Editing Christian views on marriage (section)

==Denominational beliefs and practice==
{{Further|Wedding#Christian customs|Marriage#Christianity}}

===Marriage and Christianity===
{{Main|Fornication#Christianity}}

=== Catholicism ===
{{Main|Catholic marriage}}
[[File:Crowning in Syro-Malabar Nasrani Wedding by Mar Gregory Karotemprel.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Mystery of Crowning]] during Holy Matrimony in the [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Church]]]]
[[File:Pinacoteca Querini Stampalia - I sette sacramenti, 1755-57, (05 matrimonio) - Pietro longhi.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Catholic couple at their Holy Matrimony or marriage. In the [[Latin liturgical rites]] of the Catholic Church, during the celebration the [[priesthood (Catholic Church)|priest]] imposes his [[stole (vestment)|liturgical stole]] upon the couple's hands, as a sign to confirm the marriage bond.]]

Today all [[Christians|Christian]] denominations regard marriage as a sacred institution, a covenant. Roman Catholics consider it to be a [[sacrament]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/ritesrituals/weddings_1.shtml |title=Religions – Christianity: Marriage and weddings |publisher=BBC }}</ref> Marriage was officially recognized as a sacrament at the 1184 Council of Verona.<ref name="FiorenzaGalvin">{{cite book|editor1=Francis Schüssler Fiorenza|editor2=John P. Galvin|title=Systematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Tp7KLNb3xcC&q=Fiorenza+%22Innocent+III+required&pg=PA320|access-date=7 October 2014|volume=2|year=1991|publisher=Fortress Press|isbn=978-1-4514-0795-2|page=320}}</ref><ref name=monger/> Before then, no specific ritual was prescribed for celebrating a marriage: "Marriage vows did not have to be exchanged in a church, nor was a priest's presence required. A couple could exchange consent anywhere, anytime."<ref name=monger/><ref>{{cite book |title = Marriage, sex, and civic culture in late medieval London|last = McSheffrey|first = Shannon|year = 2006|publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn = 978-0-8122-3938-6|page = 21|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dJX_Nr2fdzAC|access-date = April 16, 2012}}</ref>

In the decrees on marriage of the [[Council of Trent]] (twenty-fourth session from 1563), the validity of marriage was made dependent upon the wedding taking place before a priest and two witnesses,<ref name=monger/><ref name=omalley/> although the lack of a requirement for parental consent ended a debate that had proceeded from the 12th century.<ref name=omalley/> In the case of a divorce, the right of the innocent party to marry again was denied so long as the other party was alive, even if the other party had committed adultery.<ref name=omalley>
* {{cite book|first=John W.|last=O'Malley|editor-first1=Marcia B.|editor-last1=Hall|editor1-link=Marcia Hall|editor-first2=Tracy E.|editor-last2=Cooper|title=The Sensuous in the Counter-Reformation Church|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-AnYifgRz7QC&pg=PA31|year=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-01323-0|page=31}}{{failed verification|date=December 2019}}
* {{cite book|first=John W.|last=O'Malley|title=Trent: What Happened at the Council|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-wH546BIsUC&pg=PA225|date=15 January 2013|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-06760-8|page=225}}
* {{cite book|last=O’Malley|first=John|title=The Council of Trent. Myths, Misunderstandings and Unintended Consequences|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3FFCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA6|date=22 May 2013|publisher=Gregorian Biblical BookShop|isbn=978-88-7839-255-7|page=6}}</ref>

The Catholic Church allowed marriages to take place inside churches only starting with the 16th century, beforehand religious marriages happened on the porch of the church.<ref name=monger>{{cite book|last1=Monger|first1=George P.|year=2004|chapter=Christian Weddings|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o8JlWxBYs40C&q=marriage+ceremony+%22early+christianity%22&pg=PA70|title=Marriage Customs of the World: From Henna to Honeymoons|location=Santa Barbara, CA|publisher=ABC CLIO|pages=[https://archive.org/details/marriagecustomso0000mong/page/70 70–71]|isbn=9781576079874|oclc=469368346|url=https://archive.org/details/marriagecustomso0000mong/page/70}}</ref>

