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What is marriage?

an anarchist

an anarchist

Your local loco.
From a religious perspective, what is marriage to you?

If you're not religious, what is marriage to you?

Nowadays, marriage is a legally binding relationship, but is that what it's supposed to be?

In your eyes, can you be "married" without the government saying you are married?

When I was a Christian, I understood marriage was an image of your relationship with God. That's why it's so sacred and no cheating is allowed.

I guess I still feel like that.
 
JustGeorge

JustGeorge

Imperfect
Staff member
Premium Member
I don't know if my understanding of marriage is a religious one; my husband and I were different religions when we married 11 years ago. But, I'd say marriage is a type of commitment or contract where you are agreeing that you want to make this person your life partner. It most often is in a romantic sense, but romance and pretty feelings aren't the most important aspect of it.

Essentially, this person is going to wear the road with you, through smooth sailing and rough terrain. You agree to make 'my goals' 'our goals', at least for most major life choices. You will learn to hammer out all those little details that don't seem like they matter, but do as the years go on(who mows the lawn? who takes the dog to the vet?) You use your strengths and weaknesses (hopefully) to level each other out.

Basically, marriage is the life you put together.

In my view.
 
Trailblazer

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Xavier Graham said:
From a religious perspective, what is marriage to you?
Click to expand...
Marriage is defined in the Bahá’í Faith as a union between two consenting adults: a man and a woman. Abdu’l-Bahá has stated the following in this regard:

Bahá’í marriage is the commitment of the two parties one to the other, and their mutual attachment of mind and heart. Each must, however, exercise the utmost care to become thoroughly acquainted with the character of the other, that the binding covenant between them may be a tie that will endure forever. Their purpose must be this: to become loving companions and comrades and at one with each other for time and eternity…

The true marriage of Bahá’ís is this, that husband and wife should be united both physically and spiritually, that they may ever improve the spiritual life of each other, and may enjoy everlasting unity throughout all the worlds of God. This is Bahá’í marriage.

In another Tablet, He has written:

O ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is He, hath made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest companionship, and to be even as a single soul. They are two helpmates, two intimate friends, who should be concerned about the welfare of each other.

If they live thus, they will pass through this world with perfect contentment, bliss, and peace of heart, and become the object of divine grace and favor in the Kingdom of heaven. But if they do other than this, they will live out their lives in great bitterness, longing at every moment for death, and will be shamefaced in the heavenly realm.

Strive, then, to abide, heart and soul, with each other as two doves in the nest, for this is to be blessed in both worlds.

A selection of extracts from the Bahá’í writings on family life and marriage
 
an anarchist

an anarchist

Your local loco.
Trailblazer said:
Bahá’í marriage is the commitment of the two parties one to the other, and their mutual attachment of mind and heart. Each must, however, exercise the utmost care to become thoroughly acquainted with the character of the other, that the binding covenant between them may be a tie that will endure forever. Their purpose must be this: to become loving companions and comrades and at one with each other for time and eternity…

The true marriage of Bahá’ís is this, that husband and wife should be united both physically and spiritually,
Click to expand...
This makes me wonder if two souls can interlock/bind together through "marriage". The quote said that the married couple would be loving companions for all of eternity, so yea, right?
 
JustGeorge

JustGeorge

Imperfect
Staff member
Premium Member
F1fan said:
It's a legal agreement between two adults and the state. There are legal and financial benefits to this.
Click to expand...

There are financial setbacks, too, if you're poor.

Previous to being married, my husband and I were on food stamps(SNAP). When we got married, we informed the SNAP program of the change in status, as was what needed to be done, legally. Our income didn't change a dime. However, once we were married, they slashed our benefits in half. I think I cried.

After knowing that tidbit of information, it made sense why the government sends all SNAP recipients a document letting you know the health advantages to being married. Essentially, they're encouraging you to get married so they can cut you off(or reduce the benefits of) the SNAP program!
 
Trailblazer

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Xavier Graham said:
This makes me wonder if two souls can interlock/bind together through "marriage". The quote said that the married couple would be loving companions for all of eternity, so yea, right?
Click to expand...
I do not believe that souls can literally be bound together as one since I believe that every human retains their individual soul.

What this makes me wonder about is what happens when a spouse dies and the widow or widower remarries. What will happen in the next life?
 
S

Sedim Haba

Outa here... bye-bye!
Xavier Graham said:
From a religious perspective, what is marriage to you?

If you're not religious, what is marriage to you?

Nowadays, marriage is a legally binding relationship, but is that what it's supposed to be?

In your eyes, can you be "married" without the government saying you are married?

When I was a Christian, I understood marriage was an image of your relationship with God. That's why it's so sacred and no cheating is allowed.

I guess I still feel like that.
Click to expand...
The oldest con job.
 
ADigitalArtist

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
A union, not even necessarily of people. (E.g. a marriage of flavors, marriage of genres). Different definitions depending on context and usage.
 
ADigitalArtist

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Sedim Haba said:
Once the state is involved, that's lost.
Click to expand...
Wasn't for me. The purpose of state in my marriage was to secure legal ownership and decision making rights between the two of us. It didn't make me love my partner more or less, just made functioning as a partner in a society easier.
 
muhammad_isa

muhammad_isa

Veteran Member
F1fan said:
It's a legal agreement between two adults and the state..
Click to expand...
Yes .. but if "the state" is secular, it no longer has any real meaning.

Marriage really applies to a religious community, who takes adultery seriously.
It protects the citizens in the 'parish' from abomination such as rape, and protects the family institution.
 
G

Goldemar

A queer sort
Xavier Graham said:
From a religious perspective, what is marriage to you?

If you're not religious, what is marriage to you?

Nowadays, marriage is a legally binding relationship, but is that what it's supposed to be?

In your eyes, can you be "married" without the government saying you are married?

When I was a Christian, I understood marriage was an image of your relationship with God. That's why it's so sacred and no cheating is allowed.

I guess I still feel like that.
Click to expand...

In principle, I believe marriage to simply be an oral or written contract between two or more people that regulates the relations between them.
 
1

1213

Well-Known Member
Xavier Graham said:
From a religious perspective, what is marriage to you?
...
Click to expand...

I think it is this:

and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?’
So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart.”
Matt. 19:5-6

Because of that, I think when man and woman have sex, from that point they are married.
 
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