Summary Of Traditional Marriage Or A Break With Tradition By Stephanie Coontz

The final article that Julia and I covered in our meetings is titled, “Traditional Marriage or a Break with Tradition” by Stephanie Coontz. This article is discussing the negative reactions towards The California ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. Coontz writes that it is dangerous to base expectations off traditions because traditions are ever changing. Polygamy and sex only for procreation used to be the tradition, but now polygamy is illegal and sex is considered for more than procreation. Coontz argues that gay marriage should not be considered breaking tradition, but instead looked at as just a part of the living tradition that is always changing in America. Margaret Farley discusses this well by describing the idea of a “living tradition.”

The idea of fidelity, meaning that marriage is meant for a man and a woman and there is monogamy within that relationship. Reproduction as the only good reason for sex has been the leading argument against the churches’ support for gay marriage. Mutual self-giving gives way to the idea that in marriage two become one; therefore, husband and wife are expected to act lovingly towards one another, please their spouse sexually, have children, and experience a deep friendship. This is a deep tradition in the Christian faith, solely for heterosexual relationships. Self-control is the fourth theme found in writings about sexuality. Marriage could justify sex, but it was not meant to be solely for pleasure. Women are considered a temptation and need to be restrained through marriage and self-control to not fall into temptation of pleasure. This idea plays into the separation of duties between men and women, further dividing the genders. Finally, social order is the underlining theme of all the others. Browning and colleagues introduce the idea that stable Christian marriages are the backbone of a successful society. “Once marriage was declared a sacrament, it became by definition a matter essentially subject to church teaching and church courts,” writes Browning and colleagues (88). Overall, the traditions of a Christian marriage underline the societal ideas in America, even though the separation is in full