The [[Roman Catholic Church]] teaches that God himself is the author of the sacred institution of marriage, which is His way of showing love for those He created. Marriage is an eternal sacred institution that can never ever be broken, even if the husband or wife lived separately due to compilcated issues but always bound to solved eventually together no matter how challenging it is; as long as they are both alive, the Church considers them bound together by God. Holy Matrimony is another name for sacramental marriage. Marriage is intended to be a faithful, exclusive, lifelong and eternal union of a man and a woman. Committing themselves completely to each other, a Catholic husband and wife strive to sanctify each other, bring children into the world, and educate them in the Catholic way of life. Man and woman, although created differently from each other, complement each other. This complementarity draws them together in a mutually loving union.<ref>{{cite book|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church|editor=Libreria Editrice Vaticana|editor-link=Vatican Publishing House|access-date=2009-07-22|pages=1602–1605|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P51.HTM}}</ref>

The valid marriage of baptized Christians is one of the seven [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|Roman Catholic sacraments]]. The sacrament of marriage is the only sacrament that a priest does not administer directly; a priest, however, is the chief witness of the husband and wife's administration of the sacrament to each other at the wedding ceremony in a Catholic church.

The Roman Catholic Church views that Christ himself established the sacrament of marriage at the [[Wedding at Cana|wedding feast of Cana]]; therefore, since it is a divine institution, neither the Church nor state can alter the basic meaning and structure of marriage. Husband and wife give themselves totally to each other in a union that lasts until death.<ref>{{cite book|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church|editor=Libreria Editrice Vaticana|editor-link=Vatican Publishing House|access-date=2009-07-22|page=1643|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P55.HTM}}</ref>

[[File:Arberesh Byzantine Catholic wedding.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Arbëreshë people|Arbëreshë]] [[Albanians|Albanian]] couple during marriage in an [[Italo-Greek Catholic Church]] rite.]]

[[Priest]]s are instructed that marriage is part of God's natural law and to support the couple if they do choose to marry. Today it is common for Roman Catholics to enter into a "mixed marriage" between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic. Couples entering into a mixed marriage are usually allowed to marry in a Catholic church provided their decision is of their own accord and they intend to remain together for life, to be faithful to each other, and to have children which are brought up in the Catholic faith.<ref>{{cite book|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church|editor=Libreria Editrice Vaticana|editor-link=Vatican Publishing House|access-date=2009-07-22|pages=1633–1637|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P53.HTM}}</ref>

[[File:Lokajski - Ślub powstańczej pary (1944).jpg|thumb|left|160px|During the [[Warsaw Uprising]] (1944), a [[Polish people|Polish]] couple, members of an [[Armia Krajowa]] resistance group, are married in a secret Catholic chapel in a street in [[Warsaw]].]]

In Roman Catholic teaching, marriage has two objectives: the good of the spouses themselves,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church |url=http://archeparchy.ca/wcm-docs/docs/catechism-of-the-catholic-church.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410024805/http://archeparchy.ca/wcm-docs/docs/catechism-of-the-catholic-church.pdf |archive-date=2016-04-10 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the procreation and education of children (1983 code of canon law, c.1055; 1994 catechism, par.2363). Hence "entering marriage with the intention of never having children is a grave wrong and more than likely grounds for an [[Annulment (Catholic Church)|annulment]]."<ref>McLachlan, P. "Sacrament of Holy Matrimony."</ref> It is normal procedure for a priest to ask the prospective bride and groom about their plans to have children before officiating at their wedding. The Roman Catholic Church may refuse to marry anyone unwilling to have children, since procreation by "the marriage act" is a fundamental part of marriage.<ref name="humanae_vitae">[[Pope Paul VI]]."Humanæ Vitæ." 1968-7-25. Accessed: 2009-7-22</ref> Thus usage of any form of [[contraception]], [[in vitro fertilization]], or [[birth control]] besides [[natural family planning]] is a grave offense against the sanctity of marriage and ultimately against God.<ref name="humanae_vitae" />

=== Protestantism ===
[[File: Wedding at First Baptist Church of Rivas.jpg|280px|thumb|right| Wedding ceremony at First Baptist Church of [[Rivas, Nicaragua|Rivas]], [[Baptist Convention of Nicaragua]], 2011]]
[[File:Wedding of Stephen Beckingham and Mary Cox, 1729 by William Hogarth.jpg|thumb|''The Wedding of Stephen Beckingham and Mary Cox'' by [[William Hogarth]], c. 1729 ([[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], [[New York City|N.Y.]]).]]

