A_Son_of_God
Nemesis of the Trolls - Especially dumb ones
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2024
- Messages
- 30
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It is interesting how things change over the years. The problem is, we die. So we don't actually get to see the long-term effects of these changes, because before we get to see the effects on a generation, we've passed away to dust, and no longer have any ability to comment on it. So, even with the best minds in human society analysing stuff, all we get to analyse are snapshots, and make up stories based on them.
So it is with marriage, and how values change over the years. What they prove to be, what they will prove to be in the future.
In society, marriage has undergone some changes in relatively recent years. But looking back, we can see it changing even then. So let's consider some developments of marriage.
These days, a lot of younger people believe that marriage is silly, a waste of time, and that it means nothing. But this is because a society exists where contractual values, if not written on paper, meant nothing. And even if they ARE written on paper, a "damn good lawyer" supposedly can twist things and get people out of them. So these days, many view marriage as pointless, and view it as a restriction to the freedom to do as they want, when they want. They view condoms, pills and abortion as the answer to unwanted pregnancies, and view the medical and drug professions as the cure to any illnesses that may develop from their pursuit of pleasure with their partners of choice. It hasn't been long since marriage was constituted into law between same-sex couples also.
When I was a child, children born out of wedlock were still viewed as sinful for the majority of society, even though rampant immorality (compared to the generations before it) had been normalised with the outbreak of warfare, and those who are supposed to be pillars of society - religions and governments - betrayed the people by selling them out to injustices and inhumane situations that have changed how humans will be forever in this system. The generation prior to mine deals with trauma from abuses inflicted on them for being born out of wedlock, or not "educated" correctly to the governmental policy at the time, and have dealt with issues of having their children taken away, as is the case with indigenous Australians. Although there is more to this than the aforementioned, it is not the article to discuss the why's, but I just wish to discuss some thoughts on marriage and courtship.
These days, people are free in some lands to have a defacto relationship, and many who do view themselves as either married, or as good as married.
So, what is the Biblical viewpoint on marriage? Has it changed? Will it change? Is it outdated?
Some things that have changed are the facts that governments have brought in requirements to register marriages. I like to think that the intention was good. But before, Bonnie and Clyde could basically hook up at a bar, decide they were married, and before the witnesses at said bar, they were able to snog, shack up, and then they were married. And they'd stay together, for the most part. At that time though, THAT was the law of the land in some places. They were legally married.
Other countries and civilisations have different marriage customs. There may be arranged marriages to some level or other. They work too, in practice, in many cases.
As a Christian, the Bible does state what is "married in God's eyes", inasmuch is describing God's point of view on matters. I know, not all of you believe in God, or don't follow the Bible. That's fine. It's up to you. Still, this is my post, and this is what I'm discussing.
So, the Bible does show that there must be an acknowledgement and obedience to the governmental authorities in secular matters. But Jesus made it clear that a Christian must consider God's point of view on things before following something that is introduced by decree. We have an example of a government forcing the people to follow a specific religion, with the threat of death for those who opposed it, in the days of the Babylonian kings. God's people at the time faced death, rather than obey a law that opposed God's instructions. (Daniel chapter 3)
The same happened in Jesus' day, and soon afterwards. The governments issued a decree to stop preaching, but the apostles - after being flogged - went out preaching again, especially after telling such folks that "whether it is right in your eyes....we must obey God as ruler rather than men". (Acts 5:27-42) Yet, these men and women were not out to break the laws. They paid their taxes where others were rebelling against the authorities, yet when it came to spiritual things, they drew a line, and demonstrated their allegiance to God's way of dealing with things.
So it is with the marriage idea. The scriptures state that a person must obey the secular authorities (Romans 13:1-7), yet also states we must first "pay God's things to God" (Matthew 22:15-22). So in harmony with this, the governments in our lands request us to register, which we do. We see evidence of this being the right thing to do in that when Mary was pregnant with Jesus, she chose - with her soon-to-be-husband - to travel to Jerusalem to register before Augustus Caesar, as he had newly decreed, even though she was heavy in labour. In fact, she gave birth in the inn where they were staying, where there was no room for even a pregnant woman, but had to give birth outside with the animals (to think that the appointed king had to be born in such poor conditions is upbuilding to know that he knows what it's like to be battling to just get by in life). (Luke 2:1-7)
Our marriages are registered legally, and also are correct in God's eyes, because we follow the conditions God's decreed humans to do. But legal marriages aren't always correct in God's eyes. The Bible demonstrates that a marriage is between one man and one woman (1Timothy 3:2), and really, there should be no grounds for divorce. It is to be a unity until a partner dies. There is a ground for divorce though, and that ground is based on sexual immorality on the part of one of the mates. If a partner cheats, or is sexually immoral in some other way, they have opened up an opportunity for the innocent mate to decide whether they can continue to live with the unfaithful mate or not. (Matthew 19:3-9)
What this shows is there is a key difference between a marriage "in the eyes of God" for those of us who believe the Bible as God's word, and a marriage that is legal before man. Yes, there are overlaps. But they're different. So, it is up to us individually to choose what we want to do, and it is our God-given free right to do with our lives that we want. Nonetheless, if we want to be considered as a citizen in God's kingdom, soon to seize power, we need to be observing the "laws of the land" as such. Best wishes to you.
