Journal of Philosophy and Religion

The history of the doctrine of seed planting in Christian churches in Kenya

Purity Kananu Mwongera — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study seeks to document the historical development of the doctrine of seed planting and examine the pivotal role of pastors in promoting and institutionalising the practice within Christian churches in Kenya. Influenced by global prosperity gospel preachers, the doctrine has been shaped and disseminated by local church leaders who have positioned it as a pathway to spiritual and material blessings. The doctrine derived from biblical scriptures has been contested as to whether it is a legitimate development of Christian doctrine or it is a deviation from biblical principles of giving. In addition, scholarly research on how it evolved in the late 20th century in the Kenyan religious landscape lacked clear documentation. Thus, the paper traced the development of the doctrine from its foreign theological origins to its localised expression, highlighting how pastors have used sermons, media, and church structures to cultivate
a culture of sacrificial giving among congregants. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. Data was collected from 10 church clergy, 10 church leaders, and 150 church members and analysed using narrative descriptions. Using Newman’s theory of developing Christian doctrines (1845), the study established that the doctrine reinterpreted historic Christian teaching on generosity, simplicity, and sacrifice in giving. It, therefore, recommended a historically grounded and ethically informed approach to Christian giving in the Kenyan context. The work contributed to the growing body of African theological scholarship by documenting a distinctly African experience of Christian doctrine. It enriches the discourse around how African Christianity continues to evolve and respond to emerging challenges.

Fear of death and ignorance of what it is really about are major contributing factors to dual allegiance and religious syncretism

Francis Kariuki — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines the phenomenon of Dual Allegiance (DA) and Religious Syncretism (RS) within the context of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church-Nkoroi of Nkoroi District Churches, focusing on the pervasive impact of fear of death and ignorance about the nature of death as they are the principal causative factors. By integrating theological analysis with psychological insights, the study elucidates how misconceptions about death and the afterlife fuel these vices among church members. This study highlights how historical missionary activities sometimes failed to fully address these deep-seated beliefs, leading to a form of Christianity that is intermittently blended with indigenous religious practices, hence practising syncretism and leading a DA Christian life. Ignorance about the Biblical teachings on death leads to DA and RS, as some members turn to animistic or ancestral practices for reassurance against existential threats. It further advocates for an educational approach that emphasises a clear, Biblically grounded eschatology to empower
believers with a correct understanding of death, thereby reducing fear and discouraging reliance on syncretic lifestyle and DA practices. This study calls for a strategic pastoral response that includes comprehensive Biblical teaching focused on the genesis and nature of life at creation, death, and what it is, as well as resurrection as central to alleviating DA and RS. It underscores the need for an approach that not only educates but also spiritually moulds church members, enabling them to resist syncretism but instead affirm their allegiance solely to God and sound Biblical-based Christian doctrine in the aforementioned creation, death and what it is and resurrection.

Root causes of men backsliding from church membership

Peter Omundi Aricha, Mahlon Juma Nyongesa, Feliks Ponyatovskiy — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study is to understand the reasons and root causes of men’s backsliding from weekly Sabbath attendance and worship services in the Mochenwa and Rigena districts. The phenomenon of backsliding and church non-attendance among men is one of the emerging tendencies in the postmodern religious worldviews. The gradual backsliding of men from regular church attendance and participation, as observed in Nyamira West Field Seventh-day Adventist churches, is a worrying trend. This research design applied a quantitative method for data collection. The quantitative design utilised a questionnaire with structured closed-ended questions on a four-point Likert scale of measurement and collected respondents' attitudes and opinions, which factored the backslidden members in this study. The design provided the blueprint for this research. Data was analysed electronically using the Statistics Package for Social Science (SPSS) software for descriptive data analysis to capture the percentage. Based on the findings, the reasons for backsliding that stood out include but are not limited to loss of faith, loss of interest, involvement in drinking alcohol, criticism from fellow church members, lack of frequent visitation, and discrimination. Therefore, the study recommends that each church member be actively involved in weekly church activities so that the backsliders can be reclaimed, retained, and nurtured spiritually. The church should implement the following programs: small group ministry, prayer ministry, visitation program, and leadership training to curb this worrying trend of backsliding.

