...THEO 202 B31 Anthropology: Marriage and Divorce The issue of marriage and divorce has become a very serious in America today, which is not exclusive to unbelievers. The percentage of Christian divorces is almost as high as those that are not believers. The question that can be asked is “Why?” My personal belief is that we as humans are suffering from a heart defect, which has caused a love deficit in our lives. Especially in the area of our personal relationships, with the primary being marital relations. We missed the glory that God wanted for the union of men and women. We are seeking to fix our heart defect with “love” from human relationships. This is the wrong way to fill our love defect. Only the Father, Son and Holy Spirit can and will do this for us. Keeping that love relationship in the center of your life will help and heal want needs healing. In today’s society too often, marriage is entered into with the idea of, “If this doesn’t work we can always get a divorce.” That way of thinking should be the first clue that you are not mature enough to be getting married, let alone it is not a loving thought for the other person. It is self-centered thinking. According to the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, “Biblical teaching on marriage is epitomized in the statement,’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh’”(Gen.2:24).(Elwell 2001) Marriage is an exclusive relationship...
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...Emmanuel Aigbedion THEO202_B20_201220 Short Essay #2 Short Essay On Anthropology: Marriage and Divorce The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” ...For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen 2:18, 24 NIV). God himself is the originator of the marriage institution, He hates divorce (Mal 2:16), but permits it in extreme cases. In this essay, I will attempt to discuss marriage, the issue of divorce and remarriage, from the biblical point of view and how these issues impact the Church and the society at large. I will like to define marriage as a legal and mystical union between a man and a woman. Simply put, it is a bond of love between a man and a woman. The bible teaches that at a point in a man’s life he will leave his father and mother and become united with a woman and both of them will become one flesh (Gen 2:24, Mark 10:7-8). There is no biblical age requirement for marriage between a man and woman, however, “By early Christian times girls often married between twelve and seventeen, and boys between fourteen and eighteen.”1 Marriage is basically for the physically and spiritually matured and not for children. It is also not for the mentally impaired and psychotic. In the Old Testament times, the Israelites were restricted from marrying foreigners, although this was not always practiced (Ezra 9:10-12). In the new testament times Christians...
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...Heather Lane Theo202_B22 Short Essay #2 Short Essay on Marriage and Divorce One morning while doing my devotions, I received a phone call from my friend Jane. She told me that Tom and herself had hit a rough spot in their marriage, and were considering their options. Before making and rash life altering decisions she wanted to know if I would meet with them to get my perspective, and to ask some questions about what the bible says about marriage and divorce. I told her I am certainly no marriage counselor, but I would love to help out in any way that I can. Not really knowing where to start I prayed for them, and I prayed for guidance and this is what the Lord brought to me. The Bible actually has allot to say about marriage. Marriage represents a serious commitment by both man and woman, it is a promise not only to the partner but to God as well. Marriage is an exclusive relationship. The total unity of a persons physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Genesis 2:22-24 “The Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” So it was from the very beginning that Man and Woman were to be together. There are a couple different views when you look at the question, when does God consider...
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...Marriage and Relationships of Today Helen Tish Taylor FSCJ Marriage and Divorce Relationships are what make up our world today, they shape the way we see things and the way we do things. Marriage is one of the most important relationships we will ever experience, unfortunately over half of us that marry will divorce. This is a sad but true fact. The most confronting part of marriage for myself is the fact that you are promising something you don’t know if you can deliver, but if you were to vow “ I will be with you until it doesn’t work anymore” that wouldn’t be a promise- it would be a statement of fact. When you commit to something beyond what you know you can do “I will be with you always” you are calling on yourself to be great. You are trying to make all the inconsistencies and complexities of marriage become reality. The books I have selected for my annotated bibliography all offer something to help the reader attain this goal of helping a marriage not just survive in today’s society but thrive and grow. Marriage and Relationships of Today Bernstein, J., & Magee, S. (2008). Why can’t you read my mind? Da Capo Press Bernstein, a psychologist specializing in couples and family therapy, and Magee (The Power of Positive Confrontation) offer marital partners a way to renew the spark in their relationships in this self help guide. They claim that one of the most significant steps is to focus on yourself rather than your partner by ridding yourself of toxic thoughts...
