CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Morality today, it has been observed, is
increasingly on the decay. Ethics as a way of ordered living which propagates
ideal communal life and human relationship is speedily waning. There is concern
in several quarters that at the rate immorality is making waves in the society;
the likely tendency is that there might be serious breakdown of law and order
which might lead to anarchy. It is said that a lawless and immoral society is
prone to chaotic situation and anarchy. An ideal society is that which is
devoid of violence, civil disorder, with minimal rate of crime and immoral
practices cum unethical standards. This is why sound morals and ethical
standard have been the concern of many social institutions in recent years.
Hence, many campaigns in the society today are geared towards curbing
immorality and other such vices and drama is a major instrument used by various
anti-immorality and anti-corruption campaign agencies. In Nigeria, the church
has been taking one of the leading roles in the campaign against immorality
(Etire, 2002) .
Moral, according to Webster’s Universal Dictionary
and Thesaurus, is an adjectival word that is “of or related to character,
particularly as regards to right from wrong. Morality has been defined as
principles concerning right and wrong, good and bad behaviour. However,
morality is to be seen as the right motive on which man is supposed to act, the
good which one ought to follow or achieve, the discerning power or conscience
with which one determines or knows right from wrong, the laws of mutual living
able to yield positive action otherwise known as freedom of will. Ethics in
theology, especially when referred to as Christian Ethics, is the same thing as
Moral Theology. Manton (2001) thus explains Moral Theology as “the study of how
people should act in the sight of God. The term is more frequently in Roman
Catholic
The prevalence of immorality in churches among
members in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. It has grown to a level that
creates fear and tension in the heart of anyone who has concern for the future
of Nigeria as a nation and that of the teeming Christian populates of Nigeria.
The society is grappling with many behavioral problems of the church members
and clergy/pastors alike, which according to Ekundayo & Oyeniyi (2008) and
Adebule (2012) include fraud, deception, intimidation, drug offences, smoking,
flirting, stealing and armed robbery, violent conduct and demonstration,
vandalism, examination malpractices, cultism and thuggery. In addition to the
above listed widely publicized behavioral problems, Dotonu (2011) stated that
heterosexual and homosexual activities are also viewed as part of the behavioral
problems prevalent in some of the Nigerian churches.
They are coined in the literature as sex abuse, sex
offences, sexual misconduct, immorality, promiscuity and maladjustment
(Omoteso, Adeniyi & Bada, 2010 and Anise, 2011). However, Dotonu (2011)
observed that sex abuse and fraudulent misappropriation of money appeared to be
one of the most serious and most common immorality among the youths and leaders
of the churches involved in this mess.
According to the new testament of the Holy Bible,
jealousy, killing, lies, adultery, fornication, theft, heresies, pride and
several immoral acts are against the will of God. However, the church is guided
by the word of God which is against all forms of immorality, but there are
still some level of immorality in churches.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Without doubt, there is an increasingly low level
of morality and ethical standard in the society today especially in the church,
many interest groups have laid blame on modernism and developments especially
the advent of modern technology and the internet.
One of the outstanding remarkable virtues of a good
society should be sexual purity which has received little or no attention from the society
today. Also, sexual immorality has eaten deep into the fabric of the society.
It has become the mainstay of the peoples’ behaviour (Adebule, 2012).
Fraudulent accumulation of wealth has also been the order of the day in
churches
Researches have shown (Omoteso, Adeniyi & Bada,
2010; Anise, 2011 and Odebiyi, 2001) that sexual immorality and corruption has
thousands of destructive effects on the society. However, the researcher is
examining the issues of immorality in church with the hope of identifying the
way forward.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The
following are the objectives of this study:
1. To
examine the issues of immorality in churches.
2. To
determine the way forward on the issue of church immorality.
3. To
identify the factors encouraging immorality in churches.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What
is the level of immorality in churches?
2. What
is the way forward on the issue of church immorality.
3. What
are the factors encouraging immorality in churches?
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
following are the significance of this study:
1. Outcome
of this study will educate the church leaders and the general public on the
issues of immorality in the church and identifying the way forward on the issue
of church immorality.
2. This research will also serve as a
resource base to other scholars and researchers interested in carrying out
further research in this field subsequently, if applied will go to an extent to
provide new explanation to the topic.
1.7 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This
study on immorality in churches will cover all forms of immoral activities that
exist in churches today with a view of finding a lasting solution to the
problem.
Limitations of study
1.
Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the
efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature
or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire
and interview).
2.
Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously
engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down
on the time devoted for the research work.
REFERENCES
Adebule, S.
O. (2012). Moral discipline and academic performance of secondary school
students in Ekiti State of Nigeria. Journal of Ireland International Conference
on Education.
Anise, E.
O. (2011). HIV/AIDS risky behaviours among commercial drivers in Ekiti State.
An unpublished M.Ed. thesis, University of Ado-Ekiti.
Dotonu, T.
O. (2011). An assessment of the prevalence of sexual immorality among secondary
school students in Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State. An unpublished
B.A.Ed. project, University of Ado-Ekiti.
Ekundayo,
H. T. & Oyeniyi, P. (2008). Issues in examination malpractices in Nigerian
educational system. Journal of Educational Foundations and Management. 6(1):
158—166.
Etire,
Rufus T. Principles and Practice of Christian Ethics. Port Harcourt: R.
T. Etire, 2002.
Manton, M.E. A Dictionary of
Theological Terms. Grace: London, 2001