Like Marries Like

Marriage is fundamental to our nature as human beings in society. God himself instituted

marriage by creating and bringing the first man and woman together at the dawn of human creation. It is imperative at this time that the Christian churches clarify, teach, and faithfully uphold what the Bible says about marriage. The Church must also speak biblically to the issue of

divorce and remarriage, which occur all too often as one, or both, marital partners abandon their Christian ethical commitments and responsibilities. Marriage is the foundation of the family, both in terms of procreation and nurture.

To marry homogeneously means to marry an individual that you consider to be your equal. This can be further defined as simply as: “like marries like” rather than “opposites attract”. “Homophily” means love of the same, the tendency of individuals to associate, connect and bond with similar others. This could be financially, emotionally, value-based, or on an education level. Partners who are similar to themselves across a number of characteristics appear to be the recipe for the best success. Like-minded people validate each other's beliefs and views, and there tend to be fewer conflicts as a result. I am of the opinion that it is important to partner with and marry an individual who is on an even playing field in as many areas as possible. When there is one partner who is above the other in any of these areas it allows the possibility of unequal distribution of belief of who has the “power” or “control” of the relationship. One partner may attempt to have control over the decision-making processes based on educational or intellectual status.

Some individuals believe that by choosing a mate who is significantly different, they ...

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... the finances but with regard to everything concerning the marriage and family. She used her educational and economic status to obtain and maintain control over the husband, the marriage, and the family as a whole. Unfortunately, this couple eventually separated and divorced based on their inability to arrive at any type of workable compromise or successful strategy to stay together and work through their issues.

Marriages encounter enough difficulty due to the fact that two individuals come together from two different home environments wherein problem-solving skills are different, where holiday traditions are different, housekeeping and chore-division is different, without throwing in diverse educational, intellectual, religious, financial, and social status levels. “Like marries like”, in my opinion, makes for a smoother transition into “happily ever after”.