Marriage in America

There has been a lot of discussion about marriage lately. Turn on the television and you'll be bombarded by some message or other promoting someone's opinion on the definition of marriage, whether it's the commercial that throws in a gay couple along with other families, or the tv series where the single parent is trying to mange the home. Go over to the Christian homeschoolers circle and another debate about marriage is raging, that is, whether young people should court or date before marriage. Each one pointing the finger at the other blaming them for all the problems that marriages face.

Though I personally agree with the courtship model, I'm not hear to add my voice to the debate, and spew out all the evils of dating. Frankly I see something wrong with marriage in America and I think it is much more than whether Christians should date or court, and it bothers me that Christians don't seem to care. 40 to 50 percent of marriages in the US end in divorce according to the American Psychological Association. There has become a growing lack of care towards marriage. People are cohabiting (read fornicating) rather than getting married and if they due marry it will probably only last 8 years according to some experts. Why is this? Why are the divorce rates so high? Even among Christian circles? The answer? A lower moral standard. Let me give you a little history lesson to tell you what I mean.

Bohemians

The Bohemians were artists. Artists that held to the beliefs of that 18th century philosopher Rousseau. They believed whatever made them feel good was right. Morality was redefined by them, They rejected Christianity and its moral standard, in its stead, they raised a new one They become their own gods, self-affluence was their doctrine. And their morality was defined by the feelings of their own hearts. During the time that these Bohemians lived they were in a small circle of painters, sculpters, poets, and authors. Pushed away from a society that mostly held to the Christian standard of morality. The Bohemians were also predominately men. The women in these circles were the mistresses of these men. These women, however, didn't appreciate what they viewed as a one sided deal. They wanted to be just as "free" as their male conterparts, and thus the Feminist Movement was born.

Feminism

The Feminist Movement had a lot of key players, but they all wanted the same thing, the "freedom" to be as sexually promiscuous as the men. Now the women who felt this way were still a small

mojarity, women from the Bohemian artistic lifestyle. One woman in particular was Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood. Sanger was a woman who wanted "freedom" from the restraints of Christian morality. The mistress of men such as author H.G. Wells and sexual theorist Havelock Ellis, Sanger fought to promote "sexual liberation" for women. Meaning? The "right" for women to do what they want, when they want, with whomever they want.

The Radical Sixties and No-Fault Divorce

Sanger and others like her paved the way for the radical sixties. Where Bohemian culture, once the minority, became widely accepted by the hippie movement. These pleasure seekers threw out the moral standards of their parents because they held them back from seeking to desires of their own lusts. They began a conquest of narcotic and sexual experimentation. It is also not a coincidence that it was during this time that no-fault divorce was enacted. You no longer were required to stay married with your spouse. If you simply decided that you didn't "love" the person any more you could divorce. This struck at the very foundation of society. The family is the core of humanity. But no matter, the thought of being forced to remain faithful "till death do we part" was to much for these Bohemian pleasure seekers. It must go.

 Today

Fast forward to today, divorce rates have risen dramatically since the passage of no-fault divorce laws. Add to that the increasing rates of cohabitation and gay activism. What history has shown us is that the problem is a total rejection of God's moral standard. Society has become obsessed with fulfilling the lustful passion of its heart. The problem is a lack of moral character. This is what

Christians should be focusing on most. Christian's should be teaching God's moral standard, why? Because we are the ones who have it. The Bible tells us how we are to live our lives. We must do our duty to help raise up a generation that fully believes 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother inany matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit."

Young men and women should protect their hearts, follow God's word and not fall into the lie that the world has that you can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt somebody else. This is not true! If you break God's moral standard you will get hurt! Do we get angry at the manufacturer of the toaster for saying we shouldn't put it in water? He is taking away my freedom to do what I want with my toaster after all! No! The manufacturer knows what is going to keep the toaster working and keep me alive. Similarly, It is only by building moral character, a belief system founded on God's bedrock principles that we can change this nation and heal the hurts, because God is the manufacturer of our bodies and knows what is best for us.