So, what is marriage anyway?

[ZiSunka]

You know, marriage is getting lots of attention these days, but it seems to be defined as a legalizing of a sexual relationship, a joint ownership of work benefits and tax benefits, a recognition of normality from the government.

A while back a man at my church walked up to me out of no where and said, "You really don't understand marriage, do you?" I was a little taken aback, but he's right, I don't understand marriage.

So, what is marriage anyway?

Is marriage have a religious significance?

Does the Bible define marriage somewhere?

Is marriage only about getting regular sex or is it something more?

 

[seebs]

I don't think marriage is very firmly defined; in particular, it can be extremely hard to separate out cultural practices from spiritual ones.

I think marriage is when people make a family. I don't think all families are made the same way, or are required to be. Some people are married for different reasons, and I don't think it's as simple as calling some reasons better or worse than others.

Discussion of some of the issues people bring up involving composition of marriages is limited to a few specific forums here, so I suggest ignoring that...

But there's some room for discussing what makes a marriage. A person at meeting once used the phrase "agreements of belonging", and I think this is relevant. We make agreements. I'm not sure the exact details of the agreements are as important as our justified confidence that they will be kept.

 

[Jillymac]

Marriage is where a man leaves his mother and father and is joined with his wife. The 2 become one flesh.

ephesians 5
Wives and Husbands

22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church– 30for we are members of his body. 31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32This is a profound mystery–but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Marriage is basically the coming together of 2 people (male and female) who love each other and publicly announce their relationship under God's blessing. Just as the church is the bride, Jesus is the bridegroom. They will always be connected.

Jilly

 

[ZiSunka]

Well, that's how you are supposed to behave in marriage, but what IS marriage all about?

 

[ZiSunka]

I was just thinking that if we can't define what marriage is supposed to be, how can we say that gays can't have it? What can't they have?

 

[Heatherondo]

very simpley
In genesis, when God created Adam, he saw it was not good for man to be alone and creative Eve as a help mate and companion.

God made us, as humans, need love, sex, companionship, and closeness with someone, in part to populate, but also, for us to be content.

Sex if a gift, a pleasure meant to be shared by one man and one woman only togther in a marriage, God didnt have to make procreation so enjoyable, ya know, and if you are going to do things Gods way then if you wish to enjoiy that pleasure, that he put into us to desire and need phsyically, you have to do it married.

He does not mean for us to be alone while on this earth.

he did not mean for us to join to people temporarily over and over again either, because that leads to heartbreak, complications, unhappiness, sometimes disease, and even to sin.

Some people are fine alone, not lonely at all, and have no desire for sex.
They shouldnt marry. I say you desire sex and companionship.... you should marry.

 

[Sword-In-Hand]

I thought people got married just so they could have 15 kids to work on the farm, or is that just a Kentucky thing?

 

[seebs]

I was just thinking that if we can't define what marriage is supposed to be, how can we say that gays can't have it? What can't they have?

An interesting question. I am not sure what marriage is. For instance, I don't even know whether sexuality is a necessary component of marriage.

 

[MbiaJc]

You know, marriage is getting lots of attention these days, but it seems to be defined as a legalizing of a sexual relationship, a joint ownership of work benefits and tax benefits, a recognition of normality from the government.

A while back a man at my church walked up to me out of no where and said, "You really don't understand marriage, do you?" I was a little taken aback, but he's right, I don't understand marriage.

So, what is marriage anyway?

Is marriage have a religious significance?

Does the Bible define marriage somewhere?

Is marriage only about getting regular sex or is it something more?

A bibical marrage is a union between a man and a woman.

The religious significande of marrage is its relationship to Christ and His Church. And the vough a couple getting married takes befor God. And not forgetting the two becoming one flesh.

I would say this passage defines marrage.
31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
It also makes it clear a marriage is between a man and a women.

Sex is just one of the benefits of marriage. Marrage is much more than sex.
In marrage you have a partner, a soul mate, friend, etc.

 

[Jillymac]

Well ok, marriage IS still when a man leaves his parents and is joined by a wife and 2 are joined as one.
God created adam and eve (i'm sure you've all heard this one) not Adam and STEVE
Sexuality is important to God. He created us so we could go on and have children and populate the world, he gave us emotions that would result in attraction to our partners.

God clearly states that homosexuality is wrong and that is why they should not have the rights that heterosexual people have - because the bible says so.

