Cohabitation: Viewpoint of Society and the Catholic Church

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Cohabitation is when a couple chooses to live together without marriage, becoming sexually active and turning away from God. The Catholic Church loves those who are engaged but strongly watch over them if they are cohabitating. Sex outside of marriage is morally wrong and sinful. Sadly, today cohabiting is the norm, (SC 1) unlike before where it was strongly disapproved and those who did cohabit with others were discourages but now the world does not care anymore. Many people choose to cohabit because they may feel naïve and may not understand what they are feeling or the temptation is too strong to fight. Also, many couples mistake this choice for freedom, thinking they are freer if they cohabit. That is where the virtue of chastity is needed because chastity is the virtue that helps have self-control over pleasures and wants. A chaste person is not driven by urges or passions but can control themselves for the gift of their true selves to their real spouse. God made sex as a way to express our love physically with our spouse after marriage and for procreation, but sex is abused when people use it for nothing more than for physical pleasure. (SC 1)Couples should not live together without marriage, because they will undermine the benefits of marriage and doing so will have them in spiritual danger, they will create psychological stress, and it jeopardizes family relationships. Cohabiting is very tempting but it is simply wrong and immoral. Sex before marriage is like opening a gift before Christmas, but waiting for their wedding day creates yearning and self-restraint which will help you give yourself truly to your spouse. Marriage is vital for a healthy family relationship (SC 1). That is why the church encourages you to receive Reconciliation and Eucharist regularly to keep the engaged couple out of harm’s way. Statistics and studies show that without a healthy family relationships, there will be a higher chance of break-up, divorce. Later, even if they end up being a happily married family, there will always be a sense of uncertainty and cautiousness knowing that your spouse could not wait until after marriage to have sex. That is why couples need to ask themselves many questions such as, “How do you see your faith and love for each other as an intimate part of your marriage?

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