Marriage: What can we agree on?

[KingdomBuilder]

I didn't vote for #2 cause, well, polygamy

[temporal1]

[Josh]

I didn't vote for #2 cause, well, polygamy

Ah, I see. You’re one of those people who thinks David was a man after God’s own heart, despite doing things I would never, ever do, like dancing.

[ohio jones]

I didn't vote for #2 cause, well, polygamy

Well, I think we could agree on that. It's even in the scripture I referenced for that point:

Have you not read that he 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 wives, and they, however many there are, shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two or three or more but one flesh.

[Ernie]

6. Represents the relationship between Christ and the church
Eph. 5:31-32

I'm curious how many of you would say that marriage is intended to represent the relationship between Christ and the church but is not a representation whenever the husband does not model Christ's relationship to the church.

[Dan Z]

6. Represents the relationship between Christ and the church
Eph. 5:31-32

I'm curious how many of you would say that marriage is intended to represent the relationship between Christ and the church but is not a representation whenever the husband does not model Christ's relationship to the church.

Perhaps I would say marriage in its ideal as designed by God is intended to represent the relationship between Christ and the church.

It's interesting, Scripture sometimes uses a bad marriage as an example of a a broken relationship between God and His people (e.g. adultery)

[temporal1]

I didn't vote for #2 cause, well, polygamy

Well, I think we could agree on that. It's even in the scripture I referenced for that point:

Have you not read that he 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 wives, and they, however many there are, shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two or three or more but one flesh.

NKBV
https://nkbv.nl/verzekeringen/reisverzekering/

Guess I’m a 9 point ohio jonist.

With the exception of KB, my questions align with others’ above.

Regarding #4, about Christians marrying Christians, this is the ideal, but, in fact, aware or not, lots of young people marry before being saved, and, some turn from faith after marriage,
all sorts of changes of heart happen, over the lifetime of marriage,

so, for me, the #5 statement about the integrity of marriage, no matter faith, is important. marriages are widely respected cross-culturally, whether faith-based or civil unions. this is both interesting and important.

imagine folks from 2 cultures meeting, the men disregarding other men’s marriages!
it’s just not done, no matter how different the cultures/faiths are. when it happens, it’s adultery and taboo, not openly acceptable. penalties are severe.

this does not mean there are no distinct church membership rules that must be respected.
there are discussions of how this works for Catholics, CMs, and others.

1 Corinthians 7:13
https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-13.htm

..
12To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord):
If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.

13And if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.

14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.…

[Josh]

so, for me, the #5 statement about the integrity of marriage, no matter faith, is important. marriages are widely respected cross-culturally, whether faith-based or civil unions. this is both interesting and important.

imagine folks from 2 cultures meeting, the men disregarding other men’s marriages!
it’s just not done, no matter how different the cultures/faiths are. when it happens, it’s adultery and taboo, not openly acceptable. penalties are severe.

This happens all the time when people encounter the CA culture and find out their marriage is viewed as not really existing.

[temporal1]

so, for me, the #5 statement about the integrity of marriage, no matter faith, is important. marriages are widely respected cross-culturally, whether faith-based or civil unions. this is both interesting and important.

imagine folks from 2 cultures meeting, the men disregarding other men’s marriages!
it’s just not done, no matter how different the cultures/faiths are. when it happens, it’s adultery and taboo, not openly acceptable. penalties are severe.

This happens all the time when people encounter the CA culture and find out their marriage is viewed as not really existing.

from what i’ve learned on this forum, the problems center on CHURCH MEMBERSHIP rules.
aside from that, outside marriages are recognized. (???)

the Catholic Church is similar, i.e., rules for church membership, participating in communion, etc.
many Protestant churches used to have more formal rules. evenso, observed or not, i think, many have written restrictions on numbers of remarriages .. ?? these are hardly discussed anymore.

[Josh]

from what i’ve learned on this forum, the problems center on CHURCH MEMBERSHIP rules.
aside from that, outside marriages are recognized. (???)

No, they aren’t recognised as legitimate. Most CA groups view marriage as a moral / sin area, not just a church membership issue like not wearing ties. A D&R couple is viewed like someone who is cohabitating, but even worse.

I used to be a strong proponent of this view and spent plenty of time on the “inside circle”, which is what I base my comments on on how this is viewed.

Some groups like Amish would view it as only a membership issue, but they basically avoid ever having any members who aren’t of their ethnic group anyway. A few of them don’t even recognise marriages if one of their young people marries an outsider, divorces shortly thereafter, and then eventually comes back and joins their church.