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...Essay on Anthropology: Marriage and Divorce Marriage is a sacred vow between a man and a woman and the Bible gives us guidance. As Christians there are many verses within the Bible that teach on marriage for newlyweds, husbands, wives and engagement. The Bible says that marriage is for companionship and intimacy. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man.' For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (Genesis 2:18 21-24 NIV). In a marriage, husbands are to love and sacrifice and wives are to submit. Even though in today’s society, women being submissive are not popular. The Bible teaches us that husbands and wives are equal partners. It also teaches that wives are godly in character and that husbands are kind and to honor their wives. It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. (1 Cor. 7:1-2, NIV) This verse teaches that it is better to marry than to be immoral. A couple is married in the eyes of God when it is consummated through sexual intercourse, has a formal ceremony and is legally married. Today it is acceptable to cohabitate and for the woman to be the provider. The Bible is very clear on divorce, as stated in Matthew 19:6...
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...Marriage vs living together Family is the basic block of all human cultures, and marriage is the base of the family. The establishment of marriage is good for individuals and society. Families are created and held together by the lifelong commitment of a man and a woman who live cooperatively and raise and nurture their children. Not only is marriage vital to society, the benefits of marriage for both adults and children are well recognized. Married people live longer, spend less time in hospital, have great incomes and enjoy greater emotional support. Children raised by their father and mother are less likely to live in poverty, drop out of school and are more likely to finish college. They are also at a lower risk for becoming sexually active in their teen years. However, families now face some extraordinary challenges today, including divorce, extra marital affairs, birth of child before marriage etc. which contribute to lessened family, individual and community welfare. Americans living in the twenty-first century, face the problem of ever increasing marriage and divorce rates. Relationships like life are now something to be managed rather than lived. Living successfully is now about keeping up, staying ahead or staying on top of things. It is hard to believe that staying together in a fast paced life takes work and commitment. But it is not impossible. It is a matter of taking control of your lives together and being a little creative about how you live. Even though...
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...Marriage and Divorce Marriage is no longer a dependable family tie. Today’s society looks at divorce lightly but there are cases where one should divorce and where one should omit divorce. Couples divorce for many reasons, some matters are solvable other are not. People now a days divorce for dissatisfaction in sexual life, lack of communication, or are having financial problems. These kinds of problems may be solved by going to a marriage council. There are much stronger reasons to why a spouse should divorce. One should divorce if there are emotional or physical abuse, marital infidelity, drug or alcohol addiction and, contradictory differences. As humans, we are not perfect. We make mistakes, and usually learn from them but there are other cases where humans cannot control their behavior. Some bad actions and behaviors are really difficult to change. It takes a lot of time, and strength to overcome. There are problems that one cannot solve. First problem that some couples face is emotional and physical abuse. Couples who are physically or emotionally abused should divorce right away. According to Cathy Meyer, a journal writer from about.com, if he or she hits, slaps, shove or punches their mate, their behavior will continue. The spouse will repeat his or her action. The person who is being abused should know that it is not their fault that no one deserves to be hit, slapped, shove, or punched no matter what the issue is. As a personal experience, I have been a victim...
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...For anyone trying to figure out what makes for a successful marriage nowadays, the scrap of doggerel1 in the title of this report isn’t a bad place to start. According to a new Pew Research Center survey of American adults, “sharing household chores” now ranks third in importance on a list of nine items often associated with successful marriages – well ahead of such staples as adequate income, good housing, common interests and shared religious beliefs. Well ahead, even, of children (for more on attitudes about marriage and parenthood, see the Pew Research Center report “As Marriage and Parenthood Drift Apart, Public Is Concerned about Social Impact“). Some 62% of adults say sharing household chores is very important to marital success. On this question, there’s virtually no difference of opinion between men and women; or between older adults and younger adults; or between married people and singles. Another three-in-ten adults says sharing household cores is “rather important” to a successful marriage. Just 7% say it is “not very important.” In the public’s ranking of keys to a successful marriage, “sharing household chores” still trails far behind the perennial leader — “faithfulness” –which is rated as very important by 93% of survey respondents. But household chores are now nipping at the heels of the second-place item – “happy sexual relationship,” which draws a very-important rating from 70% of survey respondents. It hasn’t always been this good for household...
