The Church and the Use of Family Planning: A Case Study of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Ebenezer Congregation, Old Tafo

The Church and the Use of Family Planning: A Case Study of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Ebenezer Congregation, Old Tafo

Samuel Adjei , Ebenezer Abrokwah & Isaac Boaheng

Issue: Vol.5 No.16 Issue Article 21 pp.2949-2959
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451621 | Published online 19th December, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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ABSTRACT

The debate on whether the use of family planning methods within the Ghanaian Christian circle is a sin or not has been going on for quite some time now. The misunderstanding and misinterpretation of some Biblical texts like Genesis 1: 28 and Genesis 3 have led to this confusion in Ghanaian Christian circles. This paper used both empirical and non-empirical methodology and a qualitative research method with a case study approach to analyse some biblical texts; traditional concepts and contextualization of the use of family planning methods in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Ebenezer Congregation, Old Tafo. The findings of this paper are that: the Bible does not condone the use of family planning methods. Also, the Akan people of Ghana, do not frown on the use of family planning methods. The article concluded that family planning is not a sin from both biblical and Akan cultural perspectives. The authors recommended that: there should be extensive family planning education by the government; public education on the side effects of the use of some family planning methods; teaching family planning in the church will also be beneficial to members and there should be a critical reading of the Bible to guide the creation of church doctrines. The key findings from this paper contributes to Christian ethics by educating Ghanaian Christians on the concept of family planning.

Keywords: Family Planning, Akan, Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Infertility,

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Dr. Berington Zanoxolo Gobingca holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education, Master of Education (MEd), Bachelor of Education (BEd), Bachelor of Commerce in Education (B. Com Educ), and a Diploma in Agriculture. Currently, he is a senior lecturer in the Business and Management Education Department (BME Dep.) in the Faculty of Education (FE) at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) geographically located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. His research focuses on Curriculum development, Governance, Leadership, and Management and specializes in the Commerce stream.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Adjei, Samuel, Ebenezer Abrokwah & Isaac Boaheng. “The Church and the Use of Family Planning: A Case Study of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Ebenezer Congregation, Old Tafo,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.16 (2024):2949-2959. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451621