What is church marriage, to whom does the Church allow a wedding, and whom does it refuse? Illegal marriage unions and peculiarities of their dissolution. How Orthodox Christians get married, the realities of modern Russia.
Church marriage is a Christian wedding in a church of two loving hearts, close physically and spiritually, in order to continue their kind in children in a harmonious union. It is considered a sacrament, accomplished by the will of God in heaven.
What is Church marriage?
In many countries, the Church is separated from the state, therefore church and civil marriage differ significantly. A wedding in the Church has a spiritual essence, for God said that "they will be one flesh." The life of spouses should be a model of Christian life rules.
The secular union of a man and a woman is registered with state bodies. The Church has nothing to do with the conclusion of such a marriage. This is the main difference between a church marriage and a civil one.
Church marriages are not regulated by family law. The latter is a set of legal norms, they enshrine at the legislative level the property and other rights that have arisen as a result of cohabitation. And a church wedding is subject to the jurisdiction of a special church code of rules.
The subject of family law is the conditions under which a marriage is concluded and how it can be dissolved. The law regulates relations in the family between husband and wife, for example, who will be involved in raising a child, how responsibilities in the family will be distributed. If any of the spouses fails to fulfill their obligations, the marriage is subject to dissolution.
In some countries, only civil marriages are recognized, for example, in France or Japan. In others, spouses can choose: register their relationship with a government institution or go to church (England, Spain, Canada).
It's important to know! Only religious marriages are concluded in Israel, Liechtenstein, individual US states, provinces of Canada and Muslim countries.
The most popular book of all times and peoples, the Bible consists of the Old and New Testaments (Gospels). They say, with slight discrepancies, what a church marriage is and how it is concluded. Let's see how the Scripture interprets the union of a man and a woman:
- Old Testament … Consists of 39 canonical books, the Orthodox include 11 more non-canonical books. Why do people need church marriage, God says in the second chapter of Genesis: “It is not good for a man to be alone; let us make him a helper corresponding to him”(Gen. 2:18). And he created the first woman Eve from the rib of Adam and said that “… she will be called wife, for she was taken from her husband …. and they will be one flesh. " These words must be understood as the physical and spiritual closeness of a man and a woman, who united their destinies for a joint life according to the will of God, in order to give birth to children and have eternal life in them.
- New Testament (Gospel) … When the Pharisees told Jesus that Moses allowed a divorce, Christ replied that he did so "according to your hardness of heart." Husband and wife are one flesh, and divorce is possible only when She is unfaithful to Him. "Whoever divorces his wife not for adultery and marries another commits adultery." The Lord considered the connection of a married man with another woman a great sin.
The seventh commandment of Christ is short: "You shall not commit adultery."It is about the temptations that await a man and a woman (single or married), when an affection arises between them and they lustfully look at each other. Such a temptation leads to fornication, corrupts the soul. A person becomes a hostage of his passions, often does not act according to his conscience. He loses contact with God, makes the devil happy with his unrighteous deeds. He has a direct road to hell. Such people cannot create a moral family pleasing to God, living according to Christian commandments.
Church marriage is about mutual respect and harmony. People are beautiful not in their clothes, but in the beauty of their spirit. When He and She go hand in hand through all the hardships of life, support each other in word and deed in a difficult moment.