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...Anthropology: Marriage and Divorce Marriage is an institution under siege today, and only a return to the biblical foundation of these God-given institutions will reverse the decline of marriage and the family in our culture today. With this in mind, we must first look at Gen. 2:18, 21-24. “The Lord God said; it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him...and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh”. It could be said that we are seeing the first wedding. We can conclude from this account in Genesis that marriage is God's idea, designed and instituted by the Creator. In these verses we also discover that at the heart of God's design for marriage is companionship and intimacy, making it a lifetime covenant between mankind and God, never to be severed by human action. There are several epistles written by the Apostle Paul that refer to marriage and how believers are to operate within the marriage relationship. The following are especially profound in reference to a successful biblical marriage. “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord for the husband...
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...Anthropology: Marriage and Divorce I do have to say that I may not have personal experience with marriage but I do know what the bible has to say about it, and that is ultimately what matters. The modern view on marriage tends to be that of lesser importance. If it does not work, then no big deal because there is always the option of divorce. This view usually has the effect of not taking holy matrimony seriously because there is a backup plan. When things go wrong couples are just giving up. God never said marriage would be easy, but He is there to help us every step of the way. Marriage is between one man and one woman for life, and there is only one reason that a couple should ever get a divorce, according to the bible. The bible gives us the guidelines for marriage and how it is supposed to look and work. Almost all marriages had to have the parent’s approval, and were more a matter of convenience rather than for love during bible times. (Elwell 741) Girls were usually between the age of twelve and seventeen; while boys were between fourteen and eighteen. (Elwell 741) The husband was responsible for providing for his family, and the wife was responsible for having child and talking care of them and the house. According to Elwell, matriarchal marriage occurred when a man went to live with and became part of his wife’s family. (740) Also, a “‘Betrothal’ was a legally binding contract between the parents of the bride and groom. It had the legal status of marriage…” (Elwell...
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...Rodney Varner; THEO 201-B11_201240 September 15, 2012 Short Essay # 2 Short Essay on Christology As I was going home from work, two well-dressed gentlemen accost me, handing me some literature explaining what they believe. As I glanced over it, one sentence stood out stating that Jesus was a man and could not be God. I then told them that Christology in its most basic definition means the study of Christ. Christology focuses on Jesus’ nature and the person he was, as well as the details of his life and teachings. It also focuses on the relationship between Christ and God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Enwall explains Christology, “In the New Testament the writers indicate who Jesus is by describing the significance of the work He came to do and the office He came to fulfill” (Enwall 2001, 239). In this essay we will focus on some of the significant issues of Christology, such as Jesus’ humanity and deity, the Hypostatic Union, and the Biblical basis for such issues. Many people get confused and have a hard time with the concept of Jesus being both man and God at the same time. It is a hard concept to take in and understand, but we have to trust in the authority of the Bible. A few Biblical examples of the Humanity of Christ would be from the Books of Matthew and Mark. In Matthew 4:1-2, we read about Jesus being tested in the wilderness. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and after He was hungry, a very human trait. Again in Mark 4:38-41, we read the story...
