I should say yes, among other things, and if not love, then, at least, mutual attraction. I mean it's incredible to me that some folks push the idea that it's absolutely not important for the future spouses to have any kind of feelings for one another. Because "romantic love" is the root of all evil, don't you know?
Well, I don't know about romantic love, whatever the heck it is, but passionate love is quite important. "Passion" sounds rather old-fashioned nowadays because it's actually an euphemism for s8xual desire, and marriage literally can't exist without s8x. Even Medieval Catholic Church would give annulment if marriage was never consummated. Consummation means having s8x. By the same logic, later on Protestant countries would grant a divorce if one the parties refused the other in bed refused to perform their "marital duties."
How are you supposed to have a healthy s8x life if you aren't attracted to your spouse? I don't think many of us would like to return to the times of "lie back and think of England":) Of course, we all know examples when even arranged marriages turned into stable loving relationships, so you don't always have to be "madly in love" before your wedding day, but a pure marriage of convenience, especially when one of the spouses (usually the woman) is repulsed by the other and married him purely for money or some other reason, is a recipe for disaster, especially in the times of easy no-fault divorce.
Do we really need to drag the worst of Victorianism into our present day and how would it make our family life better?
There are seven different words for love in the Bible, and they are all important. So I would suggest marriage without love is hardly a christian one.
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