Marriage anyone? Anyone at all?

[Ashley]

But on the other hand, I think you would find far fewer of these young woman (to young adults) feeling great pressure toward being a wife or mother. Infact the media today promotes a lack of marital commitment. In the secular world (which is a lot bigger then the Christian world for those who dont get out much) Marraige is portrayed as a hinderance to ones 'freedom.' Much like marriage, having children is also often portrayed as a 'life inconvienance' (Hence over 50% of abortions being from people who were too young, irresponsible, or thought having the child would change thier life too much)...

Good point. Perhaps this drive to be married is a by-product of Christian teens feeling the pressure from society for relationship when combined with the Christian ideals about said relationships?

I highly suggest reading the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

That reminds me! Another really great book is The Book of Romance by Tommy Nelson. I have suggested it to all my friends, married or not, because it's a wonderful book that looks at the Bible's "sex ed book"-Song of Solomon-and expounds it in a modern, practical way. The book takes you from pre-dating to post-honeymoon life: even how to survive fights! Highly recommended.

[Doubleshadow]

Doubleshadow, you comparing marriage to a jockstrap is an uh ...interesting analogy! (lol)

I wanted something that didn't apply to me and that was the best I could do on short notice.

[mitsuki lover]

Romantic Love was really invented by Eleanor of Aquitaine when she was bored.
For most of human history marriage has been really just another contractual affair like any other form of buisness.
This was especially true of the Higher Castes.
For example King #1 wants some lands as a buffer zone between himself and
King #3 but the lands belong to King #2 so he tells King #2 I will marry my
Heir Apparent to your oldest daugther if you give me X lands as part of the dowery.
Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.
Part of the problem with the whole Catherine of Aragon deal was that she brought certain things to the marriage that Henry VII was loath to give back to Ferdiand and Isabella after Prince Arthur died.

[Ashley]

I used to think that too, but then I came across passages of the Bible that seem to say otherwise, ML.

For example, in Genesis 24:67, it says Isaac "loved her [Rebekah]", or what about Song of Songs? You can't deny that's about the intoxicating, passionate sort of love that just don't come of "contractual agreements."

I agree that the "romantic love" is greatly misunderstood today and mis-used by the media, but I truly believe it exists and has existed from the beginning.

[mitsuki lover]

Though you have the read the entire story of Jacob.It was still pretty much an
arranged marriage.Plus as Laban stated in his culture the oldest daugther had to be married first which is why Jacob got stuck with Leah as well as Rachel.Also remember that it was his mother's desire that he not marry any of the women of the surrounding tribes like his brother.
So basically your vote isn't that valid.Yes,Jacob loved Rachel but we should not think of it as the same as what we would call love today,there was still the element of buisness to it.Laban and Jacob still had to strike a deal and Jacob still had to perform X amount of work before he could get it done with.
Another Biblical example is David and Michal,when David asks for her hand
King Saul tells him what her dowery price will be..rather gruesome one at that.
I think in the end Hollywood is responsible for distorting too much what is actually in the Bible so we overromantize what really happened.

[Ashley]

Mitsuki Lover, I wasn't talking about Jacob and Rachel. I was talking about Isaac and Rebekah, which was not (as) arranged. That was a marriage of free choice, not dowry arrangements.