Why is matrimony usually holy?

Question

I'm 17. I was raised Catholic but I now consider myself to be affiliated with no religion. I am definitely spiritual though; just not religious. For example, I pray and believe in God and try to lead a good life, etc I just don't want to be a part of any one religion at this point in my life and church has not been for me thus far.
Anyway, a few years ago my family went to my cousin's wedding. It was at a beautiful garden and it was a lovely wedding. The bride and groom said wonderful vows that reflected how they took marriage seriously and were committed to each other for life. My mother said she was disappointed though, because they had no mention of God or the Catholic-Christian faith my cousin was raised with. I have always heard marriage referred to as "holy matrimony" and I know marriage is traditionally carried out in a church. Obviously in this day and age it is accepted for marriage to happen at the justice of the peace or for a wedding to not be in a church. I would like religious/Christian people to please explain why marriage is a "holy" union though. I don't entirely understand what it has to do with God/religion.

Answer 1

In the Catholic Church, however, marriage is more than a natural institution; it was elevated by Christ Himself, in His participation in the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), to be one of the seven sacraments. A marriage between two Christians, therefore, has a supernatural element as well as a natural one. While few Christians outside of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches regard marriage as a sacrament, the Catholic Church insists that marriage between any two baptized Christians, as long as it is entered into with the intention to contract a true marriage, is a sacrament.



Most people, including most Roman Catholics, do not realize that the ministers of the sacrament are the spouses themselves. While the Church strongly encourages Catholics to marry in the presence of a priest (and to have a wedding Mass, if both prospective spouses are Catholic), strictly speaking, a priest is not needed.



The Mark and Effect of the Sacrament:

The spouses are the ministers of the sacrament of marriage because the mark—the external sign—of the sacrament is not the wedding Mass or anything the priest might do but the marriage contract itself. This does not mean the wedding license that the couple receives from the state, but the vows that each spouse makes to the other. As long as each spouse intends to contract a true marriage, the sacrament is performed.



The effect of the sacrament is an increase in sanctifying grace for the spouses, a participation in the divine life of God Himself.



The Union of Christ and His Church:

This sanctifying grace helps each spouse to help the other advance in holiness, and it helps them together to cooperate in God's plan of redemption by raising up children in the Faith.



In this way, sacramental marriage is more than a union of a man and a woman; it is, in fact, a type and symbol of the divine union between Christ, the Bridegroom, and His Church, the Bride. As married Christians, open to the creation of new life and committed to our mutual salvation, we participate not only in God's creative act but in the redemptive act of Christ.

Answer 2

Hello. I admire your courage to ask this question. I hope you find answers to what you need. There are many references in the Bible about marriage and what makes it "holy" as you are asking. I like the verse the Bible says in Malachi 2:15 ( NIV) "Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are His...." And since the Lord made marriage and He is considered to be holy then all He considers it to be treated as such too. I do hope you don't give up your search for God. He has a purpose for your life. If you think about it, if fellowship with other believers wasn't important, why did Jesus establish the church? And in this day and time, a marriage without God in it is too large a risk to take. If somebody doesn't love God, how will they be able to truly love me? Oneplace.com is an awesome website along with billygraham.org. (:

Answer 3

Dear heart, once upon a time God was a normal and acceptable part of life and society. The thought focused on God who created man and woman, blessed them to become one, to be fruitful and multiply and remain together until death do them part. This is where the HOLY MATRIMONY came from.



In today's sick and evil world, where God is steadily being taken out of society, the traditional husband and wife that was originally ordained by GOD has been forsaken and traded for the non-traditional marriage of two men or two women... which is anything but traditional or HOLY,

Answer 4

Well there are two ingredients to a wedding. The authorized part which is mostly simply going and filling out the boards (more often than not at your city hall) then there is the general public section. Most likely the public phase is led through a determine of "authority".Doesn't topic at all who does it nevertheless in view that it is quite only for show. Most places that you'd be in a position to order to your wedding will know just a few men and women capable of main it in a manner suitable to your religion (granted you may must look at locations that don't seem to be church buildings) All that stated tho i'd bypass the general public ceremony and simply spend it on the honeymoon.

Answer 5

Marriage is nothing to do with the church as such!!



It is and always has been governed by civil law!! Yes churches can carry out the ceremony but only if it fully complies to the civil law governing it - breach any of the requirements and the marriage is nul and void!!



There is nothing wrong with the church claiming it is holy matrimony when it relates to people in their church but it is entirely wrong to even allude to it being holy for those outside the church!!

Answer 6

A church wedding and a civil ceremoney are different mainly in who you make promises (i.e. to love always in good times and bad, ect...) to. In a civil wedding the bride and groom make promises to each other. In a wedding preformed by the church the bride and groom make promises to God.

Answer 7

Real Holy ****:



If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days. -- Deuteronomy 22:28-29

Answer 8

Christian marriage is a unification before god, apparently

Answer 9

no it is not a holy matrimony or it would have heaven in it. You can not even find one bible verse where God calls it HOLY. He blessed the lust of the flesh so you do not go to hell in marriage.

Answer 10

Because without the family unit society falls apart. That is why satan is attacking it. It mentions in the Bible to not commit adultery, to keep the marriage bed pure, to have children obey their parents. God knows that if our families fall apart...so does society.

Answer 11

Try reading the paragraphs from the catechism which deal with matrimony..........at this link.



http://ccc.scborromeo.org.master.com/texis/master/search/?sufs=0&q=matrimony&s=SS

Answer 12

Investigate the Baha'i faith!

Answer 13

It has nothing to do with Christianity. They borrowed ideas from the Pagan handfasting ceremony and turned it into their own thing. Kind of like what they did with Christmas.



Marriage itself is a social institution, not a religious one.

Answer 14

Because the council of Trent said so in 1545, before that it was just a civil union.

Answer 15

Um, the best way I could explain that is the family proclamation. It's pretty long, but here it is:







We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.



All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.



In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.



The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.



We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.



Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.



The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.



We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.



We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.