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= Discussion Page on Marriage =

== JohnHurst ==
contribution to discussion day, 25 Oct 2014

= Background =

 * Statement of UCA Theology about Marriage
 * Acknowledge Disagreements
 * Informed and Faithful discussion
 * Marriage Service liturgy is starting point
    1. The Gathering
    2. Declaration of Purpose
    3. The Word
    4. The Marriage
    5. Prayers
    6. The Blessing

Here tackle just the first two.

= 1. The Gathering =

 * Marriage service is a service of worship
 * Also a witness to promises and commitment

== Doctrine ==

 * Creation - marriage is the Christian context for procreation
 * Fall - marriages do fail
   * levels of failure: human joy, human sin, human brokenness
 * Redemption - marriages can be repaired
   * if not, people can be repaired
   * divorce and remarriage?

== Practical Considerations ==

 * divorce is a remedy, not an intrinsic good
 * to lose sight of the theology of marriage is to lose sight of the Xian view of marriage
 * NOT Xian!:
   * hostility towards sex
   * assumption of perfect innocence
   * pessimism about or rejection of marriage

== Same Sex Marriage ==

||                      ||  Yes					|| No ||
|| Creation		|| humans have "hardwired nature"	|| God created man and woman ||
|| Fallenness		|| all are fallen, none are perfect	|| same-sex is intrinsically fallen ||
|| Redemption		|| healing and transforming		|| healing and transforming ( ! ) ||
||			|| loving relationships reflect a loving God || discipline of forgiveness ||

= 2. The Declaration of Purpose =

== Biblical Foundation ==

 * Draws heavily upon Genesis
 * A profound document - how do we interpret it?  Stumbling block, or Milestone, for the human journey?
 * Adam and Eve
 * Women as property, cultural issues

== Sexual Faithfulness ==

 * Xian view: Marriage or Celibacy (celibacy better!)  Are these the only two?
 * Does marriage as "full expression of physical love" (i.e., "good sex") mean that other forms of sex are bad?

== De-facto hetereo- and homo- partnerships ==

 * Is faithfulness possible?  Are these fruitful relationships?  Is it about "what's in a name?"

== Children and the Purpose of Marriage ==

|| '''Anglican Prayer Book'''			||	'''Uniting Church''' ||
|| 1. birth and nurture of children		|| 1. mutual comfort and support ||
|| 2. safe outlet for lust, NO fornication	|| 2. safe outlet for lust, NO fornication ||
|| 3. mutual comfort and support		|| 3. birth and nurture of children ||

Child rearing has been decoupled from marriage through the (birth control) pill.

= 3. The Word =

= 4. The Marriage =

= 5. Prayers =

= 6. The Blessing =

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