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Marriage as Evidence Not everyone believes the Bible. Not everyone believes in God. However, for those who doubt the inspiration of the Bible, there are some practices within the human family that are very difficult to explain without naming God as their originator. One of these is marriage. Jesus, quoting from the Old Testament said, "Haven't you read the scripture that says that in the beginning the Creator made people male and female? And God said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.' So they are no longer two, but one. Man must not separate, then, what God has joined together." Matthew 19:5,6 Good News Bible. Apart from the Bible, trying to explain why people enter into marriage contracts is difficult. It is hard to believe that the institution of marriage would naturally evolve and that humans would simply rise above the practices of the animal kingdom. Especially difficult to explain is the fact that marriage is universally practiced all over the world. As an example, I quote from the college text book, An Introduction to Anthropology, Fourth Edition, Beals/Hoijer,1971, "Every human society known has rigid rules of marriage..." page 397. In another place it states, "Married couples, among all peoples, live together in a union recognized and publicly approved by other members of the society. When children come, the married couple must acknowledge them as their own and provide for their care and rearing. Although most cultures provide means for the dissolution of marriage [divorce], it is ordinarily expected that those who marry intend the union to be lifelong and not just a transitory affair to be broken off at the whim of one or the other partner." page 381. Another interesting point mentioned in the text book is, "...the proportion of male and female births in any human society is roughly the same..." page 394. One could easily figure that this was part of God's plan for marriage, that is: one man for one woman. However, there are societies where polygamy is practiced. It seems that when the number of males and females get out of balance, men often choose multiple wives or sometimes, wives have multiple husbands. However, it's man's tampering that often puts the population out of balance. Again I quote from the text book, "Single girl babies are frequently killed at birth, and when twins of different sexes are born, the female twin is always killed. Because twins are believed ‘unnatural,' one is killed even if both are boys, and if the twins are girls, both are killed." In another instance, the women out number the men three to one because of high death rate of males through murder and wars. However, the book states that even in most if not all "polygamous societies" the practice of one man to one woman is the normal pattern. Indeed, in my opinion, the evidence is clear, marriage is an institution created by God in the Garden of Eden and recognized by people everywhere on our planet. Marriage is just another living example of why you can trust your Bible as God's Holy Word and guidebook for life. Next week, the role of the family and a little poem about
a coconut tree you'll never forget. Blessings in your study of God's Word! Marvin Hunt There is never a charge for my articles, and if you have a good reason, there is no limit to how many you may request. However, if you find them valuable you may want to order my latest book, History, Mystery and Facts About the Bible. Order at 1-800-845-7618 (ext. 301). You may also order from Amazon.com. Proceeds from the book go to support this ministry. Blessings! Http://www.biblehistory.com p.s. A new column is posted weekly. Be sure and bookmark the site or put it on your favorites list. |