Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies: Home

Abstract:
The Bible, the Qur'an and the sunnah of the prophet are replete with directives on marriage and family life to the followers of Islam and Christianity. What emerges from a careful consideration of the Qur'anic injunctions and the traditions of the prophet gives a clear indication that marriage is wajib (compulsory) for some people, mand?b (recommendatory) to others and even makr?h (desirable) or har?m (forbidden) to others. The Bible commands children to obey their parents in the Lord; parents are also commanded to rise up to their responsibilities towards their children. This paper argues that the challenge of child up bringing among Muslim and Christian parents is far more complex than mere religious numbers or application of scriptures as the influences of modernity and non-religious factors appear to outweigh religious nurture. It is recommended that Christian and Muslim parents go beyond the literal application of their scriptures as panacea for child training. It is hoped that this paper will provoke more debate on modern child upbringing among followers of the two religious traditions. This paper is limited to a study of Ghanaian Christian and Muslim parents and cannot be representative of the entire African continent.

Keywords: family, child, upbringing, Christian, Muslim, Bible, Quran, modern.

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