Growing Understanding
Second-generation Ethiopian and Eritrean Youth and Christianity: Distinguishing between Religion and Spirituality
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mary Goitom
Since the 1990s, Canada has absorbed on average 260,000 newcomers a year by digressing from what had been seen as its normal path (migrants from select Western European countries), in order to populate the country for economic growth. Migration invariably brings with it diversity and this demographic change has implications for various institutions in Canada – in particular, the religion in the country. While the sources of immigration to Canada has changed, the religious make-up of the country has changed very little with 53.3% of the population reporting a Christian religion (Statistics Canada, 2021). While Christianity continues to be the religion of the majority of the population in Canada, what is however not being taken into consideration is the cultural variation of Christianity that for instance Ethiopian immigrants bring with them and specifically the variety of transnational relationships and practices that are maintained among ethnic groups and how this informs religious denominations. This paper presents one aspect of a larger study that explored how cultural and structural experiences associated with living in hybridity (being of two cultures: Ethiopian and Canadian or Eritrean and Canadian) informed how second-generation Ethiopian and Eritrean youth defined and practiced well-being. Specifically, this paper discusses how the maintenance of transnational religious relationships by their parents has impacted and shaped how the second-generation view and participate in religious life. Findings from 40 qualitative interviews demonstrate an alternative approach to religiosity by the youth one that is buttressed by concepts such as multiculturalism, post-modernism and globalization.
Transforming Faith Through Curriculum: Analyzing the Teachings and Influence of WOFBI 2024 on Pentecostal Practice in Nigeria
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Aretha Oluwakemi Asakitikpi
This ongoing study examines the teachings of the Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI) in 2024, the training arm of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, one of Nigeria's most prominent Pentecostal churches. The paper begins by providing the historical and philosophical context of WOFBI, followed by an analysis of its three core courses: the Basic Certificate Course (BCC), Leadership Certificate Course (LCC), and Leadership Diploma Course (LDC). Data is derived from online document analysis through the WOFBI Durumi II Campus' offical website, exploring key themes in the curriculum. Additionally, 30 purposively selected YouTube videos from a playlist of 90 WOFBEC 2024 videos are analyzed to gain insights into the teachings delivered during WOFBI 2024. The study explores how the religious curriculum and pedagogies influence the lifeworld practices and religious identity of WOFBI's followers. Through this qualitative case study approach, the paper discusses the broader transformation of Pentecostal religion in Nigeria and the new definitions of faith it presents. By combining document and video analysis, this research seeks to provide a deeper understanding of how religious education shapes the beliefs, worldview, and practices of Pentecostal Christians, contributing to the evolving landscape of faith in the Nigerian context.
A Consideration of Jewish and Catholic Resistance in the Nazi Concentration Camps
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Eileen Lyon
Religious activities were not permitted in the camps and hence such practices were carefully hidden and practitioners were subject to severe punishment and even death if caught. This is undoubtedly a factor in the formation of small tightly-knit communities of prisoners who shared not only similar religious traditions but also ethnic backgrounds. It was rare for such activities to be transnational or trans-ethnic. Several studies of spiritual resistance in the camps have demonstrated the key role that religious and cultural activities played in the maintenance of individual and collective identities as well as higher survival rates for some prisoners. Jewish writers speak of Kiddush Ha Hayyim, the sanctification of life, as an important component in Jewish resistance both in the ghettos and the camps. Christians, too, exhibited powerful forms of resistance in their continuation of traditional religious and cultural practices. Fasting in Auschwitz for Yom Kippur, keeping some elements of Shabbat observance, crafting rosaries out of the meager bread rations, confession of sins to priest-prisoners, or clandestine celebrations of the Mass were powerful reassertions of individual and communal identity in a context that was designed to eradicate such identities. This paper focuses on four types of spiritual resistance – prayer and fasting, the creation of religious texts, the crafting of devotional objects, and the carving out of worship space. The clandestine production of such items points to both the vulnerability and the resilience of the micro-communities that formed in the camp.
