The Church of England has the belief of accepting divorce ever since Henry VIII married Catherine. The Catholic Church would not allow divorce, so after a furious outbreak of destroying several churches, Henry VIII set up his own church, the Church of England that allowed divorce from then onwards. Mostly all protestant churches believe the church has the responsibility of helping failed marriages rather than to neglect and frown upon them, so they are able to find new life and happiness.
In present time the Roman Catholic Church is still against couples who have sexual relations while living together without marrying. Although some protestant Christians are not as strongly against couples co-habitating, as Catholics are, they still believe it is going against what G-d intended.
It is not completely clear what the Bible’s teachings are on the subject of divorce, for instance in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus allows divorce from his wife if she has been unfaithful. However, in Marks gospel, Jesus teaches divorce as unacceptable under any circumstances. This is why Christian denominations differ about what teachings to follow and there are different acceptations towards the whole subject of divorce.
All Christian denominations teach that marriage is for life. This is encouraged when Jesus teaches Mark (10:5-9) ‘it was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote this law…man will become one flesh…let man not separate’. Christianity states that couples should not commit to a marriage ‘carelessly, lightly or selfishly, but reverently, responsibly and after much thought’.
The Bible makes it clear that marriage should be taken seriously and particularly to be faithful to one another because adultery decreases trust and respect in the holiness of marriage. Unfaithfulness is one of the Ten Commandments ‘you shall not commit adultery’ (exodus 20:14). In John’s gospel (8:3-11) a story is told about a woman who committed adultery. At the end of the story Jesus declares ‘Go now and leave your life of Sin’. Although adultery is a serious sin in Christianity, Christians are told in order to be forgiven, they are to think of their imperfect behaviour before criticising others and also to show compassion towards their sins. In the new testament Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, quotes ‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church...’ and ‘…now as the church submits to Christ; so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything…He who loves his wife loves himself’. This shows the actions that should be taken when committing to marriage.
Another strong belief within Christianity and marriage is the many views on sexual relationships. Many Christians believe in sex only after marriage. They believe the human body is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and should be respected. Christians might also state that sex was purely designed by G-d to reproduce and strengthen love between a married couple, and any sex outside this idea, spoils the whole idea of making love. However, some say these views are too old-fashioned and a lot has changed over time. They say love is the main message of Christianity and sex is acceptable but only within a stable, committed and loving relationship.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that artificial contraception is wrong and only ‘natural methods’ should be used to plan families (e.g. making love at times when a women is least fertile). This belief is taught because Roman Catholics believe G-d created sex so children could be brought into this world and artificial contraception defies G-d’s plans. Others argue that it is a good idea to use contraception as it would be unfair on the baby if it was unwanted or brought into an unstable relationship by the couple. Also, other churches, particularly The Church of England and The Methodist Church teach different beliefs. They say using contraception is the responsible thing to do and encourages it, saying couple should have the freedom to choose when the best time for them is to have a baby, so every child can be brought into the world, loved and wanted and in a stable environment.
The teachings of Christianity about marriage and commitment of two loving people will have an impact on the attitudes of Christians. These ideas are likely to affect Christians’ behaviour towards their relationships to earn each others respect and gain trust and loyalty so happiness will live on and divorce will be less likely to occur.
The statement ‘Men and Women are not equal’ is one with many different views. In my opinion I believe this statement is untrue. The quote ‘There is neither…male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:28) supports the belief that men and women play an equal role in life. I agree with this as I believe although there are many differences between male and female and the man often has a more dominant role in the fact that men usually earn the main income and usually are more physically stronger, women have other qualities and roles that make them equal with men. Each may be better at something more than the other, but that makes them special and different to one another which is why couples attract. However this does not mean men are better than women, they are equals to each other but in different ways through talent and qualities that attract one another.
However, some Christians have other views. In the book of Genesis, the story of Adam and Eve says Eve was made after Adam because Adam needed a companion: The lord G-d said ‘it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’ (2:18). Christians may say this shows women are meant for helping men and his duties come first. Genesis says Eve first sinned and tempted Adam, therefore she is weaker and likely to do wrong, so men should take over and have the final say. If you are a true Christian, this may make more sense and although you may not agree with it, you have to follow this belief because it is what G-d intended. Conversely, other Christians believe these views are too old-fashioned for the modern world and the Bible is very old and much has changed, improved and moved on. It is evident that time has moved on, one example is now when quoting your vows in marriage. The vow about ‘obeying ‘has been taken out and it is a personal decision whether or not you wish to say it, whereas years ago it was compulsory for the woman to say this ‘obeying’ vow to the man when committing her marriage vows. Some Christians say couples should work out a disagreement and care for their child together without the men having more dominant roles or the ‘final say’ as it is put. These beliefs are exactly what I believe and I think it is true and fair in this world today. The quote ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ (Gallatin 8:28) backs up my opinion and although women may have weaknesses so do men and there is no right for a man to take over for he has as many faults as a woman and nothing makes him more special or significant enough for him to have the power to take over, he is as equal to her as she is to him.
Anna Meadows
Form TN
April 2006
