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Document Details : Title: A Cross-West African Sub-Region Survey on Attitudes with regard to Family Life Author(s): APPIAH-KUBI, Francis Journal: Marriage, Families & Spirituality Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Date: 2014 Pages: 96-100 DOI: 10.2143/INT.20.1.3036700 Abstract : Marriage and family life embody solid cultural values and are the fundamental guarantee of the community and of society. They have been the object of examination by social scientists, whose conclusions pose a great challenge to the church. For the church, what is at stake is the identity and the survival of marriage and family life, as well as the lives of so many children who are the victims of an a priori discrimination that deprives them of a proper education and of the growth to human maturity that, in God’s plan, happens in a home with both a father and a mother. The direct rejection of God’s law and purpose for marriage is equally dangerous, since this is not simply a political struggle. It is not merely a question of legislation: it is a 'move' by the devil to confuse and lead astray the children of God. Within this ideological confusion, and against the background of certain traditional customs, the African Christian family must make sense of its family life in the context of its faith and culture. The present contribution, which is exclusively the fruit of field research, studies reactions and concrete activities that have been taken in Africa in view of the upcoming Synod. It analyzes data collected across the West African sub-region and makes some relevant proposals for the Synod’s consideration. |
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