Name: Thu Hoai Nguyen
Writing Style Used: MLA
Course and Section Number: THEO 202 - D13
Anthropology: Marriage and Divorce
Marriage, a lifetime commitment of love, caring, trusting between two people, is the holy covenant in God 's plan. Nowadays, some marriages, unfortunately, are falling apart due to many problems escalated in society, lead to divorce as the consequence. * Indeed, Christians need to seek advice from God to work through these times of doubt and uncertainty.
The biblical teaching on marriage is clearly expressed in Scripture. Genesis 2.24: "a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh" claims that the center of marriage should be the union of the husband and his spouse - a woman. Moreover, this life-long, exclusive relationship needs to be "healing, growing and maturing through times" to represent "something of God 's covenant relationship" (Elwell 347). Inevitably, a biblical marriage has not only requirements, but also limitations. People from one family cannot marry one another. Additionally, even though intermarriage seemed to be unpopular and dangerous due to the concern of the diluted religion, it was still practiced (Elwell 740).
Biblically, a couple is considered married once they both become a partner of covenant marriage of each other in the eyes of God (Mal. 2.14). In the days of Old Testament, the bride-price, which depended on the value and social status of the bride, was required to pay.
Furthermore, the bride shall keep her virginity before marriage in New Testament books; therefore, "the stained linen being retained as evidence of virginity" in the first night of consummating (Elwell 742). After seven days of living as husband and wife, the coup...
... middle of paper ...
...raging people who affected by divorce. Christian community in the display of God 's character should accept them as a member instead of abandon them. Also, support and guidance are needed in both emotional and material care.
Permanent marriage is the goal of any covenant relationship; however, things happen that might cause divorce. For God loves His people, He understands what specific situation each person is facing. Being a member of the church, Christians should heal divorced people 's pain and aide them with recovery, as helping those affected by divorce through struggles is also to "help them toward a renewed experience of God 's restoring grace" (Elwell 348).
Word counted: 793
Work Cited
Elwell, Walter A.. Evangelical dictionary of theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1984. Print.
New International Version. Bible Gateway. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
The flaw that is made hear is the assumption that the reader views the Bible as uninspired by God. Actually, many Christian denominations view the Bible as the inspired word of God. God used imperfect people to create the Bible. Consequently, the previous verse from Genesis is God 's definition of marriage even if the person who wrote those words did not practice
Significance of marriage – Marriage is between a man and a woman. Homosexuality is not considered a good thing in this Faith.
Once upon a time marriage was a requirement of society and a value to many women who wanted a stable life. It stand as a commitment to their husband and to God. It remain a way to start a proper family in the eyes the Lord. It was what many mothers and daughters dreamed of. Now that, many generations have passed many people believe marriage is not valued and Divorce rates are higher than ever. Religion has also become optional and there’re many different religions to choose from. Cohabitation has also reigned over society one doesn’t need to wait till marriage. Now you are able to move in with the person you love at any point in life. Marriage had started as a first option to many but it has become the last. There are still reasons why marriage
Marriage is something most people do but few do it well. If a couple is not looking at divorce papers that are probably seeking marriage counseling. If they are not screaming to the top of their lungs at each other they are probably sneaking out to lie in someone else’s arms. If they are not physically abusing one or the other they are probably being mentally abusive. If a couple is not saying hurtful things to each other they are probably not saying anything at all because why would they when the other is not going to listen anyways. We have all been in or seen relationships struggle with these kinds of things. This big question is where did they go wrong? I think the answer to that question lies in Matt Chandler’s book The Mingling of Souls. Chandler’s answer to the question above is that if a couple wants to have a truly successful marriage they must follow God’s design for marriage. Now Chandler is in no way implying that a couple will not struggle if they do it God’s way but they will be able to get through those struggles together. This review is not a summary of the book but it will discuss the strength and weaknesses of
Some’s definition of Marriage is when two souls coming into one soul –still distinct but forming one entity. Being raised in the church, marriage is when two people come together, declaring their wedding vows to each other and to God. Marriage is
Marriage is a very joyful event in a person’s life. However, unless much can be done in order to redefine the status of what marriage is all about, divorce and other marital problems will continue to arise tremendously. Divorce is tumultuous event in a married couple’s life. It does not only affect the financial status of the household, but rather it also affects the people that comprises the family especially the children. Families are experiencing many problems today, but the role of divorce in this picture has been frequently overlooked because its destructive effects have been subtle, yet insidious. When the divorce rate increased in the 1960s, few would have predicted its dire consequences three decades later. Yet divorce has changed both the structure and the impact of the family. Intimacy, time, effort trust and love is the key to have a peaceful and healthy relationship. Marriage for life is God's ideal, but divorce is a reality in our society.
