Making Marriage Work sounds deceptively simple. You choose someone special, your partner for life, and as long s they feel the same way about you there should be no problems. Sadly, this is very often not how things turn out, and more marriages than ever before seem to end in the Divorce Court rather than with the death of a spouse. Perhaps if we could gain an insight into these constantly rising figures we might be in a position to offer help and guidance to those who need it.
Ten years into the new century has seen a sea change in society, which has become distinctly secular in nature: one could almost justify the term "irreligious" (though this is possibly an exaggeration). Even within our own lifetimes we have all seen examples of how the churches play a less significant role in the life of the community as we pursue our own careers and interests of a deeply personal (or selfish?) nature.
Education is no longer a privilege extended solely to those training to be the next generation of ministers: indeed, the number of schools affiliated to one specific faith or religion has almost reached zero. Legislation about equality of opportunity has meant that it is now impossible for a school to restrict admission to one specific faith.
Schooling, historically, was once a luxury which only those studying to become the priests and ministers of the next generation could hope to achieve. Nowadays, it is difficult to find any schools whose admissions policy is reserved exclusively to a single religious group. Laws have been passed in the name of Equal Opportunity which makes it virtually impossible for any school to restrict its intake to a single religious denomination.
The "seventh day" is no longer a 'day of rest' and has become an ordinary trading day, distinguished only by slightly shorter opening hours and enhanced pay rates (usually) for those whose shift patterns include Sunday working.
It might be helpful to think carefully about the promise couples make to stay together "Til Death us do Part", and what these words ultimately signify. By doing this we may discover a way of offering assistance and support to those who marry with all the best intentions of honouring their commitment but have encountered difficulties. This, naturally, is something which would require sensitive handling.
There is one possibility of assistance for Making Marriage Work from an unlikely source. Amongst the proposals of the "Emergency Budget" announced in Great Britain this week was a plan to reward families who stay together financially with an allowance paid to such families. In recent years many have discovered that they were actually better off agreeing to separate, with the one parent claiming a number of benefits available to Single Parents. This benefit 'loophole' has existed for a number of years, and the whole system has been criticised for being open to fraudulent claims.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to involve the established churches in Making Marriage Work, supported by this financial package. They have the expertise and the committed specially trained 'Counsellors' (the clergy) who could instruct and encourage couples to return to the 'traditional values' regarding the permanence of marriage as a basic building block of family life as opposed to a more self-centred (some would say, "selfish") desire to attain personal goals in life.
Ten years into the new century has seen a sea change in society, which has become distinctly secular in nature: one could almost justify the term "irreligious" (though this is possibly an exaggeration). Even within our own lifetimes we have all seen examples of how the churches play a less significant role in the life of the community as we pursue our own careers and interests of a deeply personal (or selfish?) nature.
Education is no longer a privilege extended solely to those training to be the next generation of ministers: indeed, the number of schools affiliated to one specific faith or religion has almost reached zero. Legislation about equality of opportunity has meant that it is now impossible for a school to restrict admission to one specific faith.
Schooling, historically, was once a luxury which only those studying to become the priests and ministers of the next generation could hope to achieve. Nowadays, it is difficult to find any schools whose admissions policy is reserved exclusively to a single religious group. Laws have been passed in the name of Equal Opportunity which makes it virtually impossible for any school to restrict its intake to a single religious denomination.
The "seventh day" is no longer a 'day of rest' and has become an ordinary trading day, distinguished only by slightly shorter opening hours and enhanced pay rates (usually) for those whose shift patterns include Sunday working.
It might be helpful to think carefully about the promise couples make to stay together "Til Death us do Part", and what these words ultimately signify. By doing this we may discover a way of offering assistance and support to those who marry with all the best intentions of honouring their commitment but have encountered difficulties. This, naturally, is something which would require sensitive handling.
There is one possibility of assistance for Making Marriage Work from an unlikely source. Amongst the proposals of the "Emergency Budget" announced in Great Britain this week was a plan to reward families who stay together financially with an allowance paid to such families. In recent years many have discovered that they were actually better off agreeing to separate, with the one parent claiming a number of benefits available to Single Parents. This benefit 'loophole' has existed for a number of years, and the whole system has been criticised for being open to fraudulent claims.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to involve the established churches in Making Marriage Work, supported by this financial package. They have the expertise and the committed specially trained 'Counsellors' (the clergy) who could instruct and encourage couples to return to the 'traditional values' regarding the permanence of marriage as a basic building block of family life as opposed to a more self-centred (some would say, "selfish") desire to attain personal goals in life.
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