Reconstructing Love for God vis-à-vis Religious Intolerance in Nigeria through the Philosophy of Samae Spirit

This article addresses the question of how the spirit of love, as articulated in the Samae spirit (three loves – divine, humanity and environment), can offer a concrete approach to translating divine-love into actionable expressions in a volatile religious pluralistic context, such as Nigeria. Drawing lessons from the theory of the Samae Spirit, we argue that love for God should not be considered in isolation from divine-love for the world and the religious other. We conclude that the all-embracing and concrete interpretation and understanding of divine-love has the potential to foster and nurture life-giving religious pluralism, making divine-love a force immanent in Nigeria.