marriage: do we need it?

i've thought a lot about this topic. and i have no doubt that some people can be together for there entire lives. though do we really need this institution attached to it. cannot two very close people simply live together, merely acknowledging their love on a day-to-day basis, for howsoever long it is meant to last? is it something for show, something we do to be accepted into society? what's in a ring, besides the symbolism?

if you ask me, no wedding band is stronger than the heart.

-peace-

There are women I wish I had married and women I wish I hadn't

I'm just glad the ones I wish I had married, aren't now also one's I wish I hadn't.

Did that makes sense? It's an episode of Friends I think.

Since you wrote about ''marriage'' in the religious post, I will try and explain why marriage is considered to be Holy!


quote/
The Sacrament (Mystery) of Marriage
In the Mystery of Marriage the Church asks God to help the couple being married understand, fulfil and establish a 'church' at home, i.e. to establish Christian relationships within the family, to raise children in the faith and life according to the Scriptures, to be an example of humility and patience for your children to follow.
The Christian family begins with the Mystery of Marriage, and specifically with the exchange of rings and placing of the wedding crowns (wreaths) upon those being married.
This is accompanied with the words, "The servant of God (Name) is married to the servant of God (Name) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", and then, "O Lord our God, crown them with glory and honour".

The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony consists of two parts: Betrothal and Crowning. The Betrothal is, in some way, the civil act, sanctified by the blessing of the Church.

It sanctifies the intention of two persons to enter into the martial union and reflects Old Testament customs, when on those who had expressed their intentions to marry, rings were placed.
This exchange of rings in the Office of Betrothal is an outward token that the two partners join in marriage of their own free will and consent, for without free consent on both sides there can be no Sacrament of Christian marriage.
The Office of Crowning also contains an Old Testament element in the crowning itself, which reflects the ancient practice of placing crowns on the heads of the betrothed.
This is the outward and visible sign of the Sacrament, signifying the special grace of the Holy Spirit received by the couple. These crowns are crowns of joy and martyrdom - joy for the new union and martyrdom since every true marriage involves immeasurable self-sacrifice on both sides.


The rings have a deep symbolic meaning. This symbolism is indicated with the words, from the Service of Betrothal, "Through a ring the authority was given to Joseph in Egypt; through a ring Daniel was glorified in the land of Babylon; through a ring the true identity of Thamar was discovered; through a ring our heavenly Father showed mercy on the prodigal son; for he said, Put a ring on his finger".
The crowns and their exchange symbolise the couple's citizenship in the Kingdom of God, where "there is neither male nor female" (Gal. 3:28), and of their dying to each other (c.f. Rev. 2:10).

The Holy Scriptures tell us that God "blessed" marriage from the beginning of time saying "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth" (Gen. 1:27-28), showing that marriage is part of God's eternal purpose for humanity.
Further on, in Genesis 2:24, we read, "Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh".
Our Lord Jesus Christ reiterated these words when asked if it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife. He continued, "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matt. 19:4-6).

Christ forever sanctified marriage by His presence at the marriage in Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-11).
This was the first time Christ performed a miracle, and the first time the Theotokos interceded with Christ on behalf of others saying, "They have no wine", and then instructs all humanity, "Whatever He say to you, do it".

The Apostle Paul compares the Mystery of Marriage with the Church in these words, recited during the Crowning Service, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her", and "for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church" (Eph. 5:25, 31-32).
In 1 Corinthians 7, St. Paul gives detailed guidance on virginity and marriage. He also commands that marriage should be preserved.
Thus, marriage is holy, blessed and everlasting sacrament in the sight of God and His Church.
Finally, history closes with marriage of the Bride to the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9), thus fulfilling the earthly marriage in the heavenly, showing the eternal nature of marriage.


www.orthodoxworld.ru...

Helen? The old tradition of a wife sending her servants to bed with her husband to keep having children after the wife passes the age of child bearing always struck me as odd given the commandment against adultery.

