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Is marriage still relevant?

5 July 2010

As the media reports on the increase in the UK's divorce rates, and our ways of life become more diverse and ever changing, the instituion of marriage has become less popular with many couples choosing to cohabit out of marriage.

Some have even questioned whether it is still relevant, though there is still many that advocate the need for marriage, and it's place in our society. What do you think?

  • Is marriage an outdated concept? Is it unrealistic to expect two people to live together for a lifetime?
  • Is the sanctity of marriage still a valued concept, and one that should be encouraged?

What do you think? Have your say, and debate the issue here on PCS comment, and a selection of the comments will be published in View, the monthly magazine for PCS members.

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  1. Marriage?

    11 August 2010

    I voted in favour of the relevance of marriage, and it is certainly important to those who wish to get married. However, if a marriage has seriously broken down then obviously the commonsense course of action is eventually a divorce, and to imply that a couple have to stay together is wrong. Couples stayed together years ago because they had to - the laws were different and divorce laws in particular made divorce very difficult, especially for the woman.

    Lin Black
    Marriage

    9 August 2010

    Marriage is is the most important contract in the world. It is the foundation of the next generation of a family. Divorce should not be an option except for extreme circumstances. Our parents and grandparents stayed together through thick and thin without the "Get out of jail free" card

    Mark Strange
    It is what it is

    23 July 2010

    It is up to the individuals if they want to marry and or stay married. In recent times the old pressures to get married and stay married have been removed yet people still get married so it is viewed as a good thing to do. We now have civil partnerships and members of the same gender opt to make a covenant to each other. So the idea of what constitutes a couple has changed. Yet the fact remains that the ideal way to declare to the world as a couple is in a contract such as getting married. The idea that it is a capatalist con is far from the truth as people from all backgrounds throughout history have taken this step be it for love or religoius reasons.

    Robert Jack
    What's god got to do with it?

    19 July 2010

    Marriage between 2 people, ie a contract or legal joining, was a feature of human life long before god ever got dragged into the equation. In the Judeo-Christian religious tradition, as well as in the Islamic, marriage was seen as a legal process of joining two people. Sure, there was an element of sanctification involved, blessing and so forth, But when you remember that in all these societies - and many others - marriages were arranged by intermediaries, often not known to the individuals at the centre of the affair, it seems that god had very little to do with lads and lasses getting together. And these systems continue today. Some of you may have seen a certain advert on the tele promoting introductions for men and women to meet people with the same values and interests as themselves - which often lead to marriage. So no, marriage isn't outdated as a concept. And nor is it wrong or unreasonable to expect people to stay together for life. But let's keep god out of this.

    Dan Tanzey
    Is marriage still relevant?

    12 July 2010

    Yes 100%, It's a commitment of love under God between a Man & Woman who love each other and want to express that love by forming a Union between them a special bond that says "Till death do us part".

    Simon Collis
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