A Moral Appraisal of Christian Marriage Vow Violations among Couples in Urhoboland

Abstract

Most academics and Christians reject the biblical foundation of Christian marriage vows because of misunderstandings and uncertainties surrounding their theological foundation. The marriage vow’s infractions are attributed to Christian couples’ lack of understanding of its moral implications, significance, and other aspects. Marriage is frequently handled carelessly because many individuals, especially Christian couples, are ignorant that it is a contract. Similarly, persons who use marriage vows to bind such contracts are unaware of the moral repercussions. There is little or no literature on what encourages or dissuades Urhoboland Christians in particular from honouring their marriage vows. As a result, this research explores whether Christian couples follow certain Christian marriage vows in Urhoboland, Nigeria. The research employed phenomenological and analytical methods. In order to achieve this, respondents’ perspectives on the violation of the marital promise by Christian couples in Urhoboland were gathered through the use of a systematic questionnaire and unstructured oral interviews. Twelve churches were selected from six local government areas (Ethiope East, Ethiope West, Udu, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, and Sapele Local Government Areas) in Nigeria. The research attempts to address the following questions: What Constitutes Marital Vow Violations and the Effects of Marriage Vow Violations on Couples, Families, and Society. According to the vast majority of respondents to this study, infertility frequently causes couples to violate their marital vows in Urhobo tradition.