I know God scolded Sara and Abraham for not having faith in his promise of a child, but never denounced the practice per se. (Nor having slaves for that matter).

Any thoughts?

Originally posted by RANT
Helen? The old tradition of a wife sending her servants to bed with her husband to keep having children after the wife passes the age of child bearing always struck me as odd given the commandment against adultery.

I know God scolded Sara and Abraham for not having faith in his promise of a child, but never denounced the practice per se. (Nor having slaves for that matter).

Any thoughts?

Hi rant!
Well I agree with you there!
But as we know, ALL OF US do have free will to act as we want....be it wrong or right!
God does not force someone to do something they do not want!
Some think that God's prophets never sinned. But the Word of God declares: "There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:22,23)
and "If we claim we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." (1 John 1:10)

On Abraham......

www.orthodoxphotos.com...

www.orthodoxphotos.com...

The whole world sins and no one is without sin...
helen.....

I really don't think there is a NEED for it, but I think it's more of a want. I believe its like a personal security for people that really do love each other. Of course, it would work if they just lived together. It doesn't seem like the same though, boyfriends and girlfriends can live together and it's still not the same, marriage just seems final.

I predict that this will soon revert to an all out war on homosexual marriages.

I think that marriage is a union of two souls,

MAN/WOMAN,
WOMAN/WOMAN/
MAN/MAN

I personaly cant wait to get married,
Though I have to finish school first, Get a financialy secure job, with enough income to support my wife and kids, hit puberty, then I should be all right

Deep

Originally posted by joshter
marriage just seems final.

It isn't.

I got married 2 weeks ago.
Why? Not for security or for symbolism. My marriage was making the statement to my wife telling her that I will stay with her until my time on this planet is up.
If there were another way to express this to her, I would have taken it. But to me, marriage is a bond. You enter binding contracts in day to day life over all sorts of issues all of the time.
Marriage is the ultimate contract.
With that contract comes many things hidden away in the small print that mean different things to different people!!!

Originally posted by Leveller
I got married 2 weeks ago.
Why? Not for security or for symbolism. My marriage was making the statement to my wife telling her that I will stay with her until my time on this planet is up.
If there were another way to express this to her, I would have taken it. But to me, marriage is a bond. You enter binding contracts in day to day life over all sorts of issues all of the time.
Marriage is the ultimate contract.
With that contract comes many things hidden away in the small print that mean different things to different people!!!

Congratulations are in order!

helen....

Marriage Blah! I am 28 and have never been married. I honestly see no reason for it. The woman I am with now wants to get married. When I ask her why, all she can say is "what I am not good enough to marry?" Marriage is supposed to be a holy or religous ceremony. I am not religous and neither is she, so why make a promise to a god that I am not sure if I believe in? I understand it is also making a promise to her also, but when I tell her I want to be with her, isnt that enough? The only thing marriage is good for is health insurance if one of the 2 isnt working. Also forever is a long time, what if I come home one day and she is banging the mail man or something, am I supposed to say "well I promised forever, nothing I can do, let him have it honey". This woman, as I know right now, would never cheat on me, but ther is always that "what if".

I would just like to remind everybody that marriage has been around a lot longer than the bible. Man and woman have pledged loyalty to each other for millenium. Cultures that have never even heard of the bible get married in their own cerememonies having nothing to do with the bible.

I just wanted to state that before people start spewing on about the "holy" sanctity of marriage and implying that it is the Christians who should decide the rules of marriage.

Koolaid has a point.
Dusty,
The "WOMAN", what shes just a WOMAN to you?
lol,
Marriage is not a union to god, its a union to eachother.
Deep

Sorry if I confused religon and marriage, but werent adam and eve married? Werent they the begining of life, according to the bible?
No she is not "just" a woman but for this discussion, no need for anthing more.


Ignorance is bliss.

If people need to get married to prove their love to one another then their relationship is obviously not good enough. Marriage isn't a completely neccesary thing. Most marriages now end in divorce so why do it ? Sorry i was a synical, single parented child. [i/]