The Christian teaching about marriage is that God created man and woman for each other as in the Old Testament. The Old Testament writers believed that married love was part of God’s purpose in creating people. “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”(Genesis 2:18) It also clearly states in the Old Testament that marriage was so important, that adultery was a crime fit only for the severest punishment. “You shall not commit adultery.” (Deuteronomy 5: 18) “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife – with the wife of his neighbour - both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10) The teachings of St Paul and the teaching of Jesus are recognised in the New Testament. Jesus and St Paul taught that marriage is for life until one of the partners dies. God intended for us to be united with the opposite sex since the beginning of time. The book of Genesis tells us: "God created man in his image, He created him in the image of God, man and woman, He created them.
Marriage has three purposes: the good of the couple (it enables then to have a life-long relationship of love) and the procreation of children and their education. The union of husband and wife is designed not only as a way of expressing their love for each other, but so their love can give new life. These purposes are outlined in the wedding service. Two people vow to ‘love and cherish, for better for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.’ The priest asks for God to protect the couple and help them through their marriage so they can remain faithful to each other. Marriage is a commitment and given by God as a means for a man and woman to find happiness together.
Some people may disagree with Christian’s views on marriage because they do not believe in God. They not only disagree with the views of the Christians, because they are based on the teachings of Jesus, but they sometimes hate that Christians have something they don’t but they won’t accept our faith. Non-Christians sometimes go against the beliefs of Christians because they disagree with reasons for marriage and the beliefs of the Church such as no sex before marriage and life long commitment.
What ‘alternatives’ to a Christian marriage now exist in society and give reasons for these.
There are many people who do not believe in God and do not want to declare their love for another in a Church. So there are some alternatives to a Christian marriage, these are:
- A Civil wedding (in a registry office)
- Living Together in a permanent relationship
- Blessings
- Same sex marriages (only in America)
Less than half of today’s weddings are a traditional religious ceremony. A civil ceremony is a popular option. This sort of wedding can be held anywhere and involve almost anything. Some will view this as trivialising marriage, rewriting vows and choosing bizarre locations for the ceremony. However the couples involved must be taking things pretty seriously to go to such lengths. After all, it’s their day and they are personalising things because it is so special to them. With church membership and attendance down we see an increasing number of couples doing things their own way. This is down to attitudes and beliefs changing and with it the idea of what marriage is about.
Some people decide to have a civil wedding because they want to declare their love for each other in front of witnesses but do not believe in God. Others decide not to get married but to live together permanently reasons include:
- Not financially stable
- One partner may have just separated from another marriage (therefore cannot re marry until divorce is finalised)
- Less hassle than to have to plan a wedding
According to the Bible same-sex marriages are immoral and sinful. Being gay and loving another person is certainly not illegal, but uniting that couple in marriage is not only rejected by most of society but also by some religions, such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The Bible clearly states that same sex relationships of any kind are wrong, “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their heads.” (Leviticus 20:13). “Surely you know that the people who do wrong will not inherit God’s kingdom… those who are… men who have sexual relations with other men, ... these people will not inherit God’s kingdom. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
As a Christian I find same-sex marriages unacceptable, but I know that not all people believe in the Bible and in America they have freedom of religion, same-sex marriages are now legal in America.
In conclusion I think that God created man and women to be married and that even though it is good for people to be married in a Church, as long as opposite sexes marry wither it be in a registry office or Church it is right not wrong like same-sex marriages.
