CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN ANYIGBA COMMUNITY, DEKINA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KOGI STATE

Abstract

This work focuses on an explanatory discourse on the attitude of some contemporary Christians towards African medicine in Anyigba, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. Traditional medicine consists of the use of herbs shrubs bark of trees, root and animal substances as medicinal recipes for the total restoration to health of an individual. Thus, for the total restoration to health of an individual, some traditional medicine men and women rates such practices as divination, oracles, and rituals. Owing to the above practices, some contemporary African Christians have developed a very negative attitude to traditional medicine and branded as juju, paganistic, idolatry, magic, fetish and witchcraft. As a result, some contemporary African Christians hardly subscribe to it publicly, because of ignorance and shame, thus resulting to some forms of hypocrisy. The work adopts the historical analytical and hermeneutical methods in achieving the aim of this paper. The aim of this work is to refute wrong and extreme practices conceived by some contemporary African Christians on the use of traditional medicine. Findings from this work show that the Church can help to address the issues of ignorance and hypocrisy among her members on the use of traditional medicine through hermeneutical study of the scripture. The paper calls for attitudinal change by some Christians towards the practice and use of traditional medicine, calling to mind the fact that some illnesses defy the conventional orthodox medical practice. Moreover, the Bible recognizes the efficacy of roots, shrubs, herbs, which are the major components of traditional medicine.