Premarital education addressing premarital sex in the district of Ambohijafy, Madagascar

Abstract

In the Seventh-day Adventist District of Ambohijafy, premarital sex is one of the very crucial issues leading to a number of church disciplines whether by censure or by removal among many young people, both male and female between the ages of seventeen to twenty four. Then, forced marriages take place among youth which lead to the absence of marital stability. This study is a reflection of what is happening in several churches within the Central Malagasy Conference and the Indian Ocean Union Conference territories. The main target of the present project is to offer to church leaders, school officers, and church members, including young unmarried people, a concrete strategy to deal with premarital sex. Beginning with the biblical and theological foundations regarding premarital sex intercourse, the researcher continues with a detailed description of the local setting with an emphasis on the obvious realities motivating premarital sex intercourse and the indications of premarital sex intercourse among the church members. Then, the researcher proposes four principal approaches to stand as a godly education strategy to deal with premarital sex. These four principal approaches are seminars, prayer sessions, self-help and supporting group discussions with virginity pledge ceremony. The core theme of the seminars is grounded upon 2 Timothy 2:22 and the motto “No to sex before Marriage.” The duration of the overall education programs was less than three months long. Precisely one Sunday and nine Sabbath days were needed to complete the all education programs divided into awareness sessions and seminars sessions stages. Special interdependent tools were also used as equipment along the programs. These tools are a small guidance booklet, a Facebook page and a virginity pledge card. In conclusion, the education programs based upon seminars, prayer sessions, self-help and supporting group discussions with virginity pledge could bring success in dealing with premarital sex intercourse. At the end of the development of these four approaches, churches leaders were more concerned and a changing behavior among unmarried young people was observed as they refrained from premarital sex intercourse.