Examining the Sudden Religious Change in the South-East Nigeria in the Light of Horton’s Theory of Religious Change

Abstract

The recent religious change taking place in the South-East Nigeria has been a big influence on the life of people despite the high level of educational background among the people. Over the last decade, the South-East Nigeria has seen a dramatic switch in religious adherence, with an unprecedented number of votaries going back to the Igbo/African traditional religion. This paper will analyze Horton’s theory of religious change in order to explain the causes of this sudden shift or return to traditional religion from Christian religion. To understand Horton’s theory, it is important to understand the social structures of traditional religion. Horton suggests that traditional religion forms an intricate part of society’s order, which gives them stability and durability. He argues that changes in the factors that form the basis of social order can lead to dramatic changes in religious practices. This research discovered that the South-East Nigeria has seen a number of dramatic social changes over the last decades, and due to these changes, it led to the shift in religious beliefs. The growth of urbanization and other social changes that occurred over the years has some profound effects on the life of the people. This research adopted a phenomenological approach to examine the impact of social changes on the religious transformation in the South-East Nigeria.