Christians Point of View On Marriage

Religion research papers may examine the issue of marriage in the Christian world. When Paper Masters writes reports on the Christian point of view of marriage, may issues such as gay marriage, divorce, infidelity and abuse can be covered.

With virtual unanimity across the board, Christian churches view marriage as a lifelong commitment. Therefore, divorce is seen as an undesirable outcome to the marital bond, and couples are most always urged to seek pastoral counseling before deciding to end their marriage.

Still, there are significant divisions among churches today regarding the issue of divorce. Because of the advent of feminism and a more open society, divorce statistics have climbed steadily over the past few decades. The Roman Catholic Church, nonetheless, remains steadfast in its teachings that marriage is one of the seven Sacraments and represents a holy bond that must not be dissolved. Many Protestant denominations also follow this belief, especially Evangelical Christians, who strongly believe that the rising number of divorces can be largely attributed to "godlessness" in couples' lives and to not make the best effort possible to help the marriage work.

Catholics and Marriage

This is not to say that Catholics do not get divorced - they do, as do people of other Christian traditions. The reasons are many:

• Infidelity
• Abuse
• Incompatibility

Yet, Jesus himself set the requirements regarding divorce: "Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife' Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate".

Today, millions of couples follow Jesus' teachings, yet divorces continue to rise in number. Infidelity remains a major cause of divorce, even among members of the clergy in some cases. When parishioners see their minister engaging in extramarital affairs, it not only shakes them spiritually, but also appears to give them a reason to spur along their own divorce plans.

Marriage, Divorce and the Church

Is divorce, though, the correct answer? Priests and ministers alike decry the growing divorce rates, and one minister has said one significant reason is that we live in a world with such low moral standards that often couples - especially those where one spouse or the other is unfaithful - see no alternative. Rather than seek counseling or come together to try to repair the damage within their marriage, they take the "easier" route and get divorced. And, while keeping a marriage together at all times does not work for all couples, if they try harder and learn to live in love, then perhaps many marriages can then be saved.