DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE IN CHARISMATIC CHURCHES: THE VIEW POINT OF SOME SELECTED PASTORS IN THE KUMASI METROPOLIS

Abstract

Marriage is a divine institution established by God. It is a covenant and a solemn binding agreement made first before God and then among people in society. God first instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:24).After that ancient union of one man and one woman in the Eden, many cultures have emerged and populated the world. Subsequently, peoples have now come to understand marriage differently in accordance with their own world views, cultural customs, beliefs and core values. This study looks at the issue of divorce and remarriage in the charismatic churches. It is an attempt to examine how the phenomenon of divorce and remarriage is dealt with in the charismatic churches. The study mainly focused on two selected churches within the Kumasi metropolis. A phenomenological approach was employed as a research methodology. Both primary and secondary sources has been used as method of data collection. Primarily, data was collected through unstructured interviews. Using a qualitative method of data analysis, this study discusses the data collected in the light of other scholarly views on divorce and remarriage. The study found out that most divorces cases in the Ghana especially those within the charismatic churches can be attributed somewhat to the inexperience and unclear understanding of the concept of marriage among young people today. The study recommends that the churches need to spend a lot of time in teaching the youth and/or the young adults on marriage. This will prevent them from having unrealistic motives about marriage and consequently, help resolve some of the issues leading to divorce in recent times.