Marriage is a union between one man and one woman is the traditional Christian teaching. However, this idea is criticised more and more. Read the articles on this topic on this page.
As Christians, we believe that God created the institution of marriage as an unbreakable union between one man and one woman.
Marriage has three goals:
In the Roman Catholic Church, marriage is a sacrament; in Protestant circles, it is not. Yet, both see marriage as an institution of God. Traditionally, the church has taught that married spouses may not divorce unless one of them was unfaithful.
Marriage is also a civil event. It needs to be recorded officially at the registar's office with witnesses present.
When two people get married, they start their own family. Traditional Christians see marriage between one man and one woman also as the best environment for children to grow up in.
Whereas marriage used to be reserved for a man and a woman only, nowadays more and more countries allow same-sex couples to get married as well. Especially in Western Europe, the institution of marriage has been opened up to gay couples, while in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, the issue is much more sensitive.
There are even some voices that argue that group marriages should be possible too. This is called polyamory.
