| Abstrakt: |
Aside from the leadership crisis that has plagued the Nigerian state postindependence, insecurity remains a major challenge in the country. This insecurity is fueled by several factors; however, religious crises are the leading cause of insecurity in the Nigerian state. The problem has snowballed from being just a conflict to becoming a crisis. Several lives and properties have been lost to this crisis. The reason behind these crises is not far-fetched. Religious intolerance has been a plague that has spurred religious crises, several killings, and the destruction of properties in the Nigerian State. While several measures put in place to address this issue have proven abortive, this paper sets out to see how the existential ethics of Søren Kierkegaard can be instrumental in addressing the issue. The Nigerian state, as well as Kierkegaard, has placed a premium on religion as pivotal in the making of good individuals. But this paper has rather chosen to place a premium on Kierkegaard's ethical phase of life as the path towards addressing the Nigerian religious quagmire. The paper contends that an immoral religious man is more dangerous to society than a moral non-religious man. The paper exposes how religion could be prone to brainwashing people into committing crimes against humanity. The paper concludes and contends that, until the Nigerian State places priority on moral standing in all spheres, even in the selection of religious leaders ahead of any religious consecration, the state might never be able to come out of the quagmire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
