How Does The Catholic Church Understand The Dignity And Meaning Of Conjugal Love

If you have never heard of polygamy you will and if you had in the past it was most likely due to the hit reality series “Sister Wives” about a polygamist family in the state of Utah. Polygamy is defined as the practice or condition of having more than one spouse at a time. Polygamy is nothing new and has been practice for hundreds of years but it is now seen as an immoral act, and a criminal act in a large majority of the of the world. Now even though polygamy is wide known in certain areas like Africa (South Africa, Kenya), Asia (middle east), etc. Still there are rules that they must abide by and it frowned on in an obese manner in areas like the United States, Australia, and China, because as a society we see it as an unjust act that can not be upheld by any justification but it is permitted in the bible. I support polygamy because I see no fault in the act of a family with multiple spouses.

companion. This at last is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. She

The Bible, has also created a conflict amongst Christians. In Exodus 21:10, it states that, "If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights." In further chapters, such as 1 Corinthians 7:2 , it states that," . . . each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. " Infidelity has gotten to the point where people truly believe that they can have their cake and eat it

Relationships can either be monogamous or non-monogamous in nature and its definitions and functions can vary. A monogamous relationship is traditionally characterised by two individuals who have dependent children or also as a ‘nuclear family.’ Monogamy is a hetero-normative practice that involves two individuals in a relationship; the couple is not engaged in extramarital intimacy. Nuclear families also fall under this practice. Polyamory is a non-monogamous practice that refers to multiple intimate partners and experiences. However, some scholars argue that if, or when one individual engages in infidelity, Polyamory is a viable option to sustain the relationship. Academic research positions Polyamory as an option that may successfully

The striking Christian concept of marriage theology, in which God is understood as having an allegorical and spiritual marriage with His people, showed both great change and great constancy in the face of the challenges of the Protestant Reformation. Some concepts, such as the importance of unity in conceptualizing mystical marriage, were constant characteristics of marriage theology, although varying in emphasis. Other concepts, such as mystical marriage as sacramental, were distinctly Catholic and rejected by later Protestants. By comparing the ideas of Bernard of Clairvaux and Gertrude of Helfta, monastic theologians preceding the Reformation, with the ideas of Francis Rous and Cotton Mather, Puritan theologians following the Reformation, the impact of early Protestant concerns on marriage theology will be observed.

The most important recurring issues in the study of the history of Christianity during our time period is sexual abuse amongst the Catholic Clergy and abortion, the killing of a living entity, as it is a sin against God according to biblical doctrine. Many believe that sexual abuse happening in the Catholic Church, is directly related to celibacy. The Churches restriction on priests that directs them to abstain from sexual relations. This issue has been debated since the reformation in which Martin Luther and other reformers opposed celibacy. They based their argument against celibacy on the bible scripture, namely Genesis 1:28, where God wanted people to “be fruitful and multiply”. There is nothing in the bible that directly mentions celibacy. There are many versions that mention fornication and uncleanliness and the interpretation of the Catholic Church seems to have made this deduction based on those scriptures. The other major issue that is common in most of the world’s religions is abortion; the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Protestant Church still adopt the early church’s belief to oppose the practice of abortion. Abortion is considered murder and a mortal sin in accordance which many versus in the bible as it relates to each of these faiths. Even between the Old Testament, where the law or Tora refers to the 10 commandments, where Exodus 20:13 states “Thou shall not Murder” and

Whereas the Christian views on divorce are that marriage is for life. People take vows for better or worse so if they meant that then there should be no divorce. For instance the Roman Catholic Church believe there shouldn’t be any divorce unless the marriage has not been consummated or they are willing to get a divorce with the

of the church taught that sexual relations should be avoided if possible and indulged in

There are many cultures around the world that do not expect clergy celibacy (Daly, 2009) including Christian denominations who allow ministers/priests to marry. These Churches demonstrate how marriage is compatible with the priestly life. These churches present a great example of how familial responsibilities are compatible with religious commitments. A study of married Evangelical ministers and Roman Catholic priests revealed that there were no significant differences in dimensions of religiosity or commitments to the parish between the celibate and married clergymen (Swenson, 1998). Both are

4. For much of the church’s history, sex within a marriage was only tolerated because it produced children.

Saint Paul interpreted the word of Christ on divorce and wrote “To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband, but if she does, let her remain single or else be

The Catholic Church teaches that premarital sex is wrong, yet it is still widely practiced around the world. The reason marriage was created was to join two people of the opposite sex together in a holy sacrament that would make the couple one. God's reason for marriage is quoted in the bible when he said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." The Sacrament of marriage is one of the most sacred Sacraments in the Catholic Religion. By performing premarital sex, the couple is breaking a covenant with God and is performing a sin.

As declared before, divorce must remain the last decision to take by a couple, because of its dreadful consequences on the whole family.

Often cited by Catholics is an interpretation of marriage as being “a promise made to God” and “a holy sacrament” that is only to be shared between one man and one woman. Other biblical interpretations suggest that a capital sin is committed by those in homosexual relationships and therefore must be strictly forbidden to all. However, marriage in itself is a secular institution, meaning that it is not subject to the ideals of any religion. Furthermore, any man and woman can get married at this time regardless of their religion. While same-sex marriages may not be welcome inside the Catholic Church, denying them outside of the Catholic Church is a discriminatory practice, allowed to occur in the name of religious preservation.

A few of the branches of the Catholic Church in Eastern Europe allow their priests to be married. The Vatican allows the marriages to keep church members from converting to Orthodox Christianity, the dominant religion in that part of the world. A recent article in The New York Times profiles Reverend Yuriy Volovetskiy, the priest at a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Volovetskiy is married and has six children. He says that being married helps him better relate to his parishioners. He says having children has helped him become a part of society. It is easier for him to explain things to his parish if he has actually lived through them. Volovetskiy also says that celibacy is unnatural, and that no one can escape from having a sexual life (Levy).