Marriage

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The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

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Marriage is a union formed between one man and one woman, ordained by God. The unity between a man and a woman in marriage is a picture or analogy of the relationship that God desires to have with his creation.

Marriage is a life-long love commitment to another person, under any circumstances. Frequently this involves a public commitment ceremony (wedding) where vows are exchanged to each other and before God.

Biblical marriage advice

1 Corinthians 7:1-16:

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Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But this I say by way of concession, not of command. Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife. But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

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Civil marriage

Civil marriage is a legal contract. In the state constitutions of almost all states^{[Citation Needed]}, this contract must be between one man and one woman. It gives each member certain rights and obligations. Most commonly, these include power of attorney, inheritance rights, sharing finances, and rights in relation to any children they may have. With the advent of no-fault divorce, most of these rights and obligations can be terminated by either party at any time for any reason.

Historically, these rights are given to ensure that if the breadwinner dies, a stay at home spouse will be able to support themself and any children from the marriage.^{[Citation Needed]}

In most countries, married couples are treated as a single economic entity, and when one partner dies, the other may inherit all of their property in a simpler system than would be required without the marriage.

African-American marriages were not legally recognized in the United States until after the Civil War, and mixed race couples were only allowed to marry in all areas of the US after a 1967 decision in the United States Supreme Court. Before that time, 16 states prohibited interracial marriage. Disapproval of interracial relationships was once justified as divinely ordained and public opinion polls taken in 1968 indicated that 72% of Americans disapproved of interracial marriages.^{[Citation Needed]}

See also

• Form of Solemnization of Matrimony, an example of a traditional marriage service