INTEGRITY JOURNAL OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Integrity Research Journals
ISSN: 2811-2407
Model: Open Access/Peer Reviewed
DOI: 10.31248/IJAH
Start Year: 2020
Email: ijah@integrityresjournals.org
Echoes of injustice and false standards of worship in Nigerian Christians: A socio-ethical study of Isaiah 1:10-20
https://doi.org/10.31248/IJAH2024.169 | Article Number: 72F5EFF58 | Vol.5 (3) - October 2024
Received Date: 03 September 2024 | Accepted Date: 19 October 2024 | Published Date: 30 October 2024
Author: Alozie Chukwunyere Iroanya
Keywords: social justice., Contemporary society, false worship, relationship, theological reflection.
Religion and its practice and praxis in Nigeria have had a chequered history. Despite its openness to the general public, religion is still a puzzle and arcane to the outsider. It is perhaps in this light that one can appreciate Isaiah’s stunning polemic against unacceptable worship. This paper using the descriptive survey method discovered that Isaiah was disenchanted with false religious practices and unambiguously bemoaned the absence of justice, holiness, righteousness, and mercy. This study reveals that Isaiah One with its stunning poetry, inspiring call for justice, and complex portrayal of God is one of the most memorable chapters of biblical prophetic literature. Accordingly, this polemic against false standards of worship (vv.10 - 17) and an offer of divine forgiveness (vv.18-20) have the potential to inspire rich ethical and theological reflection. This study recommends that the Church should live by example in social ministry; preaching, teaching, and defending the cause of the poor and all those who are denied the right to exist as full human beings. This study concludes that God is not chiefly concerned with cultic prescription and legalistic righteousness. Rather, God’s concern ultimately is with our character, attitudes, and relationships.
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