The Decline of Spiritual Authority in Gikuyu Traditional Religion

Author: Dr. Peter Kiarie Njoroge

The problem investigated by this study has been indicated by the observation that there is prevalent instability in many Gikuyu families. This instability leads to strained relationships between family members both at the nuclear and extended levels, resulting in family break-ups, domestic violence and tragedies. These increasing unstable Gikuyu families are becoming a cause of concern for Gikuyu society and for the general human society. The study has been guided by theories of knowledge that acknowledge indemonstrable first principles that characterize human intelligence and theories that reject the dichotomy of methodologies between the natural sciences and the human sciences but support the validity of the scientific study of religion as a human science. Gikuyu Traditional Religion has been presented in the framework of the six dimensions of a religion defined by Ninian Smart, viz., the experiential, mythological, ritual, ethical, social and doctrinal. Extensive review of related literature and document analysis has established the incidence of spiritual authority in Gikuyu Traditional Religion and at the same time revealed the gap addressed by this study: that the spiritual authority has not been addressed as a legitimate partner to be entered into dialogue with.