Cultural practices that promote pre-marital sex among the youth of Seventh-day Adventist church, Lafia District, North East Nigeria Conference

Abstract

To some people virginity is viewed as sacred and honorable, while to others it is not and cannot be. There is little to doubt that culture has a role to play in the sexual behaviors of young people. The high percentage of pregnancy in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Lafia, due to premarital activities is quite disturbing. These cases of unwanted pregnancies constitute serious problems for the youth, the family, the church and the society at large. To make a proper investigation of the problem, 65 questionnaires were administered and personal interviews were conducted. All interviews were undertaken in a private environment and in the language of choice of the respondents. The interview guide had earlier been translated into Hausa, a language that dominates the Northern part of Nigeria.Findings revealed that the predominant sources of sexual knowledge that negatively influenced the youths were media and friends. Cultural matters, like very high bride price and the inclusion of prohibited items, such as alcohol and pig, as bride price, encouraged the youths to engage in sexual immorality. It is, therefore, recommended that the home school be strengthened. Parents that are members of the church should not succumb to the cultural and pagan practices of demanding forbidden items as bride price. The leadership of the church should lay emphasis on youth’s fellowship that puts a living relationship with God as top priority.