<H3>1 Corinthians 6:8-10 (New International Version)

8Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. 9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Romans 1
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen. 26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

thats just a couple of verses (Lambslove mentioned gay rights) that shows God does not approve of homosexual acts, therefore they shouldn't have what God gave to heterosexual people because the bible tells us it's not correct to do so.

I'm am not slandering any gay people - only their choice to be gay. I believe and live by the bible, i will not deny that. I don't mean this to be harsh, I hope people just read this as how it is said in the bible. It's pretty blunt and not sugar coated there.

My point being that sexuality is important in marriage - as God intended.

Jilly

</H3>

 

[Wakeup2god]

A bibical marrage is a union between a man and a woman.

Biblical or not it's the joining together of a man and a woman. Thus sharing everything with each other, honoring each other. This being physical and spiritual. It's as hard as trying to define love. I suppose the thing about gay marriage is the joining together of two people in the physical. Any other way would be fine between man and man but the bible states that the physical aspect is a big no, no.

I'd be interested to know if any religion supports gay marriage. As for Christians though it's a no.

I suppose when you understand what love is, or when you love someone enough then you'll appreciste and understand marriage more.

 

[Jillymac]

i agree with Wakeup2God. i wasn't all that bothered about marriage, until i was much older. I'm 22 and God has given me my perfect partner and we're gettin married this year. I've only now realised the responsibility that comes from being a wife after doing a bit of study into it and how much God speaks of marriage, but maybe not saying the word marriage - however He gives a lot of commands to husbands and wives. Therefore He obviously does want marriage to a be a significant part of relationships.
However some choose not to be with anyone. Jesus didn't (that we know of) or John the baptist.

Each to their own i guess.

Jilly

 

[seebs]

I'd be interested to know if any religion supports gay marriage. As for Christians though it's a no.

As always, any discussion of this issue has to go in one of the three forums approved for it.

FWIW, my church recognizes at least some gay marriages. On the other hand, no one takes Quakers seriously.

 

[Wakeup2god]

FWIW, my church recognizes at least some gay marriages. On the other hand, no one takes Quakers seriously

Was wondering, do you guys still quake?

 

[ZiSunka]

How does marriage work? Is it based on anything other than love and the desire to have legal sex?

 

[repoland2]

You and I are on the same path lambslove, both seeking answers to the same thing. Part of my quest to find out what marriage is, started off seeking what love is... hense a different post, elsewhere.

Marriage, is a physical representation of a spiritual aspect, as are all other things in this world.

Think of it this way. God speaks of us *humans* taking the Lord in a style of relationship that is as a marriage. He is the Groom and we are the bride. *this thought even makes ME squirm, however true it may be*

Really what He wants, is for us to be 100% commited to Him, we SUBMIT to His will and His body, giving ourselves completely for it. Because we VERIFY His existance, and Him ours. Hense, when we 'marry' God, we give ourselves over to the Oneness of His entire body.

A wife represents that same aspect, only in a reflected *dimmed by sin* sort of way. What we see in our spouse, is really the love we share with God, and the LOVE that we feel for our spouse, is really only Love that God gives us to give them.

If we wait for the Lord to provide that one person, He is essentially giving many things.

a.) A life long companion to share your life with, for no human wants to be alone
b.) Someone to share learning experiences with, to grow with for the Glory of God
c.) Someone who will always show they love you, sort of a validation of what God feels for us, but in a physical aspect.
d.) A mate to bring life into the world, so that another wonderful person is created for the Glory of God
e.) A best friend, someone who will always stand by you no matter what happens, just as Jesus did for everyone He knew. Someone who will never give up on you.

All of these things bring Glory to His precious name, and also take care of your earthly needs in the process.

As Morpheus said in The Matrix, "I can only show you the door, you have to be the one to walk through it."

In saying that, I urge you to pray your concerns and questions to the Lord, ask Him things about it, bring it all to His attention in INCREDIBLE detail. He wants to know what's on your mind. Yes He already knows, but it's when you CHOOSE to excersize your free will and come to him yourself and speak it out to Him where He is most pleased.

ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find.... knock, and the door shall be opened unto you....

 

[seebs]

How does marriage work? Is it based on anything other than love and the desire to have legal sex?

I think it is more about partnership than sex. As Crazy Liz pointed out in another thread, there are couples who have sex but are clearly not married, and there are couples who are married who do not have sex.

We tend to think of marriage in terms of love and commitment. It is a grave error to mistake "being in love" for the sort of love which makes for a real marriage.