Religion & Faith In Development: The Ostracised, Now an Attractive Element in International Development

SKEPTICISM AND DISREGARD OF RELIGION AND FAITH IN DEVELOPMENT

For most of the twentieth century, social scientists' responses to questions about faith and religion were becoming more meaningless. As a result, the donor community has also failed to perceive religious communities as development partners (Jennings and Clarke, 2008). This analyses were underpinned by the hefty influence of the "Secularization Theory", religion and faith have historically been overlooked in development studies, despite their importance in the lives of the impoverished throughout the developing world. The theory holds that as cultures modernize, religious institutions, actions, and awareness lose their social relevance (Clarke, 2008). In this regard, religion was viewed as a conservative and traditional force that would gradually fade away from public life as part of social progress toward a more contemporary society, making it impossible to reconcile or link to development's logic of economic advancement and bureaucratic rationalization (Petersen & Moigne, 2016, p.3). Divergently, Haar & Ellis (2006) opined, religion does not appear to be fading or declining in public prominence in Africa, as development theorists have typically assumed.

Furthermore, religion and faith have seen some extent of neglect and avoidance, possibly because of the suspicions of proselytization, which was evidenced in Afghanistan, where humanitarian activities in Kabul were fraught in 2001 when the Taliban ejected all Christian relief organizations because they were seeking to evangelize the population (Thaut, 2009, p.321). An earlier study reported by Beek (2000) likewise supported the hypothesis that religion has been actively shunned in development literature and practice, leading?to worse research and less successful programs. Furthermore, the vital question of whether modern humanitarianism has actually moved on from its roots in nineteenth-century colonialism and Christian missions has been raised. In relation to this and other significant considerations, the European Union has traditionally neglected consideration of the religious factor in developing policies for Africa (Haar & Ellis, 2006, p. 46). Again, it may be due to a ?failure of researchers?to recognize the diversity of religious organizations and actors rather than attempting to essentializing, oversimplify, or label them, because religion, whether as a ritual, institution, nonprofit organization, leader, or service provider, contains layers of ambiguities, potential, and hazards (UNFPA, 2014).

In addition to this, there has been evidence leading to the negative role played by religion and other faith-based organizations in the emergence of conflicts that needs not be overlooked. However, the significance of religion in political conflict should not be used to dismiss its potential position as a significant force in the development process (Ter Haar, 2005 as cited by Haar & Ellis, 2006, p. 49). The paucity of literature in the 20th century on the role of Christian faith-based organizations in the development space has been noted given their prevalence and the historical complications in the sector. For some time, it has been clear that these and several old assumptions about the relationship between religion and development in general need to be reconsidered.

THE GROWING INTEREST IN RELIGION/FAITH IN DEVELOPMENT

Interestingly, religion or faith plays an important role in the development spheres, and the very first initiatives on religion and development emerged from donor agencies such as the World Bank, the Dutch Foreign Ministry, DFID, and others (Petersen & Moigne, 2016, p.2). The World Bank's Development Dialogue on Values and Ethics is regarded as one of the first donor programs to address the critical role of religion and faith in development. It was inaugurated in 1998 by then-President James Wolfensohn and then-Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey. This, as a result, developed a bridge between the worlds of faith and secular development (Petersen & Moigne, 2016, p.9).

Furthermore, Haar & Ellis have disclosed that the prominence of this subject prompted the UK government's development arm, the Department for International Development (DFID), to conduct extensive research on the subject through a project named "Faiths in Development". Correspondingly, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established a Knowledge Forum on Religion and Development Policy. Other European donor institutions, including some non-governmental organizations, are known to have launched initiatives to investigate the role of religion in the development process (p.48). Furthermore, there has been a trend in foreign policy and development cooperation to place where?a greater emphasis is placed?on donor organizations in the United States, Netherlands, Norway, ?United Kingdom, and other countries eliciting for launched initiatives such as guidelines, money for civil society activities, and research programs on religious freedom and minorities (Petersen & Moigne, 2016, p.3). The World Bank asserted that it estimates that FBOs in Africa offer almost half of the continent's health and education services (Deneulin and Bano, 2009 as cited by (Petersen & Moigne, 2016, p.3).

After this pacesetting, donor agencies have made remarkable efforts to reconsider religion and faith in development. For example, the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) held a symposium titled Religion and Spirituality: A Development Taboo, in 2002. The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) issued a policy brief in 2005 acknowledging religion's "increasing involvement" in development. The Knowledge Forum for Religion and Development Policy was founded in 2005 in the Netherlands with the goal of improving discussion on religion and development between the Dutch Foreign Ministry and FBOs (Belshaw et al., 2001 as cited Dotsey & Kumi, 2020). As part of the World Bank's Faith Initiative and follow-up, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim assembled religious leaders in April 2015 for a common commitment to "Ending Extreme Poverty – a Moral and Spiritual Imperative" (DUF II) (Petersen & Moigne, 2016, p.9).