So it is with marriage, and how values change over the years. What they prove to be, what they will prove to be in the future.
In society, marriage has undergone some changes in relatively recent years. But looking back, we can see it changing even then. So let's consider some developments of marriage.
These days, a lot of younger people believe that marriage is silly, a waste of time, and that it means nothing. But this is because a society exists where contractual values, if not written on paper, meant nothing. And even if they ARE written on paper, a "damn good lawyer" supposedly can twist things and get people out of them. So these days, many view marriage as pointless, and view it as a restriction to the freedom to do as they want, when they want. They view condoms, pills and abortion as the answer to unwanted pregnancies, and view the medical and drug professions as the cure to any illnesses that may develop from their pursuit of pleasure with their partners of choice. It hasn't been long since marriage was constituted into law between same-sex couples also.
When I was a child, children born out of wedlock were still viewed as sinful for the majority of society, even though rampant immorality (compared to the generations before it) had been normalised with the outbreak of warfare, and those who are supposed to be pillars of society - religions and governments - betrayed the people by selling them out to injustices and inhumane situations that have changed how humans will be forever in this system. The generation prior to mine deals with trauma from abuses inflicted on them for being born out of wedlock, or not "educated" correctly to the governmental policy at the time, and have dealt with issues of having their children taken away, as is the case with indigenous Australians. Although there is more to this than the aforementioned, it is not the article to discuss the why's, but I just wish to discuss some thoughts on marriage and courtship.
These days, people are free in some lands to have a defacto relationship, and many who do view themselves as either married, or as good as married.
So, what is the Biblical viewpoint on marriage? Has it changed? Will it change? Is it outdated?
Some things that have changed are the facts that governments have brought in requirements to register marriages. I like to think that the intention was good. But before, Bonnie and Clyde could basically hook up at a bar, decide they were married, and before the witnesses at said bar, they were able to snog, shack up, and then they were married. And they'd stay together, for the most part. At that time though, THAT was the law of the land in some places. They were legally married.
Other countries and civilisations have different marriage customs. There may be arranged marriages to some level or other. They work too, in practice, in many cases.
As a Christian, the Bible does state what is "married in God's eyes", inasmuch is describing God's point of view on matters. I know, not all of you believe in God, or don't follow the Bible. That's fine. It's up to you. Still, this is my post, and this is what I'm discussing.
So, the Bible does show that there must be an acknowledgement and obedience to the governmental authorities in secular matters. But Jesus made it clear that a Christian must consider God's point of view on things before following something that is introduced by decree. We have an example of a government forcing the people to follow a specific religion, with the threat of death for those who opposed it, in the days of the Babylonian kings. God's people at the time faced death, rather than obey a law that opposed God's instructions. (Daniel chapter 3)
The same happened in Jesus' day, and soon afterwards. The governments issued a decree to stop preaching, but the apostles - after being flogged - went out preaching again, especially after telling such folks that "whether it is right in your eyes....we must obey God as ruler rather than men". (Acts 5:27-42) Yet, these men and women were not out to break the laws. They paid their taxes where others were rebelling against the authorities, yet when it came to spiritual things, they drew a line, and demonstrated their allegiance to God's way of dealing with things.
So it is with the marriage idea. The scriptures state that a person must obey the secular authorities (Romans 13:1-7), yet also states we must first "pay God's things to God" (Matthew 22:15-22). So in harmony with this, the governments in our lands request us to register, which we do. We see evidence of this being the right thing to do in that when Mary was pregnant with Jesus, she chose - with her soon-to-be-husband - to travel to Jerusalem to register before Augustus Caesar, as he had newly decreed, even though she was heavy in labour. In fact, she gave birth in the inn where they were staying, where there was no room for even a pregnant woman, but had to give birth outside with the animals (to think that the appointed king had to be born in such poor conditions is upbuilding to know that he knows what it's like to be battling to just get by in life). (Luke 2:1-7)
Our marriages are registered legally, and also are correct in God's eyes, because we follow the conditions God's decreed humans to do. But legal marriages aren't always correct in God's eyes. The Bible demonstrates that a marriage is between one man and one woman (1Timothy 3:2), and really, there should be no grounds for divorce. It is to be a unity until a partner dies. There is a ground for divorce though, and that ground is based on sexual immorality on the part of one of the mates. If a partner cheats, or is sexually immoral in some other way, they have opened up an opportunity for the innocent mate to decide whether they can continue to live with the unfaithful mate or not. (Matthew 19:3-9)
What this shows is there is a key difference between a marriage "in the eyes of God" for those of us who believe the Bible as God's word, and a marriage that is legal before man. Yes, there are overlaps. But they're different. So, it is up to us individually to choose what we want to do, and it is our God-given free right to do with our lives that we want. Nonetheless, if we want to be considered as a citizen in God's kingdom, soon to seize power, we need to be observing the "laws of the land" as such. Best wishes to you.
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..... Which GOD would that be?
