RELIGIOUS CHANGE IN TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS PRACTICES OF IKEDURU SOCIETY, IMO STATE, NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR PEACE AND SOCIAL STABILITY

Abstract Contemporary Ikeduru society has, in the recent times, witnessed tremendous religious change as seen from the level of alterations and transformations in its socio-cultural and traditional religious practices.  This religious change is caused by Christianity, western education, modernization and civilization, science and technology, globalization, social media and urbanization. The religious change, though helped to transform obnoxious cultural practices, affected indigenous systems of worship, traditional system of moral control, sacred institutions, indigenous values, beliefs, knowledge system, rites, rituals and indigenous mechanisms of peace-building and conflict resolution. Thus, the study examines the nature and effects of religious change in the traditional religious practices of Ikeduru society and evaluates its implications for peace and social stability. The study adopts qualitative and descriptive research designs based on oral information, documentary analysis of books, peer-reviewed journal articles and other relevant scholarly materials. The paper is anchored on structural functionalist theory of social change which posits that the whole institutions in the society function in synergy to maintain equilibrium, stability and order in the society.  A change or disruption in the function of one part of the society or institution of the state such as economy, technology, education, religion and so on, will ultimately affect the other parts of the society, bringing about a change in the whole society. It concludes that Ikeduru traditional religious practices should be revived and repositioned because of its role in fostering social justice, peaceful coexistence, conflict prevention and social stability among the people. The paper suggests digital documentation of Ikeduru traditional religious practices, norms, values and indigenous knowledge systems to preserve them for future generations, as parts of strategies for cautioning the effects of religious change on Ikeduru traditional religious practices.