Christians in today’s society are faced with many challenges surrounding what is considered the norm While living simultaneously with a culture that appears to function in opposition. Christians are confronted with their religious integrity. One area this can be seen in question is in the case of cohabitation Cohabiting allows partners to experience each other on an intimate level, which is, for Christians, against their beliefs. The American culture flashes the importance and joy of union between two people But people are moving too fast and starting their lives together before legal unity because there is still too much to consider about our significant other: is this person right for me? As the pressure of society’s norms dramatically affects the decision to cohabit. Christians are stuck between their religion and the influences of their everyday life The following research reviews the viewpoint of Christians and Non- religious people about cohabiting and further investigation about cohabitation.
By analyzing the American culture through common reasoning for cohabiting, the advantages and disadvantages, and the Christian View, the cohabiting culture is comprehensible to all, but conflicting to many Christians of our time. Cohabitation is the act of living with a partner before marriage, It implies that the parties are having sexual intercourse while living together, as stated on Google. Currently, 60 percent marriages proceed to cohabiting relationships, yet, people overlook the fact that these marriages are 46 percent more likely to end in divorce, as reported by For Your Marriage, after cohabitation, Christians feel, just like everyone else, the time you spend to get to know someone is essential, yet, separation will most likely be in the near future if you choose your partner too early. Which is what people are doing when they cohabitt Lauren Fox of TheAtlantic says “Moving in before marriage doesn’t automatically make you a divorce statistic, Choosing a partner too early, however, just might“ So why is everyone moving in with each other so soon?
The number of cohabiting couples has doubled since the 1990s, Casper & Bianchi (2002) reported that between 1960 and 1998, the number of persons who reported that they had ever cohabited increased from 440,000 to 4.9 million. Some of the reasoning for this is the increase in contraception availability, gender role changes, financial benefits, and just getting to know their partner better. Cohabiters tend to be of young age and divorce rates of those who choose to marry after cohabiting have increased Casper & Bianchi (2002) found that of all persons in the U.S, blacks and whites have about equal cohabitation rates, but if the focus is only on those currently in unions, blacks have considerably higher cohabitation rates than whites. Risman reports that between 1965 and 1974 only 10 percent of marriages were preceded by cohabitation and percentage of marriages the begun without first living together has dropped to about one-third. Thus proving that cohabitation has become a norm, and Christians who participate are committing sin.
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The more educated a person is the less likely they are to cohabit, This correlates with the opportunities and advantages married couples get as opposed to couples in general. Formal marriage is associated with a range of health, wealth, and happiness benefits for both children and adult partners says Marsha Garrison (2007). Married couples usually make more income than non-wedded couplesr In 2012, about 37 percent of married men were making over $50,000, compared to 21 percent of cohabiting men (Risman). There are so many advantages and disadvantages when it comes to moving in with your significant other. What couples really want when they move in together is to get to know one another intimately and experiment if the relationship should go on But people also cohabit or choose not to cohabit for many of the following reasons: Contraception has become better accessible for woman, making sexual activity less stressful and secretive.
These methods act as security and allow couples to have intercourse without conceiving. Nearly half (46 percent) of all 15-19-year-olds, in the United States, have had sex at least once reports Joseph Sanfilippo (2008). So isn’t the prerogative to try and avoid early pregnancy? Due to the increase in availability, young couples can have more leisure when engaging in sexual activity. Leaning on these contraceptive methods make it easier for cohabiting couples and delays family planning for partners that aren’t ready for it, Christians shouldn’t engage in sexual activity unless they are married. But if they do, contraception is an option for everyone, yet it is still adding onto the sin already committed Christians believe God has a plan, so if you conceive before marriage it is considered part of God’s plan. This is a tricky situation for Christians, those who do not plan on becoming pregnant have contraception to avoid it, and regardless.
