Perspectives on Marriage - Essay Example

Perspectives On Marriage. A Reader Third Edition. Kieran Scott. Michael Warren The roles of spouses today are changing at a very fast rate. Unlike parents before the 20th century, 21st century parents are facing a different context characterized by fewer certainties. The current society is becoming less stable, predictable, localized and homogenous basically because we reside in a society which is becoming more heterogeneous, trans local, unpredictable and is quickly changing. Therefore, a common assumption cannot be imposed in people’s lives. as such, families today struggle to find a balance between how they divide or undertake household activities when they both especially work outside their home. The issue of household obligations has been a complex one since time immemorial. Even though couples might be determined to share equally house hold obligations, time in many instances limits their commitment to these obligations. In the past, women have tended to undertake and assume more household responsibilities than men. The conflict which arises stems from the fact that couples dedicate a lot of their time and concentration on work since we are living in a market driven/propelled world. At home and even at the workplace, men and women should assume household chores and obligations equally. A sixty hour workweek is recommended for couples who have children (Anderson 9). This is mainly because they will get some free time to mingle and interact with their families. To achieve a balanced allocation of household obligations, couples should take the relevant complex and hard choices which sometimes can lead to painful personal sacrifices. However, in most instances, equality at home is neither mutual nor equal. Nevertheless, couples should try and share household obligations at home. To effectively achieve this, they have to manage their time effectively in addition to balancing between work and home needs. 2. An impediment can be defined as anything that hinders a person from marriage. As such, the twelve impediments to marriage include; I. Betrothal: It is a valid marriage engagement entered into by two people. Betrothal constitutes an impediment to any other marriage. The man primarily forms a correlative right on the woman’s part and hence makes any other betrothal to be a violation of her right. II. Vow: The duty or obligation by a vow of chastity or a simple vow towards god is an impediment to marriage. III. Mixed marriage: Mixed religion i.e. a marriage held between a baptized non catholic with a catholic is a prohibitory impediment. IV. Vetitum ecclesiae: This is a prohibition often imposed by an ecclesiastical power over a person. This impediment only affects the individual’s capacity. The precept is mostly imposed upon an individual to delay marriage until certain conditions are met V. Forbidden times: This impediment rather than affecting marriage itself, it affects the celebration of marriage. The forbidden periods were initially a little longer. However, they were minimized to only two periods; epiphany and low Sunday. VI. Disparity of cult: This acts as an impediment since marriage between a non-baptized individual and a catholic is prohibited. VII. Sacred orders: It’s an impediment if one of the individuals has got ecclesiastical, permanent or absolute orders. VIII. Consanguinity: Marriage between people or parties who are closely related is often prohibited. Therefore, blood ties act as an impediment to marriage. IX. Spiritual relationship: It’s an impediment if one of the parties involved acts as a godparent of the other individual X. Exclusion of fidelity: the marriage is often invalid if one party excludes a vital part of marriage for example fidelity. XI. Crimen: The act of one spouse causing the death of the other spouse with an aim of entering into a new marriage is itself an impediment o marriage XII. Affinity: Implies that the individuals are related to each other by marriage The Six major categories that invalidate a marriage are; I. Knowledge or opinion of nullity: Consent would be considered to be defective if one party enters the marriage knowing that he/she is entering into an invalid marriage. II. Mental incapacity: Consent is deemed ineffective if one party does not possess enough development of intellect. III. Ignorance: The parties entering into a marriage must comprehend the element of marital consent IV. Error about the person: Error about the individual makes the marriage null and void. V. Fraud: Deceit invalidates a marriage consent since one party might have been deceived t enter the marriage. VI. Conditioned consent: Conditions in a marriage concerning the present or past can only be imposed on a party with a bishop’s written consent. 3. According to Greenberg (10) the core element of a traditional Jewish marriage is still the same since time immemorial: a man taking the woman in marriage. As such, a man proposes and the woman accepts. During the marriage ritual, the man/groom puts a wedding ring on the bride’s right index finger. The bride’s acceptance of the wedding ring is a sign of her consent to be the groom’s wife. Subsequently, the groom will testify that he will take care and provide for his wife. 4. Wilson Yates gave a protestant view of marriage in his book by interpreting the covenant metaphor. Subsequently, he identified six characteristics of a covenantal marriage. The first characteristic identified by Yates is intimate companionship. He explained this as understanding the spiritual and moral bond which exists between the wife and husband. An intricate network of virtues of trust, acceptance, honesty and openness is the second characteristic. Yates identified the third characteristic as the acceptance that the couple is supporting each other on a Christian pilgrimage life. This can primarily be taken to mean that the couple strengthens and nurtures the other partner as disciple and pilgrim. While doing this, they should be active members of the church. The fourth characteristic is living or adopting an ethic of covenantal wholeness involving change and stability. The wholeness is characterized by romantic and compassionate love, structural order, responsible freedom, and justice. The need for establishing agreements, rules and boundaries regarding the type of and form of the relationship combined with the ability to be able to change and modify the elements as the relationship progress forms the fifth characteristic. Lastly, Yates identified the breaking down of a covenant relationship as the sixth characteristic. This last characteristic refers to the couple’s ability to figure out the issue that is making their relationship to stall, and if necessary looking for solutions. The couple will end the relationship as a last resort. 5. Both Catholics and Muslims view marriage in practical, spiritual and contractual terms, but similarities and stark differences exist in their views. Whereas the Roman Catholics view a marriage as a monogamy union that is sacred, the Muslims marriage commences with a mutual contract that advocates for the protection of honor and spiritual unity. Also, unlike Muslims who envision or have a divorce clause in their marriage, the Roman Catholics belief that a marriage is meant to last forever and as such, there is no need for divorce. During the wedding ceremony, relevant and appropriate texts are read. The Muslim marriage ceremony known as nikah is made up of a contractual agreement signed by both the wife and husband, and the relevant families. The Roman Catholic on the other hand consider the marriage ceremony as being among the seven Catholicism sacraments. God blesses the marriage and the spouses in the Roman Catholic during the ceremony. Clothing rules differ between the Muslims and the Roman Catholics. The Islamic married women adorn the hijabs so as to guard their honor. The Roman Catholics do not have a specific dress code for married women, although it advocates for modesty. Divorce in Islam is often allowed though it is not a popular choice. However, divorce is never an option among the Roman Catholics. The church insists that marriage is an indissoluble union between man and woman. The major similarity between a Muslim and roman catholic marriage is that the husband is supposed to take good care and additionally provide for his wife and children. Work Cited Anderson, Herbert. "Faithful Becoming: Forming Families in the Art of Paradoxical Living in a Fragmented and Pluralistic World." New Theology Review 18.3 (2013). Print. Greenberg, Blu. "Marriage in the Jewish tradition." Journal of Ecumenical Studies 22.1 (1985): 3-20. Print. Read More