Ibibio Traditional Religiosity and The Notion of Worship

Abstract

Religion universally is a relevant phenomenon in every human life and society. This phenomenon provides the idea of Supernatural or spiritual beings, and the adherents are subject to beliefs, practices and observation of certain rituals due to their diverse religious experiences. The work examined Ibibio traditional religiosity and the notion of worship, and observed with dismay that the contemporary Ibibio people have been unfaithful in their daily traditional religious worship, displaying syncretic, poor and shallow attitudes towards worship. This, however, seems to be due to their indoctrination by foreign religions (Christianity and Islam) that have thwarted the notion and proper understanding of worship in Ibibio traditional religion. The paper employed survey and phenomenological methods with techniques such as oral interviews and the participant observation model. To strengthen the study, two (2) theoretical frameworks have been employed; namely, Max Weber’s social action theory and Auguste Comte’s functionalism theory. Objectively, the paper assessed who the Ibibio people are, their socio-cultural and economic life, religious beliefs and practices, worldview, concepts, and issues in worship. The work revealed that Ibibio traditional religiosity is commonly expressed individually or communally, and worship is the fundamental aspect on which the beliefs and practices are based; hence, their worldview influences the worship pattern. The work concluded that among the Ibibio traditional believers, worship is ultimately meant for the Supreme God, but mostly directed through the divinities and ancestors who serve as intermediaries between humans and the Supreme Being. It is recommended that contemporary people need to go into their grassroots and observe the constituents of religiosity and the notion of worship in Ibibio traditional religion.