According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary (2004), the prefix “inter” means “between, among, together” or “involving two or more.” It also says that the word “faith” means “strong belief or trust in someone or something”, “belief in the existence of God”, or “a system of religious beliefs.” In the instance of the term “interfaith”, we can put the two definitions together and say that interfaith is involving two or more systems of religious beliefs, or an existence of God. The dictionary defines “marriage” as “the relationship that exists between a husband and wife.” So, putting the words “interfaith” and “marriage” together would ultimately mean that the man and wife have two different religious belief systems. Turner and West’s (2006) book, Perspectives on Family Communication, defines interfaith marriage as “unions that include at least two different religious identities.” That is the definition of interfaith marriage in its simplest form, but an interfaith marriage is far more complex than just its meaning. To me, and also many others across the globe, interfaith marriage is a relationship that needs special commitment and attention, and now, I will attempt to show you why. Religion has always been known for impacting marriage quality and satisfaction (see, for example, Hood et. al.,1996), who also explain that “a major reason for shifting from one religious body to another occurs when people of different faiths marry.” Knowing that marriage is often the reason that
Many legal and financial advantages can be attained through marriage. Instead of getting married after high school, people tend to go to college, get their life together, and then marry. The average groom is now thirty-seven and bride thirty-four (Discuss). According to Associated Press Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, “41 percent of spouses admit to infidelity, either physical or emotional.” Couples these days aren’t communicating the proper way. Instead they get mad at each other and ignore one another. One or both people in the relationship have “checked out”, but they don’t want to divorce for the sake of the children. Or they still love each other, valuing each other as a support system and as close friends, but don’t feel that intimacy toward one another. As said in a marriage article from faqs.org, “The study, by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, found that the marriage rate among Americans is at its lowest point ever. Over the last forty years, the rate has fallen forty-three percent. In addition, fewer people are reporting themselves as being “very happy” in their marriages.” Today, most wedding ceremonies involve a religious service, which contains many traditional features that are significant to their cultures. Christian’s services contain wording that has been unchanged since the
Summary: Dr. Hawkins has done a wonderful job in presenting the essential elements of what it takes to have a Biblically sound intimate and committed marriage. In Strengthening Marital Intimacy (1991), he has captured the two foundational truths, intimacy and commitment, makes a good marriage into a great marriage. It is not enough to know the Word of God intellectually there must be a real surrendering to the sovereign will of God. To do it will transform a life of commitment to God and to the marriage. The key concepts presented in this book cover marital intimacy, commitment, wisdom, reality, God’s sovereignty, the person, sexuality,
The family issue I will be analyzing is interfaith marriage. Interfaith marriage is simply marriage between two people who belong to or identify with different religious groups. However simple the definition may seem, the reality of interfaith marriage can be far more complex. For most of human history it has been a social taboo to marry outside of one 's faith. However, in recent years it has become much more acceptable, even to the point of seeming to essentially be a non-factor as far as society is concerned. Nevertheless, with the inevitable differences in customs and beliefs, and despite social acceptance, interfaith marriages can still cause major conflict in the household. This paper will explore seven different sociological theories, and attempt to explain how they can decipher the effects of interfaith marriage upon the family.
Marriage has often been described as one of the most beautiful and powerful unions one human can form with another. It is the sacred commitment and devotion that two people share in a relationship that makes marriage so appealing since ancient times, up until today. To have and to hold, until death do us part, are the guarantees that two individuals make to one another as they pledge to become one in marriage. It is easy to assume that the guarantee of marriage directly places individuals in an everlasting state of love, affection, and support. However, over the years, marriage has lost its fairy
This book was short yet had many meaning to it. Although the time of this book happened to be around 1950, it still has a significance today. It seems as if African Americans will never catch a break in this world. From not to then not much has changed regarding to how differently races, especially blacks, are being treated. There will always be a negative opinion coming from some whites about back people and how they are still being called an abomination today. This book happens to touch on interracial marriages and a conflict between family and their beliefs.
