07 Dec 2014

Some cultural elements have been blamed for contributing towards women abuse and domestic violence.

Speaking at the Women in Church Seminar organized by the Jwaneng Town Council recently, Pastor Thato Godisamang said people should follow God’s plan of marriage as compared to the cultural versions.

He said marriage was founded by God but in most situations marriages failed because people infused God’s foundation of marriage with culture.

“Such marriages are bound to fail because culture is the root of abuse. For example there’s more emphasis on women dress code in a kgotla as compared to men. A kgotla is a cornerstone for culture, and therefore whatever happens at the kgotla has a way of shaping people’s way of life and influence how they conduct themselves,” he explained.

He underscored the need to follow God’s plan of marriage because it outlined the roles of men and women in marriage and also created a balance between the two. He said unlike the cultural beliefs, the latter did not perceive either party as a less important partner, nor did it interfere with their rights.

Furthermore, Pastor Godisamang said even though marriage was an important institution in a person’s life, a lot of people did not give it the necessary attention it deserved, hence broken marriages. “Marriage is an important institution because it starts with the responsibility to choose your partner, then develops into a family unit where children are raised,” he said.

He however said unlike other major achievements, there was no formal education or training for marriage, hence the need to create ample time for marital counseling. He said one of the major challenges facing marriages was that people tend to undergo marriage counseling after all the necessary preparations have been completed and wedding dates set.

“This, on its own shows just how our society highly regards the once off wedding ceremony than marriage itself which is a lifetime commitment.” He also said many people spend a lot of money and invest a lot of energy and time on the wedding ceremony, yet dedicate little or no time on marriage counseling. He said such marriages were built on a wrong foundation and were more likely to be marred by challenges in the future.

He called on religious leaders to make marriage counseling part of the regular sermons. ENDS