THE MARRIAGE INSTITUTION IN GHANA AND ECCLESIAL MEMBERSHIP

Abstract

Until the arrival of Islam and Christianity on the soils of Ghana in
the 15th Century the social life of the inhabitants and their conception
about the universe and the place of the human person in it were
directed by the perceptions inherent in the religious practice of the
so-called African Traditional Religion.1 In the traditional society of
Ghana religion is considered as an integral part of the very core of
daily life. The introduction of other religions and religious practices
brought about a mix in the landscape. On one side of the coin, new
perspectives and flavour are brought into the religious landscape of
the country, thereby widening the horizon of the inhabitants. On the
other side of the coin is the tension created through the encounter or
clash of cultures. Islam and Christianity came into the country with
the cultures of the respective countries of the missionaries thereof.
This situation created strain among the religions, which was
especially pronounced between the African Traditional Religion and
Christianity, since the latter considered anything traditional as fetish
and devilish. The indigenous cultures were thus supposed to be
abhorred by all those who got converted to the new religion.