I don't know if this topic has been covered here before or not, so forgive me if it has been beaten to death, but it has come up in a number of conversations I have had lately and I would be very interested to hear opinions from the FYM crowd as you're a rather diverse bunch.
(Please note: I would like to avoid the whole homosexual marriage debate, so if at all possible, please refrain from such a discussion. Note in the below that I only refer to 'the couple' and 'two people'.)
What do you believe constitutes marriage? At what point can two people be said to be married? Does a slip of paper or a marriage license make a marriage, or is it just government paperwork that doesn't actually constitute marriage? If such paperwork is not relevant, at what point would you say the couple are married - when they have sex, when one asks the other to marry them and receives a 'yes', when the two commit their lives and their selves to each other, or another point?
For Christians (others can answer, but I am specifically interested in Christian opinions for this one): do you believe it is possible to be married before God prior to being married before man and government? i.e. do you believe two people can come together and be unified as one in the sight of God, and then hold their public marriage and fill out official documents, say, six months later? Please don't debate why one would be delaying the ceremony, as that seems a bit pointless and I can't be bothered devising a scenario. I'm interested in direct answers to the question.
Looking forward to some responses. Please be aware I may play devil's advocate in my replies.
(Please note: I would like to avoid the whole homosexual marriage debate, so if at all possible, please refrain from such a discussion. Note in the below that I only refer to 'the couple' and 'two people'.)
What do you believe constitutes marriage? At what point can two people be said to be married? Does a slip of paper or a marriage license make a marriage, or is it just government paperwork that doesn't actually constitute marriage? If such paperwork is not relevant, at what point would you say the couple are married - when they have sex, when one asks the other to marry them and receives a 'yes', when the two commit their lives and their selves to each other, or another point?
For Christians (others can answer, but I am specifically interested in Christian opinions for this one): do you believe it is possible to be married before God prior to being married before man and government? i.e. do you believe two people can come together and be unified as one in the sight of God, and then hold their public marriage and fill out official documents, say, six months later? Please don't debate why one would be delaying the ceremony, as that seems a bit pointless and I can't be bothered devising a scenario. I'm interested in direct answers to the question.
Looking forward to some responses. Please be aware I may play devil's advocate in my replies.