Religious cults, sects, and denominations: A theoretical inquiry into the conceptual boundaries and intersections within the study of religion

Chris Tuhirirwe, Josephine Bweyale — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This conceptual article undertakes to examine and explicate the term religious ‘cult’ and its relationships with the concepts of religious ‘sect’, religious ‘denomination’ and Religion. In the milieu of New Religious Movements, expanding religious pluralism, religious fundamentalism and extremism, the ambiguity of the religious terms cult, sect and denomination may be problematic for policies concerning Religion and worship, religious education and the practice of Religion. Using qualitative theoretical review methodology, the article investigated the historical and sociological origins and meanings of the terms cult, sect, and denomination, how they relate and overlap, how the meanings have transformed over time and the implications for both academia and religious practice. Conceptual purposive sampling was used to identify and select sources of academic discourses that illuminate the phenomenology of Religion and concepts of 'cult', 'sect' and 'denomination'. Data reveals that it is complex to formulate a precise and universally acceptable definition of the concept of cult from a religious perspective. This is because the term has undergone remarkable transformations from its original meaning and application, which was positive and neutral, to the present-day meaning with negative connotations. In view of the negative meaning and application of the term religious cult today, the term should be used in time and context. Where possible, it should be substituted with other neutral and less negative terms like New Religious Movement (NRM), alternative religious movement or emergent Religion.

Examining Knowledge and Visual Disability in the Light of Plato’s Doctrine of Forms

Reuben Kigame — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this article is to examine knowledge and visual disability in the light of Plato’s doctrine of forms. Using speculative philosophy, the study questions the assumption that sighted individuals possess superior knowledge and explores what distinguishes partial from comprehensive understanding. Using John Godfrey Saxe's poetic version of the Indian parable of six blind men touching an elephant as a prelude, the paper examines the epistemological implications of partial perception and the belief that sensory experience connects to comprehensive understanding. The analysis reveals that visual disability does not hinder cognitive capacity, as both sighted and blind individual’s access universal truths through shared mental processes, with sight serving merely as a data-entry mechanism. Plato's Forms suggest that sensory perceptions are inferior to pure ideas, and Baudrillard's simulacra highlights how visual representations can obscure reality. The paper concludes that Plato's Theory of Forms provides a robust epistemological foundation, viewing visual disability as a privation rather than a cognitive defect. By examining this doctrine, the paper seeks to determine the usefulness of sight in the comprehensiveness of how we know.

The Particle-Wave duality of Humans

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research aimed to elucidate the duality of body and soul in humans by using quantum physics to conceptually explain the body of light and energy of near-death experiencers. The idea of particle-wave duality was initially proposed by Louis de Broglie, a physicist, in 1923. He suggested that matter could display both particle-like and wave-like characteristics. It was developed to describe the behaviour of microscopic entities, such as light and electrons. This study extended the concept non-empirically and called it “The Particle-Wave duality of Humans.” From quantum physics, the particles within the human body may even act as waves outside the body after death or during near-death experiences (NDEs). Individuals who have had these experiences reported feeling as if they hovered above their lifeless bodies as entities of light and energy. Given that matter can occupy both particle and wave forms, the intertwined particles in the human body behave as waves (soul) and can depart from the body at death. These waves contain energy, which aligns with the law of conservation of energy, stating that "energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can be converted from one form to another." The energy carried by these intertwined particles changes into light energy, carried by light waves. The soul is non-corporeal (meaning it has wave properties). By introducing the concept of quantum physics into near-death experiences reported, we concluded that a human exists as a particle in a physical realm and as a wave in a non-physical realm.

