rah.v6n2a5