The Ethical And Moral Issue Surrounding Marriage, Divorce, And Remarriage

About two centuries ago a new standard to the way marriage should be viewed came about. This set higher expectations for marriage. This change made more strict divorce laws, in turn made it harder to end a good marriage, it gave individuals more freedom to refuse a spouse. “The husband became the family’s economic motor, and the wife its sentimental core.” (p. 385) By the late eighteenth century marriage became a private contract between a husband and wife and was not regulated by church or state. However many working-class families did not adopt the new norms until the twentieth century. Different culture and countries still argued their views, many changed their description of an ideal mate.

divorce, and those with liberal attitudes about marriage and divorce. Now the question is, why is

Dr. Andreas Kostenberger is the Director of PhD Studies and Professor of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Kostenberger uses the Word of God from the Old and New Testament on marriage, gender roles, headship, sex, child-rearing, divorce, and homosexuality. In the second edition of God, Marriage, and Family, by Köstenberger and Jones investigate the most recent contentions, social movements, and teachings inside both the congregation and society and further apply Scripture 's immortal standards to contemporary issues. We live in a time period of a crisis in regards to marriage and the family, and the only way the institution of marriage can be rebuild is by the biblical foundation in the Word of

Paul’s testament in Ephesians 5:31 when he states, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” In Ephesians, St. Paul is making a reference to the story of the creation of woman in Genesis. It is written, “The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (The Catholic Study Bible, Gen 2.23-24). This quote is often used to demonstrate the bond between man and woman, and sometimes is used with St. Paul’s statement in Ephesians 5:22-23 about how wives should submit themselves to their husbands; therefore, instead of defending her assertion of wives’ dominance over their husbands, the piece of scripture the Wife quotes does the opposite.

Dr. Dobson’s “Marriage Under Fire” book is a must read for all Christians, due to the gay marriage onslaught brought on by secular society. In his writing, Dr. Dobson gives concrete evidence for traditional marriage between one man and one woman as God designed it from the beginning of time. He also discusses how we have come to this point in the relationship crisis of our day and why we must take a stand for what is right (traditional marriage). This book has five chapters that can be applauded for its content; however, the first three – “The State of Our Unions”, “How Did We Get In This Mess?” and “Why We Must Win This Battle” are key to understanding true marriage and the dilemma of homosexual unions and the detrimental state in which it will have on humanity.

As human civilization advances, the more tolerant society has become to behaviors that used to be regarded as appalling and immoral. One of these behaviors is becoming divorced. According to a recent guidebook for couples who are in the midst of a divorce or considering divorce, 70% of Americans believe that divorce is a morally acceptable choice (Hawkins, 2009). This new understanding of divorce has played a significant role in the choice that many Americans have made to separate from their spouse. According to researchers in the United States 40%-50% of first marriages and 60% of second marriages will end in separation (Hawkins, 2009). Married couples in the United States are finding it difficult to remain committed to their spouses and it 's resulting in many failed relationships. Unless American citizens have a major epiphany about the foundation of marriage, the high divorce rate in the United States will continue and could escalate even higher in the next few decades for a variety of reasons including religion, finances, and adultery.

Divorce is a major sociological issue. Divorce rates continue to rise annually and more and more the definition of ‘family’ begins to change. Around 40% of marriages ended in divorce in 2004 (West). This is an epidemic that at one point shocked many People. While, divorce use to be socially and for many, religiously unacceptable it is becoming more and more a social norm. Even though it is becoming more common for couples to end marital issues with the decision of divorce, it is still a major social problem. Divorce is reshaping our culture (A Sociological Analysis of Divorce and its effects). Many people do not realize that not only does divorce affect the couple, it also greatly impacts any children involved, the extended family and the society as a whole.

“Marriage is the way in which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.” (Vatican) In today’s world divorce has become a rather recurring theme. Men and women marry younger and younger, and in many cases it has nothing to do with love. In these cases people marry for selfish reasons such as sexual desires, pride, or principal. These reasons have nothing to do with love and marriage should not be built upon them.

Dating, marriage, and divorce are three very important topics that each have commands from God to us. This paper will cover the Godly view on the three, and how the worldly views contradict and harm the marriage bed.

Ritual and Vows of Christian Marrage and Their Influence on the Differing Ways that Couples Approach Marraige and Marital Breakdown

represented in the story. The story is in Genesis, chapter two and three. Paying close attention to Genesis chapter 2, versus 21-24, the scripture goes, “ So the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon the man; and, while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that spot,- And the Lord God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man.- Then the man said, “ This one at last, Is bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called Woman. For from man was she taken.” Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they may become one flesh.” (Jewish Study Bible, 14). Paying close attention to the line of “ This one at last,”, is this meant to be a

Most people argue that the family is in ‘crisis’. They point to the rapidly increasing divorce rate, cohabitation, illegitimacy and number of single parent families.

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.

For this final project, I chose to research and educate myself on the concept of marriage in addition to wedding traditions in Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. I chose Islam for the reason that it is the religion that I am the most familiar with, Hinduism because I have heard so much about wedding ceremonies from my friends and it had interested me, and finally Christianity because I wanted to build my knowledge of it. This assignment has demonstrated that marriage in all three of these religions is a critical institution that is carried with the utmost respect and sacredness due to hundreds of years of maintaining the importance. I have learned many things from this research assignment that have surprised me in such positive ways and have definitely added on to my knowledge of that religion. For this assignment, I have put an emphasis on studying the concept of divorce, views of marriage in the eyes of the law, the traditions of the sermon and wedding ceremony and roles of the husband and wife within that partnership.

Today, the idea of marriage conjures images of bashful brides beautifully draped in all white, of grandiose flower arrangements climbing towards the ceiling, of romance personified. As an institution in this modern world, marriage represents the apex of romantic love, with an entire industry of magazines, movies, and television shows devoted to perpetuating marriage as an idealized symbol of the ultimate love between two people. Contrarily, as a sociological institution, marriage comes from much more clinical and impersonal origins, contrasting with the passion surrounding modern understandings of the institution. Notably, french anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss theorizes that the institution of marriage emerged from a need to form alliances between groups, with women functioning as the property exchanged so that such alliances could be solidified (Levi-Strauss).