“In other words, not only are people from different religious backgrounds getting married, they are keeping those separate faiths rather than converting.” (Hanes, 2014). This means that partners can still have and value their religion while still having a working relationship. They do not have to convert to still be happy and they certainly do not have to avoid specific people because they do not share the same beliefs. “...whether we’re Muslim, Jewish, Hindu...we’re in the same workplaces. And we fall in love and get married”. (Hanes, 2014). It does not matter who you are; ethnicity, religion or even gender should not determine who somebody can love. What happens though, is that two people meet each other and fall in love. Religion has nothing to do with it. However, some people in the US find it hard to believe that families are able to function properly with two or more
Marriage is a sacred union between two people who share love. For a long time, there has been a misconception about everything surrounding it. Whether it is the divorce rate, or the average happiness of married couples, many believe only the negative. Researchers often look only for the downside and forget to emphasize all the benefits marriage brings. In her book, The Good News About Marriage, Feldhanh discusses all of this and more in depth to bring to light the truth about marriage. Love is great and sharing a life with someone is something so special; therefore, it shouldn’t be looked down on based on misconceptions.
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
These relationships in the movie didn’t really end the greatest for the couples and there are reasons why. Religion is a key factor in a marriage. Studies suggest that there are five ways faith contributes to a healthy and strong marriage. One way is that you get to pray for your partner and you can pray for the strength of your marriage which is said to be associated with increased commitment and more happy relationships. You can also be spiritual open with your partner.
Although widely accepted in the United States, Jews and Christians are also involved in issues of extreme prejudice, oppression, and conflict. Much of this conflict stems from the inaccurate belief that only one religion can be “right,” and is constantly perpetuated even by those who have been its victims. According to Falcon, “Every individual path is an avenue to a shared universal.” This view lies in direct opposition to those of many major world religions. The three believe that members of all religions would benefit from sharing their inconsistencies and taboos on a personal level without seeking to convert the other party. According to Rahman, “Interfaith is not about conversion; it is about
The two articles used were “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation” (Lewis, Ford- Robinson, 2010) and “Marital Dissolution among Interracial Couples” (Zhang, Van Hook, 2009). The first article “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation”, spoke about the unprecedented changes that our society is going though in the 21st century.
In the Christian religion, there are two basic laws allowing divorce without the commitment of sin, infidelity and marriage to a nonbeliever whom has abandoned the commitment. However, in today’s society divorce has become a very common thing, as people decide to split part in their many marital dissolutions, and only one of these are considered to be a top five reasons why married couples actually divorce. Furthermore, infidelity or parting upon religious conversions only take upon circumstances of high sin in the views of the Christian God, rather than depicting compelling rational views that affect couples in everyday life.
The success of an interracial marriage, to withstand all the prejudices in society, needs one major ingredient, and that is love. One of the hardest things an interracial couple has to deal with is acceptance from both their families and society. Interestingly, though, Interracial marriages tend to last longer than same race ones because people going into interracial marriages are prepared for a rocky road and are prepared to stick with it, while same race couples may have not experienced that same adversity, and at the first sign of struggle, back out of the marriage. This obviously tells us that whether the marriage is a success or not does not depend upon the races of the partners, or at least not in the way everyone thinks it does. It is obvious that people in general are becoming more open minded and accepting of interracial marriages, however, there still are many social taboos that prevent people from being in such a marriage. Society tends to concentrate on skin color when
The United States is a country built on a number of ideals and institutions. The moral structure of many Americans today was developed by our ancestors and the founders of this nation through the institutions that were a part of their lives. Family, religion, marriage, equality, and justice are just a few examples of the important components that provide a moral basis for our country. If any of these elements were to become too mutated, the effects on society could be devastating. Right now in the United States, one of these building blocks of society is being threatened by the possibility of a negative transformation. The building block of marriage as the sacred
Churches and religious organizations often approach the topic of cohabitation from a judgmental standpoint, and immediately condemn the behavior. Cohabiting couples who reach out to the church for guidance or seek premarital counseling need healing and restoration, not condemnation. Consideration needs to be given to the reasons for cohabiting in order to determine the most effective approach. Marriage Preparation and