THE DISTINCTIVE FACTORS

Research on development show that little is known about how religious?beliefs affect the values and activities of humanitarian agencies, how they differ from secular agencies, and the significance of their?distinctiveness. Currently, faith-based organizations (FBOs) are becoming increasingly major players in international development and many international organizations see them as valuable partners. They represent a new generation of religious actors affecting global policy–an organizational hybrid of religious convictions with social action at the local, national, and international levels (Berger, 2003). From the Christian standpoint, it has been established that the development role of Christian churches in Africa must be taken seriously, not only because it is widely trusted and supported in Africa, but because it is part of a global movement capable of improving the lives of the poor (Essamuah, 2002).

In this regard, religion's potential function as a development agent in Africa has not gone unnoticed by some of Europe's most powerful donor organizations. As valuable partners, religious and faith-based organizations obviously declare that faith is "mainstreamed" in their operations due to the reasons of widespread religious awakening, mainly in developing countries; advancing globalization; and widespread public and donor dissatisfaction with consistently poor development outcomes in many developing countries and areas (Haynes, 2013). Chowdhury, Islam, and Wahab (2020) further asserted that the engagement of faith-based non-governmental organizations in the development domain is no longer an ignored topic considering the wide coverage of humanitarian assistance, the expansion of global identity politics, and the shifting ideological views of development donors and policymakers.

Advancing Globalization and Development Outcome Attainment

Religion and Faith in development has been proven as reliable partners to advancing globalization and effective developmental outcome attainment. This comes due to the widespread public and donor dissatisfaction with consistently poor development outcomes in many developing countries in the world (Haynes, 2013). With skepticism, Radhakrishnan (2004) asserted that the world's main faiths are being exploited as purveyors of the globalization agenda, which is frequently accompanied by a massive inflow of funding into the developing nations. Radhakrishnan further indicated that the challenges have been the transformation of traditional religions and belief systems. The beginning of the disintegration of traditional social fabrics and shared norms caused by consumerism, cyber culture, newfangled religions, and changing work ethics and work rhythms; and the rapidly spreading anomie, which forces an increasing number of people to rely on easily accessible pretentious religious banalities and attribute them to religiosity (Radhakrishnan, 2004).

?This notwithstanding, faith-based groups were urged to become essential partners with secular agencies in a reinvigorated drive for greater human development in the poor countries in the 1990s, with an emphasis on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a measure to deepen globalization. Many faith-based groups have taken a stronger public position in connection to human development than they have in the past to reflect three interconnected processes, including the expansion of globalization in the developing world (Haynes, 2007). Religion has long been a driving force in the process of globalization and it has been orated that no single force has had a greater impact on propelling globalization forward than religion, which has always sought to spread its message beyond the ethnic and territorial frontiers of its origin" (Herrington, 2013).

Religion and Faith the Origin of Humanitarianism

The Christian concepts of love and care for one's neighbor are fundamental to the Western concept of humanitarianism, demonstrating the early impact religion and faith had on the development sector. To support this argument, Barrow & Jennings (2001, as cited by Thaut, 2009) opined, "The Bible, in particular the New Testament, is perhaps the major guiding charitable text for the Western world. The Good Samaritan principle is perhaps the foundation of twentieth century philanthropy and aid" (p.322). Historically, Ferris (2005) asserted that prior to the formalization of international humanitarian and relief services into law, faith communities assisted individuals affected by natural disasters, persecution, and conflict. As part of their Christian and biblical principles, these groups did this with the unifying purpose of pursuing justice for the poor, the marginalized, and the foreign (p. 313).

This has been the case since medieval times, when persecuted Christians sought safety in temples, towns of refuge, and monasteries, until Catholic orders were founded to give charity to the poor, medical treatment to the ill, education for children, and hospitality to visitors. Ferris further noted that the diaconate, a distinct category of laity ministry in the Orthodox and Protestant traditions, was formed to carry out Christian service as important to the church's purpose. Humanitarianism, by all accounts, is founded on the belief and absolute values of the human individual (p.313). This then became part of the integral mission of the Christian body until the nineteenth century where other secular humanitarian organization came (Ferris, 2005, p.314). Despite being often criticized today for its culpability in colonialism, the old Christian missionary history left a legacy of church involvement in social services in all regions, notably in the fields of education and health.