Christians aren’t supposed to engage in any sexual activity before marriage Feminism Women have increasingly joined the workforce and additionally, fewer people are expecting certain things from women as a whole. Because of the major feminist increase, women are getting educated, working, and living lives the way they want to. When it comes to education, women will delay marriage and childbearing. Paula England said “while many husbands of the 19505 women expected their wives to stay home, their sons expected their wives to work.” The benefits of high family income and better lifestyle proved the wait to be better. “Marriage is an achievement women make after they are educated and starts their careers,” said Barbara Risman of the University of Illinois Women who choose education are less likely to cohabit. Because women are feeling this power of independence, the wait for finding a significant other has lengthened. Income Americans are overall delaying marriage and are choosing living together and to raise a family over a wedded unity.
People who engage in the act of cohabiting are usually less educated and have low income, Marriage is a selective process for many people and binding will only come when people feel financially secure But holding off marriage can also mean saving money for many people. Sharing a household can be of benefit for many couples Yet, as these couples are trying to meet payments, money flow is taking longer to grow Economic conditions do affect living arrangements, In Jordan Matsudaira’s study, men and women will live under their parents’ roof until their twenties, when they have graduated high school and pursued a job or more education Earning money is a sign of independence Cohabiting with a potential partner will have earnings being subtracted from due to rent or mortgages Cohabiting couples will end up cohabiting for the rest of their relationship together and continue to defer marriage due to lack of financial gain Legal benefits.
For people who live in the United States, there are benefits with legal marriage. Tax benefits like marriage deductions and filingjointly, Dylan Mitchell (Blank Rome LLP) says “You can transfer an unlimited amount of assets to your spouse at any time, free from tax,” Financial perks such as social security and prenuptial agreements If one person spends a substantial amount of time on career and the other spends it on raising children, a compensation from the non-monied spouse in a prenuptial agreement by dividing assets fairly between the spouses should the marriage end says Alyssa Rower. Health and employment opportunities with medical insurance and leave benefits, On account of these marriage benefits, couples will choose marriage over cohabitation. Religion Cohabiters tend to have no religious affiliation and have liberal social attitudes.
The decisions these cohabiters make are based off norms formed by society overtime Christians today will encounter temptations that lead them to take actions; actions which are demonstrated as sin in the Bible Christians believe God knows what we will undergo in our lifetime, “but with the [allurement from society] he will also provide the way of escape, [so] you may be able to endure it.” It is, for many people, essential to get to know their partner well before the possibility of marriage, one way to achieve this is by cohabiting Because of the commonality and normality of cohabitation before marriage, young Christians are hit with a dilemma that leaves them as outcasts in our society, but heirs to God‘s kingdom after death. It may have been easy for people decades ago to not live with their partner until after marriage, but it is unimaginable and seems to be an antiquated method for some today.
The Bible clearly states, “let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed he undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous”. it also says, “But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than burn with passion” Christians know that temptation is the cause of sin, so encouraging the wait is essential, but if you can‘t wait, then get married. Yet, do they want to get married just to fix this problem? Since Christians are pressured by the opinions of others, sin is subject to all. Christians exercise the power of their religion as they follow what God wants for them Again, Christians still face the question: should I get married early to avoid committing sin?
Divorce is more common for those who wed at early age and divorce is another thing seen as immoral in the Bible. Through research it is proven that people are increasingly choosing someone too early, having an intimate relationship at a young age, which heightens the probability of divorce and raising a family out of wedlock. Christians see many issues with all of that. Intimacy before marriage and potential divorce is against their religion. Many people submit to the saying, “Why buy the cow when the milk is free?” where people believe getting the benefits that come with having a partner can be possible without marriage. But if you commit to marriage before handing the benefits to your partner, your relationship will be strongert. This is where Christians dominate in a marriage situation. Waiting for marriage can do many things: allow you to obtain greater education, build up for finances, choose a person that is right for you, decrease divorce probability, and for Christians preventing sin. Regardless, young Christians are, more than ever, facing a huge issue, avoiding influences of today in order not to sin.
