The fourth and final principle that guides Christians through marriage is Life-giving. The Church, along with its Christian followers, believes that the main purpose of marriage is to reproduce and experience the joy of having a family. For example, in Genesis 1:28 KJV “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” This shows that it is God’s intentions for his people to procreate. These four principles which are set forth in the efforts of creating healthy marriages all influence Christian’s behaviors.
Different denominations approach marital breakdown and divorce in different ways; this then impacts their behavior. For example, if a Roman Catholic were to divorce, the couple may be disowned by the Church, and also in if that same divorced Christian were to remarry, it would be classified as adultery. “And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.” (Mark 10:11-12 KJV) As seen in Figure 2, it can be concluded that Roman Catholics has a stricter policy regarding divorce. As a result of this stance, Roman Catholics are most likely establishing a lengthy marriage seeing that their practices are slightly different than those of other Christian Denominations. In the case of a Lutheran Christian, his/her attitude towards marriage may be taken on a different approach as the Lutheran Church does not impose such strict policies which may influence a Lutheran’s behavior similar to that of a Catholic’s.
Figure 2. Divorce (Ethical Views) Source: www.religiousfacts.com
In consequence, the behavior of Christians, especially Roman Catholics, will be reflected based on their denominational practices and beliefs as opposed to Lutherans, who regard divorce as the better alternative. The Roman Catholics, as stated before, are most likely to stay married longer because of the restrictions that apply to divorce. The Biblical Interpretations of scriptures such as Romans 7:2 KJV “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.” are more enforced in some denominations within Christianity than others.
This Biblical scripture of Romans 7:2 is an analogy made by Paul that discusses the connection between human relationships, marriage and law. This scripture explains how a woman is bound by the laws of Christianity, to her husband for as long as he lives. However, marriage is “til death do us part.” Death is the only factor according to the Apostle Paul that can break the marital bonds. Therefore, if the wife marries another man while the first husband is still alive, the Church has the power, the authority, to condemn her as an adulteress. This is the same belief that inspires Roman Catholics to discourage divorce as well as remarriage as seen in Figure 2. However, remarriage is not an issue for other Christian denominations such as Lutherans, as they enforce slightly different Biblical passages to lead their congregation.
Different Christian denominations have deviated in terms of the various ways they deal with marital problems. On the whole, the Protestant Churches take the view that Jesus’ teachings are ideals which married couples should try to live up to, but there comes a point when the problems faced by some couples force the marriage to end. In these cases, Protestant Churches accept a civil divorce to end a marriage. A divorced man or woman is permitted to remarry.
The Roman Catholic Church takes a rather different view to that of other Christian denominations. The words of the Bible are taken literally: once a Christian marriage has taken place the two have become “one flesh”: the marriage is made by God and cannot be dissolved or ended by any man, as explained previously, by death.
Figure 3. Re-marriage (Ethical Views) Source: www.religiousfacts.com
The teachings of God are meant to guide couples to a contented marriage. It is the Christian ideal that every couple should strive to live up to their vows to successfully live-out their vocation. In 1982, Pope John Paul II made his pastoral visit to Britain. In York he spoke about marriage presenting his vision as: “In a marriage a man and a woman pledge themselves to one another in an unbreakable alliance of total mutual self-giving. A total union of love. Love that is not a passing emotion or temporary infatuation, but a responsible and free decision to bind oneself completely, “in good times and in bad”, to one’s partner. It is the gift of oneself to the other. It is a love to be proclaimed before the eyes of the whole world. It is unconditional.” This teaching, further emphasizes to Christians, the key beliefs of Christian marriage such as Permanence, Exclusiveness and Life-giving. The principles of marriage affect the way how Christians go about marriage and divorce in their respective denominations.
Racism
Christianity teaches universal brotherly love. Yet, history has been composed of moments in which religion has provided a justification for, or has given cause to, countless atrocities directed to people of a different race or culture: the Crusades, slavery, and the Holocaust.
Christians are instructed that racism is a sin and people are all equal in God’s eyes. This is shown with reference to the Bible in John 13:34-35 KJV “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” To Christians, the Bible is sacred, of great significance and has great authority. The Bible contains in itself “divine commands” mainly given by Christ or the Apostles. The level of supremacy in the Bible not only physiologically dominates Christians to influence them in acting the way stated as the Bible says, but it also enhances their moral and social standings as they become more accepted within their communities if they adopt these teachings. This is often referred to as the Golden rule or the “Natural Law”. To support this view in the Bible, in Galatians 3:28 KJV Paul said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Racism clearly contradicts Jesus’ commands to love thy neighbor as Christians would love themselves, so therefore according to scripture, Christians should not be racist in anyway. In Acts 10:34 KJV, God showed his “agape” love to all of his followers, despite what race they may have been, “Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” ” (Acts 10:34-35 NIV). This passage states that God’s kingdom is open to everybody, it does not matter the race or religion they’re from. However, teachings and passages in the Bible can be interpreted in many ways.
Racism has the potential to destroy community cohesion and create diversions in society. Racism has deeply embedded itself into the culture of today, frustrations with difficulties in life such is often taken out on minority ethnic groups. Supported by Biblical passages, the main theme that is taught through Christianity is that everybody should be treated equally. The belief of Christianity is that man was created in the image of God, which, according to Christians, is the basis for the view that all men are created equal.
