CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Religion is among the oldest and most widespread human institutions. Wherever human communities are found, they have developed beliefs and practices about the sacred, about the origin and purpose of the universe, and about how people should live with one another. Religious traditions shape moral values, social relationships, politics, education and economic behaviour, and most of them teach that a divine being or beings created the world and continue to be active in it. Science, by contrast, is the systematic study of the natural world through observation, measurement and testing, and technology is the practical application of scientific knowledge to solve human problems. The two are closely linked, since technology puts scientific discoveries to use, but they differ from religion in their methods and in the kinds of question they ask.

The relationship between religion and science has been described in several ways. A widely used typology distinguishes four positions: conflict, independence, dialogue and integration (Barbour, 1997). The conflict view holds that the two are fundamentally opposed. This view is often traced to the nineteenth-century "conflict thesis", which presented the history of the two fields as a continuous war (Atowoju, Adebayo, Olagundoye & Ayanleke, 2023). The independence view holds that they address different questions and use different methods, so that neither can contradict the other. The dialogue and integration views hold that they can inform and enrich one another. The complementarity position adopted in this study belongs to the last group. It maintains that science investigates how the natural world works, while religion addresses meaning, purpose and moral value, so that the two can support one another in producing a fuller understanding of reality. Atowoju et al. (2023) similarly argue that faith and science are separate but interwoven forms of knowledge, and that the conflict between them has been exaggerated.

The present era is characterised by rapid technological change, especially in information and communication technology (ICT), the internet and social media. These developments affect the way religion is practised and communicated. In Nigeria, religious communities have adopted digital tools for preaching, teaching, worship and fellowship. For example, the study of Salvation Ministries in Port Harcourt shows that digital worship extended the reach of the church beyond its physical premises and strengthened the sense of community among members. The same study also warns of the dangers of over-reliance on technology, reduced personal interaction and the risk of substituting technological experience for genuine spiritual experience (Opara, Gbule & Olumati, 2023). The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this process, as lockdowns pushed worship, teaching and fellowship online (Atowoju et al., 2023). Muslim scholars and preachers in Nigeria have likewise taken up social media as an instrument of da'wah (Islamic propagation). Research shows that this has widened their audience, but it has also challenged the traditional view that questions of da'wah and fatwa belong exclusively to learned scholars (Sule & Abdulkareem, 2020).

Technology also brings risks and moral challenges to religious communities. Social media can be used to spread hate speech and division as well as to spread religious teaching, and the misuse of social media for da'wah has been examined for its effect on peaceful coexistence among Muslims in Yorubaland (Dauda, 2023). Developments in medicine and biotechnology, such as cloning and assisted reproduction, raise ethical questions on which religious traditions have taken positions. At the same time, scientific explanation has changed many earlier beliefs about the causes of illness and natural events. These developments mean that religion, science and technology are in constant interaction and sometimes in tension.

Nigeria is a particularly important setting for studying this interaction. It is a religiously plural society with three dominant religious groups, namely Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion, and religion plays a prominent role in public and private life. Each of these traditions is responding in its own way to the changes brought about by modern science and technology. This study therefore examines the place of religion in a scientific and technological era, with special reference to Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Scientific and technological advance is changing the social and intellectual environment in which religion operates. It offers religious bodies new means of reaching people and organising their activities, but it also raises challenges. These include the claim that religion is obsolete in an age of scientific explanation, the ethical dilemmas created by new technologies, the danger of misusing digital platforms, and the concern that technology may weaken personal contact and spiritual depth (Opara et al., 2023; Sule & Abdulkareem, 2020). The public and scholarly debate on the relationship between religion and science remains unsettled and is still shaped by the conflict model, which Nigerian scholars continue to criticise as misleading (Atowoju et al., 2023).

A growing body of Nigerian research examines how particular churches or Muslim preachers use digital media (Dauda, 2023; Opara et al., 2023; Sule & Abdulkareem, 2020). Much of this work, however, focuses on a single denomination, community or religious tradition and on one technology, usually social media. Less attention has been given to a broader historical and descriptive account of how the religious traditions in Nigeria as a whole relate to science and technology, taking account of both the benefits and the challenges. This study aims to fill that gap by examining the place of religion in a scientific and technological era in the Nigerian context.

