Abstract

Recent years have seen amassed attention in and controversy about the bad doctrine of religion in groups. The study set out to find out some bad doctrines practiced by 3 different religions. The study adopted the survey research design with a sample of 100 of three Christian denominations in the northwest and south-west region of Cameroon, through a Purposive and convenient sampling procedure.

The study used a questionnaire for data collection. With respect to the findings, the result of the study revealed that respondents believe that it is necessary to go to the hospital if one is sick, also the results also found out Christians should not rely solely on prayers when they are sick. Practical recommendations have been made to the appropriate stakeholders, well recognized church establishments in Cameroon should organized workshops on ways to identify bad doctrine.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Approximately, there may be about 10000 different religions worldwide today. Even though, there are predominant religions like Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, etc. Each of these religions has its own doctrine. Some of these doctrines are just outright bad. This research intends to investigate some of these bad doctrines in Cameroon.

Background to the Study

Christianity, Islam, and traditional faiths are the three main religions in Cameroon. Christian churches and Muslim centers of various denominations operate freely throughout Cameroon while the traditionalists operate in their shrines and temples, which are also becoming popular today. Christianity arrived in Cameroon in the 19th century, at first in the form of Protestantism, than Catholicism. English Baptist missionaries established themselves in Douala from 1843 onwards and American Presbyterian missionaries in the South in 1879. In 1884, when Cameroon became a German protectorate, they were replaced by German missionaries, at first in the form of the Bale mission, then the German Baptist mission, which evangelized the Centre and West of the country.

The first Catholic missionaries (Pallotins, Spiritans and Mill-Hill) only arrived at the end of the 19th century and Christianity only gained a foothold in the north of the country in the 1920s. The religious landscape has changed considerably since the arrival of the Fulani and the English missionaries. The growth of Pentecostal movements and the emergence of hardline Islamism, which tried to displace the traditional Islamism of the lamido, signaled this reorganization.

The emergence of new religious movements took place throughout almost the entire African continent, but the situation in Cameroon is particularly worrying because the country is already suffering from the repercussions of two conflicts that have a religious dimension, the crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Boko Haram.

Statement of the problem

There are many religions in Cameroon today. Each of these religions comes with its own doctrines or a number of rules which its disciples must follow. However, some of these doctrines are bad. For instance, some doctrines encourage the disciples not to go to the hospital, and to just pray in times of sickness, while others reject essential lifesaving medical practices such as blood transfusion. However, these bad doctrines seem to be going unchecked.

Research Objective

To bring out at least 3 bad doctrines practiced by 3 different religions.

Research Question

What are 3 bad doctrines practiced by 3 different religions?

Justifications for the Study

This study is justified for two main reasons:

First, some religions are negatively affecting Cameroonian society and need to be brought to light. For instance, innocent people have died because of small illnesses which could have easily been treated in the hospital but their religions were against it. Thus, this research is justified in bringing such doctrines into the light. Second, researches on bad doctrines, especially in Cameroon, are relatively scarce. Thus, this research is justified so as to add to the body of knowledge concerning this topic.