Racism on a global scale and in the context of history has been approached in two different: violent and non-violent. A Reverent, Martin Luther King Jr., campaigned for equal treatments of colored and white. King taught that love was the way forward and that it was the only force that could transform an enemy into a friend. He put his beliefs into action and fought through non-violent means for what he believed to be just. As Martin Luther King Jr. said “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” It is this same attitude of optimism that drove Martin Luther King Jr. to behave in a non-violent way, in a christianly fashion- in order to attain what he set forth.
Martin Luther King Jr., believed that non-violence is the root of socially accepted behavior, similar to what Christians interpret when they read a passage such as Galatians 3:26 KJV “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus”. This scripture states that all are the children of God and they should comport in such a manner that is directed to them by the Bible. Many Christians interpret this scripture to mean that everyone is equal and hence should be treated equally. The behavior of Christians towards any ethnicity, religion or race should not have discrepancy as by interpretation, everyone should be treated equally. King declared that: “My parents would always tell me that I should not hate the white man, but that it was my duty as a Christian to love him.” He also said: “We cannot truly be Christian people so long as we flaunt the central teachings of Jesus- brotherly love and the Golden Rule. “ Throughout many speeches and books, quotes of similar nature were used by Martin Luther King Jr. This demonstrates his clear opposition to discrimination on racial grounds and followed the common teaching of the Bible: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” (Luke 10:27 KJV)
Clearly, not all Christians follow the Bible’s teachings on views towards different races. The Ku Klux Klan which has been in existence since the 1860’s has the purpose to protect the White Americans by violence and intimidation. The KKK have been known to use terrorism, violence and lynching to murder and oppress African Americans, Jews and other minorities, including intimidating and opposing Roman Catholics. Although the KKK have the fundamental values of the Protestant Denomination, their theology is strongly influenced by Christian Reconstructionism- meaning they hope to “reconstruct” the United States of America along with biblical lines and to establish a white-dominated theocracy. “That way is the Christian way - law and order - love of family - love of nation. These are the principles of western Christian civilization” say Pastor Robb in behalf of the KKK. The KKK’s focus shifts from the use of verses in the Bible which push for equality amongst all people. As a result of this, their behaviors have appeared to be outrageous, extreme and unacceptable.
Not all Christians respond to racism non-violently. There are people throughout the course of history who have. Individuals such as Dietrich Bonheoffer who is a Christian but used violent protest in the attempt to defeat Hitler’s racial policies. Mr. Bonheoffer believed that “it is better to do evil than to be evil”; and so follows the consequentiality moralist view in which Mr. Bonheoffer has converted to realistic views. As a Christian, Mr. Bonheoffer said “God’s truth judges created things out of love.” This quote reflects on Bonheoffer’s backgrounds and on his teachings about racism. He regards racism unacceptable and as a good Christian, one should prevent racism. Bonheoffer however, did not take it to a personal level but instead; used his Christian teachings to revolt against racism in a way he thought to be acceptable.
Adolf Hitler is an example of a Christian who was widely known for taking verses from the Bible out of context and interpreting the script to justify violent racism. The following is an excerpt from his speech in Munich 1922: “My feeling as a Christian points me to my lord and savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded only by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to the fight against them … In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and of adders. How terrific was His fight for the world against the Jewish poison.” At the time of Nazi Germany, Germany was a Christian based country. For the sole purposes of Hitler’s racist attitudes, he took the teachings that the Germans were familiar with and manipulated it so that Jews and other minorities may be wiped from Germany. Hitler used what he was taught as a Christian, to influence his behavior and act against the Jews in a violent manner.
Many Christians would try to adhere to the teachings of the Bible and Jesus and follow anti-racist behavior as set by the examples and approved by the nature and faith of Christianity. It is the aim of most Christians to imitate Jesus, who in the parable of the Good Samaritan found in the book of Luke says, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37 KJV). Christianity teaches that all people should be treated as equals. The Biblical teachings about racism instructs Christians to treat one another equally, however, whist some Christians may interpret the teachings as stated in the Bibles, there are Christians in history who have selectively chosen passages to justify their violence for and against racism.
Conclusion
The Bible is a powerful resource which has great influence on the behaviors of congregates. From the research and investigational methods executed, it can be concluded that Christians, regardless of denomination, practice their doctrine to be closer to God and to achieve certain likeliness as Him. In 1 Peter 1:16 KJV says “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Christians use the teachings found in the Bible to influence who they are and to help them to make the right decisions in their everyday living. There are situations such as marriage and racism that Christians refer to the Bible for illumination and understanding. However, there is always a risk in where scriptures from the Bible may be selectively chosen without references to other part of the Bible. This may result in the diverged behavior of Christians because of what they are interpreting-as specifically explored in racism where Hitler manipulated Jesus’ teaching to eradicate a minority group he felt prejudice towards. . Is would be worthy of investigating how often are scriptures selectively chosen to justify a Christian’s behavior.
The Bible teaches that marriage is a life-long commitment made between a man, woman and God. The teachings of God are meant to guide couples to a contented marriage. In Christianity, it is ideal that every couple should strive to live up to their vows to successfully live-out their vocation. The principles of marriage affect the way how Christians go about marriage and divorce in their respective denominations. It was explored how different denominations viewed specific topics such as divorce and re-marriage. Just as how Biblical teachings can influence a Christian’s behavior regarding marriage, it can do the same with racism.
Racism is an attitude which can be expressed violently and non-violently. Martin Luther King Jr. and Adolf Hitler are prime examples of the opposing ways to behave in response to racism. The extent to which it influences a Christian is solely based on the individual and the denominational practices he/she falls under. Unresolved questions remain as to whether or not teachings of Biblical texts such as the Bible would influence society into becoming more productive or caustic members?
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