Christianity, Marriage and Family Life in Esanland (original) (raw)

This paper examines the social impact of Christianity and Western culture on the traditional Esan conception and practice of marriage and family life. In precolonial Esan, marriage was held as sacred and the foundation of the society. Hence, marriage, though polygamous was regulated; and the family remained close-knit. Infidelity, adultery, and divorce were critically frowned at under Esan native law and custom. Thus, this study interrogate the dynamism and attitudinal response of Nigerian peoples to Christian perception and Western perspective of marriage and family life, since their contact with the West. Its finding is that since the arrival of Christian missionaries and spread of Western civilization to Nigeria, marriage and family life have never been the same. "What was" is no longer obtainable, since the emergence of Christianity; and "what is" is now becoming obsolete due to the influence of Western civilization. Therefore, adopting the comparative research methodology, the study seeks to historicize the changes, continuity, and adaptation to marriage and family life in Esanland within the context of their twenty-first century challenges. It concludes that Western liberalism has not only eclipsed both Esan native law and Christianity in Nigeria, but it has produced social contradictions evident in the high-level insubordination of wives, domestic violence, marital infidelity, separation and divorce. It is against this backdrop that this study maintains that the adoption of Bible principles as the authoritative framework guiding marriage and family life can help stem the destructive impact of Westernization in Esanland and elsewhere.

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