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...Ethics and Morals There are some possible ethical issues for the idea about a survey on children and how their education has been impacted from their parents’ divorce. One possible issue comes from the fact that the children who are participating are under the age of consent and because of this, they cannot give their consent to complete the survey. Their parents would have to give consent and this could become an issue as well because the parents may not want their children to give out information about their separation. The possible harm that could come from the survey is that it may make the children who are participating upset since they will have to think about their parents’ separation. Although confidentiality should not be an issue, with the participants remaining anonymous, the children participating will be revealing very personal information such as when their parents became separated and how their grades changed following the separation. The benefits of the research will be that the research could show if there is a possible link between the separation of parents and the grades their children receive. This could lead to the parents trying to become more active in their children’s education or the children possibly receiving the help they need to feel better about the separation. In order to have the research get approved by the IRB, a consent form has to be created that will be understandable to the parents, who would be the people that would sign it. The risks...
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...THEO202_B07_200930 Short Essay #2 Short Essay on Anthropology: Marriage and Divorce The origin of marriage comes from Genesis 2:18, where God said that it is not right that man should be alone. Regardless of the intention that God had for marriage when he ordained it, too many people have made it to be something of a fad or a trend. That is why we as Christians should strive to uphold and embody the sacred vows that we took in the eyes of man and of God and be an example to a lost world. The biblical teaching of marriage is that it is the union of one man and of one woman (Gen. 2:24). This bond is portrayed in the relationship as a covenant. A covenant is a personal relationship within a publicly known structure, based on promises given and accepted. (1) As two become on flesh it is important that we remember it is God’s intent that you remain intact forever (Gen. 2:24). There are some biblical laws concerning marriage. After Levitical law marriage to family is outlawed (Lev. 20:19), marriage to foreigners is considered dangerous (1 Kings 11:1-2-10; 2 Cor. 6:14-15), and both husband and wife are to be submitted to each other (Eph. 5:22-33). In a biblical marriage the husband did not possess his wife until the bride price was paid (Gen. 34:12). Even before this though there was a time of Betrothal to one another. This was a legally binding contract that stated they would remain celibate (Matt. 1:18). The marriage would be consecrated on the first night, in which the stained...
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...Marriage and Divorce and the Way They Impact Women There are a lot of factors that contribute to the reason why divorce has increased in the last twenty years. Some argue financial difficulty, serious illness, career failure, job loss, or even midlife crisis. Rarely does a person hear the possibility that it is because women have become more independent. A woman’s role in today’s marriage has changed drastically from the past. Women are evolving into being more independent outside the marriage. Women now have the same rights as men; therefore, they have more independence and impacts the way they view marriage and divorce. At the turn of the 20th century, if women found they were not happy in their marriage, they began to explore other options. Women decided that divorce was a viable option in order to get out of an unhappy marriage; consequently, the number of divorces grew. No matter how independent women have become, there is still inequality that puts men in front of women when divorce is involved. Women that choose divorce seem to suffer more financially because the workforce still pays men more than women in most careers. Women who opt for divorce and have children run a higher chance of poverty due to lower income compounded by the need to pay for childcare. In a situation where the husband’s income is relied upon, a no fault divorce can contribute to a woman’s struggle after divorce. Often after divorce women are poverty stricken. Men may be required to pay alimony...
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...Examine the reasons for changing patterns of marriage and divorce in the UK Over the last fifty years the patterns of marriage and divorce have changed. There are many reasons why they have changed. One of the reasons may be the changes in the law, which now allow women to appeal for divorce and makes it easier for couples to get divorced in general, people have high expectations, women’s roles in society have changed, the family has become privatized, and the increased life expectancy. These are just a few of the factors that contribute to the changing patterns of marriage and divorce. In 2006 the divorce rate fell for a second consecutive year (by seven percent). The divorce rate has been falling for years as less people are getting married and changes in the laws regarding marriage and divorce as well as changing attitudes in society are all factors that are contributing to this. One of the reasons for this is society no longer frowned upon by society. Until recently divorce was looked down on and considered a dark topic, divorcees particularly female divorcees found themselves alienated from society and struggled to support themselves and any children they may have had. However now divorce is accepted in societies and divorcees are offered support and if they want to can even get married again if they wish to do so. Another reason why the divorce and marriage patterns are changing is womens roles in society have changed. Previously women were expected to be housewives...
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