Marriage in Christianity.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Marriage In Christianity

Before marriage in Christianity most Christians believe that being in a relationship is to get to know each other and see if they are strong enough as partners to get married and to continue the teachings of christianity to their Children. Christians believe that within a relationship sex is forbidded until marriage but some christians believe that if the couple both love each other them its OK.

Christians beleive that marriage is really a life long committment. Christians say this because marriage wes created by God and that God made this to symbolise the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Holy Church. christians beleive that is part of Gods plan for humanity.

There are different ways in which Christians get married, the most common method is getting married at church. Wedding customs in Christianity vary according to the famillies culture, race or ancestors. The reason they beleive that marriage should be for life is that it the best envioroment for the family to have children.

In marriages the bride and groom would get married at the church with either sides family at the wedding to witness the marriage. The bride would usually wear white to symbolise purity and would be accompanied by maybe bridesmaids who would hold her long dress and throw confetti around her and the groom would werar black. The bride and groom would make vows and promises to comfort and to love eachother through and through health and to never part eachother till death.

In Christian marriage men and women are thought to have different roles in their relationship within the family. God says that men and women are equally valuable to God, but they were created for different reasons and purposes. In the book of Genesis it says that Adam was created first and Eve was created later because God beleived that its not good for man to be alone as he needs a companion. '' It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'' (Genesis 2:18). This is why some Christians

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believe that women should be the helper of men by staying home and letting the man work; everything now is modern women do not beleive that they should stay home and beleive that they are equal to work as much as a man. In my opinion I beleive that men and women should both be aloud to work and are equal. "Wives ........... be submissive to your husbands ..........Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner." (1 Peter 3: 1, 7). They say that women are weaker because Eve was the first to sin and she also encouraged Adam to the same. Women still have more backup to support them from the bible and other sources. "Ther is neither............................male noe female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galations 3:28). In my opinion men and women were created equally; they were made "In the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Therefore there is no real difference between them and they both should have equal opppportunities.

Marriage is a sacred institution established by God for the primary purpose of bringing Him glory. It's main purpose is not, as some think to have companionship or to fulfill sexual needs. It's main purpose is to bring glory and honor to God. This mission by God can only be properly completed in marriage where the husband and wife are faithful, some Christians beleive relationship purpose is to glorify God by having children, raising them in a godly fashion, and sending them out into the world having trained them in the ways of the Lord. This is what marriage is for. It is outward focused (for God's glory), not inward centered (for comfort).

This is how God set the family structure up. God made the first married couple in a certain order and gave them certain duties. Adam was made first and God put him in charge of the Garden (Genesis 2:7,15). Adam looked for a helpmate from among all the animals and found none suitable (Genesis 2:19-20). So, God made Eve to aid him in the commission God had given Adam (Genesis 2:22). It was Eve's purpose to aid Adam in completing the duties of God. Therefore, the responsibility of the family falls on the man. That is how God set up a family. The healing of the Christian family begins with the head: the husband. He can't be perfect at it and that's okay, but he is responsible for carrying out his duties as a husband and for loving his wife as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25). It is love in the family that sets the up the marriage. He is responsible for the well being of the family. Beside from where women must lead due to divorce, widowhood, separation, etc., if the woman is the leader in the family it is because the man has not taken his proper place.

Of course, the husband and wife are both responsible for helping each other as they love each other but the primary duty of a husband is to love and provide. The primary duty of a wife is to nurture and respect. Bringing children into a family is perfectly OK in Christians view as long as they are nortured in the way of Christian beliefs.

Divorce in a Christian marriage is only accepted as a last resort. Divorce may be allowed in circumstances such as if either the Husband or Wife was married by force or pressure, circumstances like this are not unknown as the aprent of the partner may have pressured him/her to get married to this person because this person was good or even because he/she is rich. In Mathew 5:31-32 Jesus teaches that man/women is only allowed to divorce if his/her partner has been unfaithful to him/her. yet in Mark 10:11-12 it says that divorce is not allowed at all in any circumstances. Christians have come to different conclusions on which they should follow.

In the Roman Catholic Church it teaches that Men and Women may not get divorced but may live apart. This means that they both are still a couple and if they were to see other people as in a relationship they would be being unfaithful to their partner. They beleive that marriage is something special that is done by God and they do not have right to break it up. The only way for either of the partner to be able to remarry and have a relationship is if one of them die. Couples do have a choice of getting divorced without one of them dying but this would mean that they would get divorced without the agreement and recognition of the church. Other churches such as the Church of England believe that if there is no possibility that they would ever want to live together again then Divorce is allowed.

Ahmed Ripon