==== 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"/>

==== Roles and responsibilities ====

Roles and responsibilities of husband and wives now vary considerably on a continuum between the long-held male dominant/female submission view and a shift toward equality (without sameness)<ref>Steil, Janice M. ''Marital Equality: Its Relationship to the Well-Being of Husbands and Wives.'' Sage. 1997. {{ISBN|0-8039-5251-1}}</ref> of the woman and the man.<ref>Throckmorton, Anne. [http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=3654 "The Lives of Wives: Their Changing Roles."] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120805222142/http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=3654 |date=2012-08-05 }} University of Virginia, January 9, 2008. Accessed 11 May 2009</ref> There is considerable debate among many Christians today—not just Protestants—whether equality of husband and wife or male headship is the biblically ordained view, and even if it is biblically permissible. The divergent opinions fall into two main groups: [[Complementarianism|Complementarians]] (who call for husband-headship and wife-submission) and [[Christian Egalitarianism|Christian Egalitarians]] (who believe in full partnership equality in which couples can discover and negotiate roles and responsibilities in marriage).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2004/august/8.55.html |title=Editor's Bookshelf: Creating Husbands and Fathers |access-date=2007-02-11 |last=Neff |first=David |date=2004-08-01 |work=Christianity Today }}</ref>

There is no debate that Ephesians 5 presents a historically benevolent husband-headship/wife-submission model for marriage. The questions are (a)&nbsp;how these [[New Testament household codes]] are to be reconciled with the calls earlier in Chapter 5 (cf. verses 1, 18, 21) for mutual submission among all believers, and (b)&nbsp;the meaning of "head" in v.23. It is important to note that verse 22 contains no verb in the original manuscripts,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilber|first=David|date=July 4, 2021|title=Understanding Submission in Marriage (Ephesians 5)|url=https://davidwilber.com/articles/understanding-submission-in-marriage-ephesians-5|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705181523/https://davidwilber.com/articles/understanding-submission-in-marriage-ephesians-5 |archive-date=2021-07-05 }}</ref> which were also not divided into verses:<ref name="Staggs"/>
<br />
Ephesians 5 (NIV)
::<sup>1</sup> Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children <sup>2</sup> and walk in the way of love....
::<sup>18</sup> be filled with the Spirit....
::<sup>21</sup> Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
::<sup>22</sup> Wives, ''[submit yourselves]'' to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. <sup>23</sup> For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. <sup>24</sup> Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
::<sup>25</sup> Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her <sup>26</sup> to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, <sup>27</sup> and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. <sup>28</sup> In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. <sup>29</sup> After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— <sup>30</sup> for we are members of his body. <sup>31</sup> "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." <sup>32</sup> This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. <sup>33</sup> However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

=== Eastern Orthodoxy ===
{{main|Marriage in the Eastern Orthodox Church}}

[[File:Wedding of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna by Ilja Repin (1894, Russian museum).jpg|thumb|''The Wedding of [[Nicholas II]] and [[Grand duke|Grand Duchess]] [[Alexandra Fyodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|Alexandra Feodorovna]]'', by [[Ilya Repin|Ilya Yefimovich Repin]], 1894 ([[Russian Museum|Russian State Museum]], [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]]).]]