A Force against the Predictions of the Secularization Theory

It is interesting to discover that religion has not vanished from the public sphere, nor has it retreated into the private sphere, as indicated by the hefty influence of the "Secularization Theory”. Jennings and Clarke (2008) cited that at the turn of the twentieth century, prominent philosophers across Europe thought that faith had lost its value and battle?against the secularist ideology. As science improved at executing its duty, scholars considered science as the biggest challenge to religion. Jennings and Clarke further iterated that Secularism was given political expression in France, for example, when the separation of Church and Official resulted in the removal of religion from public space, the end of state support for religion, and the restriction of religious symbols and signs on public buildings (p.260). Instead of the global growth of a new kind of identity politics, public religion has become much more apparent (Petersen & Moigne, 2016, p.3).?According to Marshall (2001), secularism through the Human Development Theory has a detrimental influence on religious attendance but no effect on religious belief, and inquiry has proven that as civilizations mature, religious belief will likely stay strong even if religious attendance diminishes. The conclusion is that the dominance of modernization and secularization theories has definitely contributed to this marginalization, but if the significance and influence of culture on development strategy must be understood, then the distinctive role of religion must be accounted for (Selinger, 2004). With this in perspective, events have highlighted the strong linkages that exist between religion and modernization, raising fresh concerns about how these links work and how thinkers and actors should respond (Marshall, 2001).

Church and Other Faith Partnerships

Further studies have shown that faith-based organizations (FBOs) have a unique ability to access the humanitarian routes that are normally not open to secular agencies. The FBOs, especially the Christian ones, have an advantageous connection and partnership with the local churches in their targeted communities. Due to the principles and values of their faith, FBOs are well connected with the communities, even in conflict times where other relief agencies may be fleeing. This is due to the premium these agencies place on relationship building with the local churches and further mobilize them to come together to meet the basic needs of the local communities (Thaut, 2009, p.323). The ability of agencies to comprehend and work through the dynamics of faith is critical to their effectiveness in communities where their religion or faith is a component of everyday life and the lens through which events are understood.

Cooperation of Faith Leaders

It is an undeniable fact that FBOs have access to the most influential leaders in their communities of operations. Akinloye (2018) stated emphatically that "in order for successful SDG attainment, it is indispensable that its implementing actors collaborate with faith and religious leaders that will make more members of the populace aware of, accepting of, and involved in the implementation of the goals. (Tomalin, Haustein & Kidy (2019) motioned that attempts to uplift the essence of faith and its leaders in development have revealed “modernization and secularization do not necessarily go hand-in-hand and that religious values and faith actors are important determinants in the drive to reduce poverty as well as in the structures and practices that underpin it". Furthermore, faith leaders have such a critical role to play in facilitating the world's societies to appropriately and ethically address the causes, impacts, and related challenges of climate change (Abdussalam & Abukur, 2021). Additionally, the study conducted by Abdussalam & Abukur (2021) further reveals that almost all (94%) of the religious leaders involved in the research conducted on the "roles of religious leaders in addressing climate change challenges" strongly agree that they have an important role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Le Roux et al. (2016) mentioned one of the critical roles of faith and religious leaders in the implementation of development programs. This is projected vividly in the area of peace and conflicts and in the study titled "Getting Dirty: Working with Faith Leaders to prevent and respond to Gender-Based Violence". Pope Francis’ visit to Central African Republic (CAR) was cited to support the invaluable roles of faith and religious leaders in the realization of the SDGs. On this evidence, Tomalin, Haustein, and Kidy (2019) emphasized that faith and religious leaders can be key allies in the process of cultural change. However, it is important not to overemphasize or over-rely on the capacity of the same religious leaders to effect change. In this same context, religious leaders are seen to be among the most powerful people, yet there is evidence pointing to their frequent involvement in hate speech and incitement. Nevertheless, they are further counted among the most important in preventing and fighting incitement by disseminating messages of peace and tolerance (Anon, 2018).

A powerful motivation for an Improve Life

Studies have shown that taking seriously people’s worldviews and their potential for the development process is key. The factor of religion and faith has contributed to the achievement of developmental goals by way of the deliberate integration of faith and belief systems into sectors, including but not limited to child and adult safeguarding, WASH, livelihood improvement, and family empowerment programs, just to mention a few. Even though spirituality, religion, and faith are faced with wild rejection, they exist across every community and geographical area because they are ingrained in the lives of individuals as they seek meaning, thereby shaping their principles and aspirations (Chile & Simpson, 2004; Richards, 2009). Further support by Marshall and Keough (2004, as cited by Haynes, 2007) has revealed that understanding faith as key to crafting policies that effectively combat poverty is critical since religion influences the perspectives of individuals and groups, as well as the development objectives they pursue coupled with the overall desire to engage for quality developmental outcomes.

Norman & Odotei (2019) shared, one of World Vision International's strategic imperatives which is to "carry out its Christian faith and calling with boldness and humility" in order to reach out to the most disadvantaged areas of operations without proselytizing. Norman and Odotei concluded that incorporating faith into technical programs provides an advantage to move beyond current constraints; thus, their faith expands them beyond what their intellect would allow. In the case of Compassion International, they are motivated their Christian faith to release children from poverty in Jesus’s name through a holistic approach to child development by carefully blending physical, social, economic and spiritual care together which has a biblical foundation (Compassion International , n.d.). Similarly, Christian Aid also seeks to create a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty (Christian Aid, n.d.).?

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