CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Religion is a system of belief in and worship of one or more gods. Christian religion is the revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ (Fawole, 1981).  Christian religious knowledge (CRK) is the understanding of Christians about their belief. CRK has been in the curriculum of educational institutions in Nigeria since the introduction of formal education. Okafor (1988) states that education without religion, which Christian religion is part of, helps to create a vacuum in the life of citizens. It leaves the young frustrated and confused about life when they are not provided with the ultimate and transcendental values to guide their lives. CRK is an agent of good morality which produces love, justice, truthfulness, fair play, and good government that leads to nation building (Njoku, 2008 & Agha, 1995). Christian religious laws are made to guide and strengthen human conduct.  They lead people to the fear of God and constituted authorities in the society. CRK guides students in such a way that they can attain intellectual and moral perfection and discipline themselves both mentally and morally to face their daily and future challenges.  According to Obilo (1995), CRK contains rich variety of concepts that enhance better and meaningful life.  It cultivates the mind and provides moral consciousness and commitment to one’s duty towards one’s neighbours and society; which Nigeria and the  world at large need most.

Notwithstanding the importance of this subject to human race, students perform below average in the subject in external examinations. The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) Chief Examiners’ Reports show that the performance of students from 1998 – 2008 in CRK is below average.  The reports note candidates’ inadequate ..knowledge of the subject matter with particular reference to Section C of the question paper entitled: ‘Themes from selected epistles.  Epistles are letters written by some of the apostles of Jesus Christ to individuals or churches to address some of their religious problems as they arose. The poor achievement and inadequate knowledge of the subject matter can be attributed to many variables. These include teachers’ method of teaching, media used and the abstract nature of the themes.

1. 1. This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research work
2. 2. As a source for additional understanding of the subject.
3. 3. As a source for ideas for your own research work (if properly referenced).
4. 4. For PROPER paraphrasing (see your university definition of plagiarism and acceptable paraphrase)
5. 5. Direct citing (if referenced properly)
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