In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], marriage is treated as a [[Sacred Mysteries|Sacred Mystery]] (sacrament), and as an [[ordination]]. It serves to unite a woman and a man in eternal union before God.<ref name=Fitzgerald>{{cite web| url = http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7105| title = Fitzgerald, Thomas. "The Sacraments"}}</ref><ref>[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=31112 Catholics and Orthodox: On Marriage and Family (Pt. I) – International – Catholic Online]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606110626/http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=31112 |date=2011-06-06 }} Catholic.org (2008-12-17). Retrieved on 2011-01-30.</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">John Meyendorff, ''Marriage, an Orthodox Perspective'', YMCA Press, 1986; chapter: Old and New Testaments</ref> It refers to the 1st centuries of the church, where spiritual union of spouses in the first sacramental marriage was eternal.<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref>[http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/buildyourfaith/everydaytheology/17.18.html Is Marriage Eternal? | Kyria]. Christianitytoday.com. Retrieved on 2011-01-30.</ref> Therefore, it is considered a [[martyr]]dom as each spouse learns to die to self for the sake of the other. Like all Mysteries, Orthodox marriage is more than just a celebration of something which already exists: it is the creation of something new, the imparting to the couple of the [[Divine grace|grace]] which transforms them from a 'couple' into husband and wife within the [[Body of Christ]].<ref name="Grabbe" />

[[File:Wedding ring Louvre AC924.jpg|left|thumb|Byzantine [[wedding ring]], depicting Christ uniting the bride and groom, 7th century, [[niello]]ed gold ([[Louvre|Musée du Louvre]]).]]

Marriage is an [[icon]] (image) of the relationship between Jesus and the Church. This is somewhat akin to the Old Testament [[prophet]]s' use of marriage as an analogy to describe the relationship between God and Israel. Marriage is the simplest, most basic unity of the church: a [[wikt:congregation|congregation]] where "two or three are gathered together in Jesus' name."<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|18:20|KJV}}</ref><ref name="Grabbe" /> The home is considered a consecrated space (the ritual for the Blessing of a House is based upon that of the Consecration of a Church), and the husband and wife are considered the [[Minister (Christianity)|ministers]] of that congregation. However, they do not "perform" the Sacraments in the [[house church]]; they "live" the Sacrament of Marriage. Because marriage is considered to be a [[pilgrimage]] wherein the couple walk side by side toward the [[Kingdom of God|Kingdom of Heaven]], marriage to a non-Orthodox partner is discouraged, though it may be permitted.

Unlike Western Christianity, Eastern Christians do not consider the sacramental aspect of the marriage to be conferred by the couple themselves. Rather, the marriage is conferred by the action of the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] acting through the priest. Furthermore, no one besides a bishop or priest—not even a [[deacon]]—may perform the Sacred Mystery.

The external sign of the marriage is the placing of wedding [[Crown (headgear)|crowns]] upon the heads of the couple, and their sharing in a "Common Cup" of wine. Once crowned, the couple walk a circle three times in a ceremonial "dance" in the middle of the church, while the choir intones a joyous three-part antiphonal hymn, "Dance, [[Isaiah]]"

The sharing of the Common Cup symbolizes the transformation of their union from a common marriage into a sacred union. The wedding is usually performed after the [[Divine Liturgy]] at which the couple receives [[Holy Communion]]. Traditionally, the wedding couple would wear their wedding crowns for eight days, and there is a special prayer said by the priest at the removal of the crowns.

Divorce is discouraged. Sometimes out of ''economia'' (mercy) a marriage may be dissolved if there is no hope whatever for a marriage to fulfill even a semblance of its intended sacramental character.<ref name="Grabbe" /> The standard formula for remarriage is that the Orthodox Church joyfully blesses the first marriage, merely performs the second, barely tolerates the third, and invariably forbids the fourth.<ref name="Hapgood">{{Citation|last =Hapgoood|first =Isabel F.|year =1922|publication-date=1975|title =Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church|edition=2nd|pages =291–305, 604–605|place =Englewood, N.J.|publisher =Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese}}</ref> "On the basis of the ideal of the first marriage as an image of the glory of God the question is which significance such a second marriage has and whether it can be regarded as Mysterion. Even though there are opinions (particularly in the west) which deny the sacramental character to the second marriage, in the orthodox literature almost consistently either a reduced or even a full sacramentality is attributed to it. The investigation of the second marriage rite shows that both positions affirming the sacramentality to a second marriage can be justified."<ref>Eckert, M. (2013). [https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=article&id=3021368 Die orthodoxe Theologie der Ehe: Von der Ehe als Mysterion und der Ermöglichung sowie Bewertung einer zweiten Ehe]. ''Intams review'' 19/2, 143-156 (in German).</ref>

[[File:07Thessaloniki Agia Sophia09.jpg|thumb|Orthodox Church prepared for a wedding ([[Hagia Sophia (Thessaloniki)|Hagia Sophia]], [[Thessaloniki]].)]]

