Theology and Philosophy of Child Adoption in Relation to Infertility: A Case Study of Christian Couples in Warri Diocese of Anglican Communion, Delta State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Christian Couple, infertility, child adoption, practice, TheologyAbstract
This study examines the theology and philosophy of child adoption in relation to infertility, taking the case of Christian couples in Warri Diocese of Anglican Communion, Delta State. The absence of children in the family especially when it is due to biological cause rather than a choice to remain childless threatens the peace of most marriages. This study adopts survey research design. Exegetical, historical and sociological approaches were employed to source for data. The historical and exegetical approaches look at the issue of child adoption in the Old Testament and New Testament as well as the Jewish tradition. It also uses both the quantitative and qualitative approaches to obtain information. The population of the study comprises all Christian couples in Warri Diocese. Three hundred participants were randomly selected for the study and administered questionnaire. Data gathered for the study were presented in tables and analysed using simple percentage and frequency counts. Major findings from the study reveal that childlessness among Christian couples in some holy matrimonies has led many men to indulge in the practice of polygamy. Some married women have suffered victimization from the hands of the relatives of their husbands while some are branded witches and some are made to pass through all kinds of rituals and trauma to get pregnant. Factors militating against child adoption as a viable option for the management of the crisis of infertility among Christian couples include ignorance and a hostile cultural value system. The work conclusively remarks among other things that the church should engage in dialogue with custodians of various cultures within the Diocese with the view of coming to compromise in favour of child adoption.
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