Marriage

Setting the agenda for contemporary debate, ancient and medieval philosophers raised recurring themes in the philosophy of marriage: the relation between marriage and the state, the role of sex and procreation in a marriage, and the gendered nature of spousal roles. Their works reflect evolving, and overlapping, ideas of marriage as an economic procreative unit, a religious sacrament, a contractual association, and a relationship of mutual support.

Marriage is one of the universal social institutions that admit a man and a woman to family life through the sacred vows of holy matrimony. The most important community within a virtuous society is the family, and the core of a virtuous family is the institution of marriage. Traditional marriage between a man and a woman is a social institution with moral obligations; it forms the core of families, promotes social stability, and endures, fluctuating emotions notwithstanding.

Traditional societies are not frozen in the past but are characterized by accepting and building upon the wisdom of the ages that have been handed down from one generation to the next. Marriage, to those who choose to be involved in one, can mean a symbol of commitment, a means of self-fulfillment, a social construct, a cultural phenomenon, and a preferred unit for reproduction. Traditional marriages stress the significance of marriage, children, and the family according to doctrine.

Our task as believers is to defend the family in a Christian marriage despite worldly trends to diminish the significance of marriage and divinely designed intimacy. In reality, we are raising our children in enemy-occupied territory, while our homes must become primary sanctuaries of our faith where our children will be safe from the sins of the world. 

At this moment, we cannot hesitate to create a new generation of children who understand that marriage brings together two very different and imperfect people, and that each personal imperfection is an opportunity for change. A generation of children who believe that God’s plan for love, peace, joy, and happiness is a perfect one. To be followers of a moral code as defined by the commandments handed down to them centuries ago. If there is to be a moral code to follow, there must be a moral code giver. We must arm our children with a deep committment to the commandments that will bring peace to the world around them as provided by the divine atonement of Jesus Christ.  

“Marriage would be irrelevant if it didn’t help people to see the hidden glory of the common things it does.”

Blessings, and may you witness your beliefs to the world, my dear friends,