1.3 Research Questions

The study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the nature of the relationship between religion and science, and how has it been explained in the literature?
2. How have the major religious traditions in Nigeria responded to scientific and technological development?
3. What opportunities and challenges do science and technology create for religion in Nigeria?

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The broad objective of the study is to examine the place of religion in a scientific and technological era, with special reference to Nigeria. The specific objectives are to:

1. clarify the concepts of religion, science and technology and review the main theories of their relationship;
2. examine how religious traditions in Nigeria have responded to and used scientific and technological development; and
3. identify the opportunities and challenges that science and technology present to religion in Nigeria.

1.5 Significance of the Study

The study is significant in several respects. It contributes to the scholarly discussion of religion and science by examining the Nigerian experience, which is often neglected in a literature dominated by Western examples. It supports the complementarity position by showing how religion and science can work together, and it helps to dispel the myth that the two are inevitably opposed (Atowoju et al., 2023).

It will be useful to religious leaders and organisations, who must decide how to use modern technology in worship, teaching and outreach without losing the authenticity of spiritual practice (Opara et al., 2023). It will also interest policy makers and educators concerned with religious harmony, since the way digital platforms are used for religious communication can either promote or damage peaceful coexistence (Dauda, 2023). Finally, the study will serve students and researchers in religious studies, philosophy and the sociology of religion as a basis for further work.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study examines the place of religion in a scientific and technological era, with special reference to Nigeria. Nigeria is a pluralistic society with three dominant religious groups, namely Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. The study explores the opportunities and challenges these traditions face in view of current technological and innovative developments. Where necessary, reference is made to global developments in order to explain the Nigerian situation.

1.7 Research Methodology

The study employs historical and descriptive methods. The historical method is used to trace the development of science, technology and religion and the changing relationship between them. The descriptive method is used to present and interpret the contemporary experience of religious communities in Nigeria. Data are drawn mainly from secondary sources, including books, peer-reviewed journal articles, periodicals, unpublished academic works and reputable online materials. The materials were critically analysed, interpreted and presented descriptively, and the researcher aimed to maintain objectivity throughout.

1.8 Definition of Key Terms

Religion: A system of beliefs and practices concerning a transcendent or sacred reality, which guides how its followers understand the world, worship, and relate to one another. Scholars have not agreed on a single definition of religion or on its origin, but the phenomenon is found in every human society.

Science: The systematic study of the natural world through observation, experiment and reasoning. It can be understood both as a process of enquiry and as the body of verifiable knowledge produced by that process. Its claims are open to testing and revision.

Technology: The practical application of scientific knowledge and skills in the creation of tools, processes and systems that solve human problems.

Complementarity: The view that religion and science address different but related aspects of reality, and that each can enrich the other without the one reducing the other.

Da'wah: The invitation to, and propagation of, the faith of Islam.

1.9 Organisation of the Study

The study is organised into five chapters. Chapter One introduces the study. Chapter Two reviews the concepts of science, technology and religion and the historical and theoretical relationship between religion and science. Chapter Three examines the response of the major religious traditions in Nigeria to scientific and technological development. Chapter Four discusses the opportunities and challenges that science and technology present to religion in Nigeria. Chapter Five presents the summary, conclusions and recommendations.

References

Atowoju, A. A., Adebayo, A., Olagundoye, E. O., & Ayanleke, K. (2023). The church and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Nigeria: An engagement of faith and technology. The International Journal of Contemporary Research in Humanities, 1(1).

Barbour, I. G. (1997). Religion and science: Historical and contemporary issues. HarperSanFrancisco.

Dauda, K. O. (2023). Social media revolution and trends of da'wah propagation in Ijebuland, Ogun State, Nigeria: An empirical survey. Islamic Communication Journal, 8(2), 171–186. https://doi.org/10.21580/icj.2023.8.2.18104

Opara, C. O., Gbule, N. J., & Olumati, R. (2023). Deux ex machina ("God from the machine"): Exploring digital worship in the Salvation Ministries, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Khazanah Journal of Religion and Technology, 1(2), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.15575/kjrt.v1i2.350

Sule, M. M., & Abdulkareem, L. (2020). Muslim scholars and the world of social media: Opportunities and challenges. Islamic Communication Journal, 5(2), 223–238. https://doi.org/10.21580/icj.2020.5.2.6556