When we think of marriage, the first thing that comes to mind is having a lasting relationship. Marriage is a commitment of two people to one another and to each other?s family, bonded by holy matrimony. When a couple plans to marry, they think of raising a family together, dedicating their life to each other. That?s the circle of life--our natural instinct to live and produce children and have those children demonstrate your own good morals. I have never been married; but I don?t understand why when two people get married and vow to be together for richer and poorer, better or worse, decide to just forget about that commitment. A marriage should be the most important decision a person makes in his or her life.
Fairfax, “Marriage is one of the core values of society. Almost 20 years ago, the well renowned black scholar and psychologist Dr. Na’im Akbar (1991) penned the following: ‘‘marriage is such an important lesson in manhood (womanhood) development. It is no wonder that every society requires some form of it’’ (p. 13).” This coincides with the values that I stated above that were considered important in my culture. Marriage is important to more that my culture obviously but in my culture there is always this well-known quote from the bible: “He who finds a wife, finds a good thing (NKJV Proverbs 18:22). That is basically religion and love in the same
Legally speaking, a marriage is a private contract between two people who voluntarily agree to
In conclusion, the metaphor of marriage used throughout the Bible to illustrate the relationship between God and His people and the institution of human marriage. Marriage is a covenant and you must not break it because it is like breaking God’s covenant. One should love each other like Christ love us. God joined the two people together as one flesh therefore divorce is unacceptable.
God intended for us to be united with the opposite sex since the beginning of time. The book of Genesis tells us: "God created man in his image, He created him in the image of God, man and woman, He created them. God saw what he had done and said, "This is good, it is not good that man should be alone."(McLachlan 5). Marriage is inherently good and pleasing to God. It was part of God's original plan for mankind. It is also shown that Jesus held marriage in great esteem, for it was at a wedding where he performed his first public miracle. Furthermore, it is Jesus who raises Marriage to a Sacrament of the New Law. Our Lord is also the one who told us that divorce was wrong. He says, "What God has joined together, no human being must separate."(Matrimony 1).
What is Marriage? Marriage is when people are being united together as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by the law. Marriage hasn’t always been how it is now, where women have a say in family problems, and where woman have the right to choose whom they want to marry. Before during the ancient times, women had to marry those in their families, and could not marry those that were Marriage use to be all about doing what you needed to support your family, which meant you married someone who was able to give you what you needed. Marriage wasn’t because you loved someone, but it was always because people wanted to preserve power. Now in the marriage, people marry, because they love each other, and because they want to make an effort to spend the rest of their lives together.
In the New Testament, we are told that Jesus attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee and miraculously provided wine when their supplies were exhausted. The Apostle Paul also had a great deal to say about the covenant that God ordained between man and woman. Paul assumed that elders and deacons would be married and bare children. Paul also encouraged younger widows to marry and he claimed the right as an apostle to lead about a wife. Therefore, the Bible views marriage as the norm, and the single life as the exception. Marriage is viewed as holy, righteous, and good. So, as we approach I Corinthians chapter 7 and Ephesians chapter 5, we must do so in confident that marriage is a gift from God, and a blessing that many Christians gratefully receive and enjoy.
According to a survey by one research group, there are more “born again Christians” getting married than any other group. Nevertheless, 26% of those surveyed were “Evangelical Christians,” who indicated that their marriage had ended in divorce. It is unfortunate that today’s culture has “grown comfortable with divorce.” In America, divorce is commonly accepted as well as becoming “a natural part of life.” Moreover, most materials found today on divorce and remarriage are not based on Scripture, but “life experience and opinions.” Unfortunately, getting a divorce is definitely a modern-day tragedy. Nevertheless, as pointed out by many authors, “the concept of divorce is biblical.” Therefore, it is imperative to establish a solid view on divorce and remarriage. Therefore, a correct view is one that is grounded on the Bible, rather than personal opinion.
As mentioned above, Clinton (2003), argued that the primary goal of marriage was not happiness or satisfaction, but holiness and sanctification. Marriage is considered a sanctifying institution that achieves holiness (Dane, 2009). Sanctification is the, “process through which God transforms profane objects into sacred entities”, while holiness is the outcome: being set apart, consecrated to God (Mahoney, Pargament, Murray-Swank, & Murray-Swank, 2003). For example, God uses marriage to change selfishness and arrogance into selflessness and humility (Clinton, 2003). Again, Martin (2010) insisted that, “marriage is to integrate the full spectrum of spiritual, social, psychological, physical, and sexual aspects of humanness” (p. 111).