Impact of Belief in Destiny Mythology on Healing Process Among the Christian families of South-West Region of Nigeria
Abstract
The study investigated the impact of belief in destiny mythology on healing process among the Christian families of South-West Region of Nigeria. Three local governments were involved, Osogbo, Ife Central and Ede North. The study was guided by the following research question; What is the impact of belief in destiny mythology on healing process among the Christian families of South-West Region, Nigeria? The study was founded on Emile Durkheim theory and the Functionalism. This theory sees religion as a consistent institution of every society and purely natural. The study applied the descriptive survey and phenomenology designs and a mixed method approach, using proportionate stratified, probability and non-probability sampling techniques. The sample size included the 400 Christians and 23 health care-givers, 10 spiritual healers, 8 traditional healers, 1 Doctor, 1 Psychologist, 1 Counsellor and 2 theologians. Mugenda & Mugenda (2003) and Krejcie & Morgan (1970) sample size determination formulas were employed. Instruments for data collection were questionnaires, interview guide and observation guide as a complementary tool. The triangulation data collections method and the sequential explanatory data analysis method were used respectively. Results showed that, though majority believed that only God changes the destiny of a person, the other different opinion suggests and confirmed one of the beliefs that “those with mystical powers like the Ifa priests, the witches or individuals can be beneficial if courted because they are not regarded as total evil-doers. Pearsons Correlation was used to verify the relationship and the results indicated a statistically significant strong correlation (r = 0.648 with p = 0.000 which is less than 0.05). The study found that there was strong positive correlations coefficient between holistic health and belief in destiny mythology. Therefore, the study recommends that (1) there is a need to censor what social media feeds the people, for instance, movies that propagate excessive visit to the herbalists as the solution to every problem are a negative influence and dangerous. (2) Christians involvement in movie-making is recommended, (3) also, the provision of basic amenities by the government is suggested. (4) Lastly, this study recommends a study guide on traditional healing practices in each denomination beginning from the “Small Christian Communities†in each Parish.
Keywords: Traditional mystical power, holistic health, holistic process, destiny mythology wholeness, Christian families, illness, sickness or disease, and health care-givers.
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