Marriage-The legal joining of a
man and a woman in a ceremony
of matromony
Divorce-The legal dissolving
of a marriage so that no legal
ties or obligations remain
between the couple
Marital breakdown-A term
referring to causes for a
marriage to end
Abuse, unfaithfulness
Cohabitation-Where two people
live together in a sexual
relationship but are not married
Civil Partnership-A legal
ceremony which
registers the terms and
conditions of
partnership between
same sex couples
Sanctity of Marriage-A
Christian term which
involves the concept that
God ha designed marriage
between a man and a
woman as part of creation
Background Information
Marriage Ceremonies can either be Religious Marriages of
Civil Marriages
Religious Marriages: Usually take place in a
religious setting (Church) and contain vows which
have been designed to reflect religious beliefs
about the value and purpose of marriage
Civil Marriages: Take
place in government
registry offices or
other legally approved
venues. They contain
only the legal
requirements for UK
law (Witnesses are
needed, register is
signed
Christian Reasons for Marriage
It is a relationship ordained by
God as he intended man and
woman to join as one
It creates stability in society and
makes for more secure
relationships in the family
It is the context for family
life and is believed to be
context for raising children
lovingly
It is the proper context for a sexual
relationship
It is the place where love
(agape) is first shown and
learnt by people
Bible Verses
Then the Lord God said, "It
is not good for man to be
alone. I will make a helper
who is just right for him" (
Gen 2)
Meaning: God did not think that other life forms could be a suitable
companion for humans, neither was he, God, their companion. They
needed each other for support and comfort.
This explains why a man
leaves his father an mother
and is joined to his wife, and
the two are united as one.
The bond created in marriage makes two separate people one in heart and spirit. It is
therefore seen as impossible to separate this bond once it has been made. God is the
one who makes this bond possible.
You say, " I am allowed to do
anything"- but not everything is
good for you...you can't say our
bodies were made for sexual
immorality...Don't you realize that
your bodies are actually parts of
Christ? (1 Corinthians 6)
Meaning: This implies that the proper place for
sexual relationships is in marriage because any
other kind of sexual relations outside of this are
immoral
My wife's body does not
belong to her...the
husbands' body does not
belong to just him ( 1 Cor
7)
The sexual relationship
inside a marriage makes the
man and wife bond so
closely they are responsible
for each other
Anyone who divorces his wife, except for
unfaithfulness, causes her to commit
adultery. And anyone who marries a
divorced woman also commits adultery.
(Matt 5)
This passage is used by some
Christians to show that divorce is
understandable in some serious cases
but is never the ideal
Two are united into one. Since they are no
longer two but one, what God has joined
together man must not divide ( Mark 5)
The passage is used by Christians
who take the bond of marriage as an
absolute rule and they will not accept
a divorce as possible because God
has joined the couple as one
Key Christian Values
Agape- Unconditional love that
Christians aspire to, as shown in the
marriage vows: for better for worse;
richer for poorer; in sickness and in
health; til death do us part
Forgiveness- The Christian teaching that places importance on
second chances and sorrow for any mistakes made. Jesus
teaches "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us." Marriages should show this forgiveness in
action.
Respect and Equality- Although the marriage partnership has roles and responsibilities
for men and women which give them different jobs to perform in the family, all
relationships are to be based on respect and equality as shown by following Christ
For you
are all one
in Christ
(Gal 3)
Christian Attitudes to Divorce and Remarriage
Since 1981 the Church of England has accepted divorce as a reality but does not see it as an ideal
solution to marriage problems. Re- marriage within the Church is allowed if the vicar or Bishop is
confident that the conditions of marriage are understood properly
Protestant Christians accept with sadness that divorce happens although it is never seen as an
ideal. Remarriage is permitted if the pastor is satisfied that the situation is genuine
The Orthodox Church accepts that marriages can and do end in divorce. It allows remarriage in
Church but restricts this to a maximum of twice
Roman Catholics do not accept divorce
as a solution to marriage problems and
will not re-marry any divorced person in
a religious ceremony.
They do have a system of anullment which is a procedure to
show that a marriage is void and the original ceremony was
flawed. Three areas of impediment are the only reason for
invalidating the marriage:
1. One of the
persons did not
fully
understand the
meaning of
marriage
2. The marriage
was not
consummated
(No sexual
relations)