Quote
"From my point of view there is nothing more beautiful, or more difficult than marriage. It exposes us without mercy but supports us like no other relationship. Marriage week provides the creative input and encouragement that enables our dream to remain reality." Walter Donze (married for 38 years, sponsor of Marriage Week in Switzerland.)
News
Marriage is frequently in the news; behind the headlines of celebrity affairs by Tiger Woods and John Terry, or the battle over legality of same-sex marriages, or the debate over the extent of damage caused by divorce, there lies the dilemma over whether marriage is a public or private issue.
A UK government green paper recently stated ‘marriage is a personal and private decision for responsible adults with which politicians should not interfere.’ In response, Michael Trend, our colleague at the Relationships Foundation, said: ‘It is cohabitation that is a personal and private decision... But marriage, by its very nature, is a public decision that confers both privileges and obligations.
Private choices have public consequences. Government has, in recent years, been ready to influence what was considered previously to be private individual behaviour in many areas. The health consequences of smoking are deemed to justify influencing people's choices, yet the fact that the longevity effect of marriage may even offset the consequences of smoking is ignored.
Private choices have public consequences. Government has, in recent years, been ready to influence what was considered previously to be private individual behaviour in many areas. The health consequences of smoking are deemed to justify influencing people's choices, yet the fact that the longevity effect of marriage may even offset the consequences of smoking is ignored.
Since marriage is beneficial for society, not just for individuals, then the challenge for government is two-fold: how to promote marriage as an attainable ideal, in place of marginalising it and thus “normalising” cohabitation and divorce; and secondly, how to deliver the right kind of support so that couples find it easier to get married and stay married.
Read on...
The Relationships Foundation has been issuing press releases every day this week, focusing on different arguments for supporting marriage in Britain through public policy (see www.relationshipsfoundation.org). In their latest briefing paper, Why Does Marriage Matter? our colleagues summarise these key differences in rights, responsibilities and outcomes. Click here to download the report: http://www.relationshipsfoundation.org/download.php?id=261
Walk the talk
If you are married or have a partner, find out where there is a Marriage Course being offered nearby, and sign up! This course over seven evenings is designed for couples at any stage of their relationship, whether things are going well or a struggle, whether they are Christians or not. For details of this course (offered in many nations) see http://relationshipcentral.org/
The last word
From the Bible, Proverbs 5:15-18. “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.”
No comments:
Post a Comment