Efficacy of youth seminars, camps and conferences in inculcating moral values among the youth in the Methodist Church in Kenya, Meru, Region

Jane Kathure Ntaari, Hellen Orina, Moses Kirimi — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined the efficacy of youth seminars, camps and conferences in inculcating moral values among the youth in the Methodist Church in Kenya, Meru Region. The study was guided by the moral development theory developed by Lawrence Kohlberg in 1958 and falls in the category of cognitive-moral-reasoning theories. The theory was suitable for this study because it clarified what influences the moral decisions at each level of moral development, something that the church can take advantage of to ensure the inculcation of moral values among the youth. The study targeted youth and the clergy of the six synods of the Methodist church in Kenya, Meru Region. A descriptive survey research design was used. Stratified random sampling was used to attain the study sample size. The instruments for data collection included a questionnaire for the youth and an interview schedule for the clergy. Data analysis was done through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 27 and presented through descriptions, tables and pie charts. The study revealed that many youth take part in the various church programmes, while some do not. Youth programmes are effective in inculcating moral values such as peace, respect, obedience, love, honesty and cooperation. It was observable that the value of sexual purity was lowly rated in most programmes. The study is significant as a contribution to the body of knowledge in the discipline of Religious Studies in the area of ecclesiology and psychology of religion.

Religious interpretations on gender roles and their influence on married women in the Tharaka community

Sarah Kawira Muchoki, Dickson Nkonge Kagema, Purity Kananu Mwongera — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined religious interpretations of gender roles and their influence on married women in the Tharaka community. In Tharaka, religious institutions play a central role in defining marital responsibilities and shaping perceptions of male and female roles. While religious teachings often promote harmony and moral order, some interpretations reinforce male authority and limit women’s decision-making power, contributing to marital conflicts. Guided by the Structural Functionalism Theory, the study explored how these interpretations persist and maintain social order despite disadvantaging women. The target population was 99,435, with a sample size of 380 comprising 148 married women, 150 married men, 70 single women, 3 clergy, and 9 lay leaders from Matiiri Catholic Church, East Africa Pentecostal Church Gatunga, and the Methodist Church of Kenya in Marimanti. A descriptive survey design was used, and data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Findings revealed that religion significantly shapes gender roles, emphasising female submission, male headship, and discouraging divorce, even in abusive relationships. Although churches offer counselling, access remains limited, and teachings often reflect outdated gender norms. Most participants reported being socialised to view men as leaders and women as caretakers, a belief upheld by clergy and lay leaders. Despite emerging support for gender equality among a few leaders, patriarchal norms continue to dominate. The study concluded that religious institutions should contextually reinterpret doctrines to promote gender equity, mutual respect, and balanced marital relationships that align faith with contemporary social realities.

Interventions employed by chaplaincy in enhancing rehabilitation of prisoners in Kenya

Peter Muriithi Wambugu — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study sought to evaluate interventions employed by the chaplaincy in enhancing the rehabilitation of prisoners at Embu Women Prison (EWP) and Kamiti Maximum Prison (KMP). Despite chaplaincy-based interventions, the prisoner population has continued to escalate unabatedly, weakening the economic and socio-political fabric of the nation’s development. Some critics have perceived this as evidence of non-engagement of chaplaincy in rehabilitation and socio-reintegration. The research design used was descriptive research. Primary and secondary data were collected and analysed. The study was informed by Reconstruction Theology and Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory. Purposive, random, stratified random and snowball samplings were used to sample 290 respondents from a target population of 4,178. Data was presented in percentages, tables, pie charts and graphs. Qualitative data were analysed thematically, coded and processed. The study concludes that despite attempted interventions by chaplaincy in rehabilitating prisoners, there still exists an escalating prisoner population and recidivism coupled with moral decadence. The study recommends an integrated intervention model employing restitution, mediation, reintegration and acceptance to support offenders’ reform agenda. The provisions of law warrant resources for chaplaincy to enhance acquiring relevant skills to enhance rehabilitation and transitions of released prisoners into community. Further, the competency should be focused towards rehabilitating prisoners and reducing reoffending.