[[Early church]] texts forbid marriage between an Orthodox Christian and a [[Heresy|heretic]] or [[Schism (religion)|schismatic]] (which would include all non-Orthodox Christians). Traditional Orthodox Christians forbid [[Interfaith marriage|mixed marriage]]s with other denominations. More liberal ones perform them, provided that the couple formally commit themselves to rearing their children in the Orthodox faith.

All people are called to celibacy—human beings are all born into [[virginity]], and Orthodox Christians are expected by [[Sacred Tradition]] to remain in that state unless they are called into marriage and that call is sanctified.<ref name="Grabbe">Gregory (Grabbe), Bishop. ''The Sacramental Life: An Orthodox Christian Perspective.'' Liberty, Tenn: St. John of Kronstadt Press, 1986
</ref> The church blesses two paths on the journey to salvation: [[monasticism]] and marriage. Mere celibacy, without the sanctification of monasticism, can fall into selfishness and tends to be regarded with disfavour by the Church.<ref name="Grabbe" />

Orthodox priests who serve in [[parish]]es are usually married. They must marry prior to their ordination. If they marry after they are ordained they are not permitted to continue performing sacraments. If their wife dies, they are forbidden to remarry; if they do, they may no longer serve as a priest. A married man may be ordained as a priest or deacon. However, a priest or deacon is not permitted to enter into matrimony after ordination. Bishops must always be monks and are thus celibate. However, if a married priest is widowed, he may receive monastic tonsure and thus become eligible for the episcopate.

The Eastern Orthodox Church believes that marriage is an eternal union of spouses, but in Heaven there will not be a procreative bond of marriage.

=== Oriental Orthodoxy ===
The [[miaphysitism|Non-Chalcedonian]] Churches of [[Oriental Orthodoxy]] hold views almost identical to those of the ([[Chalcedonian Christianity|Chalcedonian]]) [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. The [[Coptic Orthodox Church]] allows second marriages only in cases of adultery or death of spouse.<ref>[http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/coptic-pope-resists-court-ruling-divorce-remarriage Coptic Pope resists court ruling on divorce, remarriage | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today's News from Egypt]. Al-Masry Al-Youm (2010-04-04). Retrieved on 2011-01-30.</ref>

=== Non-Trinitarian denominations ===

[[File:Phil and Marlene.jpg|thumb|left|175px|A [[Celestial Marriage]] must be performed in an [[Temple (LDS Church)|LDS temple]].]]

==== The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ====
{{See also|Marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Mormonism and polygamy}}
In the teachings of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), [[celestial marriage|celestial (or eternal) marriage]] is a [[Covenant (Latter Day Saints)|covenant]] between a man, a woman, and [[God in Mormonism|God]] performed by a [[priesthood (Mormonism)|priesthood]] authority in a [[Temple (LDS Church)|temple]] of the church.<ref name = gospelprinciples/> Celestial marriage is intended to continue forever into the [[afterlife]] if the man and woman do not break their covenants.<ref name = gospelprinciples>[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-38-eternal-marriage "Chapter 38: Eternal Marriage"], ''[[Gospel Principles]]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 2011).</ref> Thus, eternally married couples are often referred to as being "[[Sealing (Mormonism)|sealed]]" to each other. Sealed couples who keep their covenants are also promised to have their posterity sealed to them in the afterlife.<ref name = gospelprinciples/> (Thus, "families are forever" is a common phrase in the LDS Church.) A celestial marriage is considered a requirement for [[exaltation (Latter Day Saints)|exaltation]].<ref name = gospelprinciples/>

