Allen Krell: What is marriage?

I keep looking throughout Christian religious history, and I ask myself "What is marriage?"

• Is it a picture of the one body of Christ?
• Is it a life long relationship?commitment?
• Is it solely for the purpose of child rearing?

I must answer these questions before I decide whether the Christian church should recognize same sex marriages?

If marriage is a picture of the one body of Christ, can a same sex relationship reflect the one body of Christ? ?If it is only a life long relationship commitment, the gender seems not to matter. ?If it is for the purpose of child rearing, then even a heterosexual marriage without child rearing would not be Christian. ?

I realize the problem with Christianity isn't whether we sanctify same sex relationships, the problem is as Christians we have forgotten the purpose of marriage. ?I too seem not to know the Christian purpose of marriage.

Source: http://www.allenthemelancholy.com/2012/07/what-is-marriage.html

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