Marriage Under Attack

The attacks on marriage are not new; they go back to the beginning of human history. Qualities and attitudes that developed in our first human parents have led to the marriage crisis we experience today. Adam and Eve sinned whenthey gave in to selfish cravings, and thus "sin entered into the world." (Romans 5:12) The historical record of the Bible states that soon after this, " every inclination of the thoughts of [man's] heart was only bad all the time."- Genesis 6:5.

Not much has changed since then. Among the corrosive inclinations that plague marriage is the uninhibited pusuit of selfish gratification. Marriage itself might seem an outdated institution, no longer viable in a modern world under the spell of a new morality. And the relaxing of laws that regulate the breakup of a marriage has removed most of the stigma once attached to divorce.

Impatient individuals, who seek quick results and instant gratification, give little or no thought to the consequences of divorce. Lured by seductive promises of freedom and independence, they believe that divorce will lead to happiness.

Others when faced with thornlike problems in their relationship turn to therapists and marriage counselors or to books written by such authorities. Sadly, some modern marriage "experts" have proved more adept at promoting divorce than at defending marriage. "For perhaps the first time in human history," states the book, The Case For Marriage, "marriage as an ideal is under a sustained and suprisingly successful attack. Sometimes the attack is direct and ideological, made by 'experts' who believe a lifelong vow of fidelity is unrealistic or oppressive."

Next time:Altered Perceptions