In some countries, celestial marriages can be recognized as civil marriages; in other cases, couples are civilly married outside of the temple and are later sealed in a celestial marriage.<ref>''[[Handbook (LDS Church)|Handbook 1: Stake Presidents and Bishops]]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 2010) § 3.5.</ref> (The church will no longer perform a celestial marriage for a couple unless they are first or simultaneously legally married.) The church encourages its members to be in good standing with it so that they may marry or be sealed in the temple. A celestial marriage is not annulled by a civil divorce: a "cancellation of a sealing" may be granted, but only by the [[First Presidency (LDS Church)|First Presidency]], the highest authority in the church. Civil divorce and marriage outside the temple carries somewhat of a stigma in the Mormon culture; the church teaches that the "gospel of Jesus Christ—including repentance, forgiveness, integrity, and love—provides the remedy for conflict in marriage."<ref>[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/topics/divorce "Gospel Topics: Divorce"], churchofjesuschrist.org.</ref> Regarding marriage and divorce, the church instructs its leaders: "No priesthood officer is to counsel a person whom to marry. Nor should he counsel a person to divorce his or her spouse. Those decisions must originate and remain with the individual. When a marriage ends in divorce, or if a husband and wife separate, they should always receive counseling from Church leaders."<ref>''[[Handbook (LDS Church)|Handbook 1: Stake Presidents and Bishops]]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 2010) § 7.2.5.</ref>

In church temples, members of the LDS Church perform vicarious celestial marriages for deceased couples who were legally married.

==== New Church (or Swedenborgian Church) ====

[[The New Church]] teaches that marital love (or "conjugial love") is "the precious jewel of human life and the repository of the Christian religion" because the love shared between a husband and a wife is the source of all peace and joy.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://newchristianbiblestudy.org/exposition/translation/conjugial-love-rogers/contents/4570| title = Conjugial Love 457}}</ref> [[Emanuel Swedenborg]] coined the term "conjugial" (rather than the more usual adjective in reference to marital union, "conjugal"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newchristianbiblestudy.org/exposition/translation/conjugial-love-rogers/contents/980|title=Conjugial Love 98}}</ref><ref name="Dictionary.reference.com">{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conjugial |title=Conjugial &#124; Define Conjugial at Dictionary.com |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |access-date=10 October 2013}}</ref>) to describe the special love experienced by married partners.<ref>Swedenborg, E. ''[https://newchristianbiblestudy.org/exposition/translation/conjugial-love-rogers/contents/10 Conjugial Love]''</ref><ref name="Dictionary.reference.com"/> When a husband and wife work together to build their marriage on earth, that marriage continues after the deaths of their bodies and they live as [[angels]] in [[heaven]] into eternity. Swedenborg claimed to have spoken with angelic couples who had been married for thousands of years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://smallcanonsearch.com/read.php?book=ml&section=42 |title=ML 42 - Small Canon Search - Reading - The Word of God, The Whole Word of God, and Nothing But the Word of God - Searching the Second Advent Christian Bible - The Second Advent Christian Canon of Scripture |publisher=Small Canon Search |access-date=10 October 2013}}</ref> Those who never married in the natural world will, if they wish, find a spouse in heaven.<!-- please insert other denominational views here -->

==== Jehovah's Witnesses ====
The [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] view marriage to be a permanent arrangement with the only possible exception being adultery. Divorce is strongly discouraged even when adultery is committed<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reference.com/world-view/things-jehovah-s-witnesses-believe-marriage-efe80a14d1d56e08|title=What Are Some Things That Jehovah's Witnesses Believe About Marriage?}}</ref> since the wronged spouse is free to forgive the unfaithful one. There are provisions for a domestic separation in the event of "failure to provide for one's household" and domestic violence, or spiritual resistance on the part of a partner. Even in such situations though divorce would be considered grounds for loss of privileges in the congregation. Remarrying after death or a proper divorce is permitted. Marriage is the only situation where any type of sexual interaction is acceptable, and even then certain restrictions apply to acts such as oral and anal sex.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} Married persons who are known to commit such acts may in fact lose privileges in the congregation as they are supposed to be setting a good example to the congregation.<ref>[[The Watchtower]] September 15, 2006, March 15, 1983, November 1, 2008</ref>