Telenovelas negatively influencing marriages – Pastor

Reverend Samuel Obeng-Mensah, the Senior Pastor of Pentecostal Church of Christ, Powerhouse Worship Sanctuary at Atadeka-Zenu in Ashaiman, has advised spouses to exercise caution over telenovelas as it can negatively influence their marriages.

He warned marriage couples and would-be ones against watching the serial television drama programmes, usually aired on prime time, saying; people should not allow it to influence their lives, since it could badly affect their thoughts and approaches to marriage life.

"These telenovelas are not real, there is more to marriage beyond these shows," the Senior Pastor told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark his 20-years of marriage.

According to Mr Obeng-Mensah, who is also a Marriage Counselor, problems have erupted in many marriages in recent times because of perceptions couples built about the marriage institution through the influence of foreign movies.

He said the “foreign worldview” of marriage was completely different from the Ghanaian or African worldview of the revered institution, adding younger couples traded the rich values, which accompanied the Ghanaian marriage and love life.

He expressed regret that the right to support the family system, the spirit of sharing and caring for one another and respect for the marriage institution eroded over the years.

In recent times, he added, people's expectation of marriage was void of commitment, sacrifice and teamwork, which resulted in many broken homes.

At the early stages of his marriage, the couple said their beginning was rather a humbled one and many did not believe in the future of it, but with commitment, family support and fear of God, they survived over the years.