Editing Christian views on marriage (section)

==== Purposes ====

Most [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations hold marriage to be ordained by God for the union between a man and a woman. They see the primary purposes of this union as intimate companionship, rearing children and mutual support for both husband and wife to fulfill their life callings.<ref>UMC</ref> Protestant Christian denominations consider marital sexual pleasure to be a gift of God, though they vary on their position on [[birth control]], ranging from the acceptance of the use of contraception to only allowing [[natural family planning]] to teaching [[Quiverfull]] doctrine—that birth control is sinful and Christians should have large families.<ref name="O'Reilly2010">{{cite book|last=O'Reilly|first=Andrea|title=Encyclopedia of Motherhood|date=6 April 2010|publisher=SAGE Publications|language=en|isbn=9781452266299|page=1056|quote=The Roman Catholic church and some Protestant denominations have approved only "natural family planning" methods--including the rhythm method and periodic abstinence.}}</ref><ref name="Joyce2009">{{cite book |last1=Joyce |first1=Kathryn |title=Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement |date=2009 |publisher=Beacon Press |isbn=978-0-8070-1070-9 |page=174 |language=English}}</ref> [[Christian fundamentalism|Conservative]] [[Protestantism|Protestants]] consider marriage a solemn [[Covenant (religion)|covenant]] between wife, husband and [[God]]. Most view sexual relations as appropriate only within a marriage. Protestant Churches discourage divorce though the way it is addressed varies by denomination; for example, the [[Reformed Church in America]] permits divorce and remarriage,<ref name="RCA1975">{{cite web |title=Statements of General Synod |url=https://www.rca.org/synod/statements/ |publisher=[[Reformed Church in America]] |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=English |date=1975}}</ref> while other denominations such as the [[Evangelical Methodist Church Conference]] forbid divorce except in the case of [[fornication]] and do not allow for remarriage in any circumstance.<ref name="EMCC2017">{{cite book |title=Evangelical Methodist Church Discipline |date=15 July 2017 |publisher=[[Evangelical Methodist Church Conference]] |language=English|pages=22–21|quote=The marriage contract is so sacred that we advise against seeking divorce on any grounds whatseover. Should any member seek divorce on any unscriptural grounds (Matt. 5:32 "But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced comitteth adultery."), and that well proven, he shall be summoned to appear at a meeting in the local church, with the general board working in co-operation with the local church board. If proven guilty of such offense, he shall be dismissed at once, and no longer considered a member of Evangelical Methodist Church. We advise against the remarriage of all divorced persons, as the scriptures declare in Romans 7:3a "...So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress." If any person becoming converted, and having such marital complications as mentioned above in the days of their sin and ignorance, it is our belief that God will and does forgive them; however, we shall not receive such persons into church membership, but with to extend to them the right hand of fellowship, promising the prayers of God's people. Should any pastor, knowingly or unknowingly, receive such persons that have been divorced and remarried into membership, such membership shall not be valid. Ministers are advised to have nothing to do with the re-marriage of persons divorced on any grounds. In the event any person is divorced by an unbelieving companion and shall remain in an unmarried state, retaining his or her Christian integrity, he or she shall not be dismissed or barred from church membership.}}</ref><ref>Rubio, Julie Hanlon. ''A Christian Theology of Marriage and Family,'' Paulist Press, 2003. {{ISBN|0-8091-4118-3}}.</ref>

Many [[Methodist]] Christians teach that marriage is "God's gift and covenant intended to imitate [[New Covenant|God's covenant with humankind]]"<ref name="Tucker2011">{{cite book|last=Tucker|first=Karen B. Westerfield|title=American Methodist Worship|date=27 April 2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en |isbn=9780190454203|page=188}}</ref> that "Christians enter in their baptism."<ref name="Church2016">{{cite book|title=The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church 2016|date=16 December 2016|publisher=United Methodist Publishing House|language=en|isbn=9781501833250|page=623|quote=For the church, the marriage covenant is grounded in the covenant between God and God's people into which Christians enter in their baptism.}}</ref> For example, the [[Christian liturgy|rite]] used in the [[Free Methodist Church]] proclaims that marriage is "more than a legal contract, being a bond of union made in heaven, into which you enter discreetly and reverently."<ref name="Tucker2011"/>