Marriage, aside from the laws as well as responsibility of the couple, also embodies different religion views. Almost all mainstream religions, such as Christianity, Protestantism, Judaism, and Islam, believes that marriages are a divine practice deemed and blessed by the gods. Most of these religions perform a wedding ceremony to solemnize the beginning of a marriage which can be regarded as a sacred sacrament, contract, a sacred institution, or a covenant.
Christianity
In Christianity, they believe that marriage is a gift from God, one that should not be taken for granted. Christians often marry for religious reasons ranging from following the biblical injunction for a “man to leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one,” to obeying Canon Law stating marriage between baptized persons is a sacrament. However, divorce is not encouraged in Christianity, synonymous to Protestantism, in which annulment can only end marriage.
Protestantism
In Protestant views, the purpose of marriage is to glorify God by demonstrating his love to the world. Other purposes of marriage include intimate companionship, rearing children and mutual support for both husband and wife to fulfill their life callings. Unlike Christianity, Protestants generally approve of birth control. Also, most Protestant churches allow people to marry again after a divorce.
Judaism
In Judaism, marriage is viewed as a contractual bond commanded by God in which a man and a woman come together to create a relationship in which God is directly involved. Though procreation is not the sole purpose, a Jewish marriage is also expected to fulfill the commandment to have children. The main purpose of Judaism marriage centers around the relationship between the husband and wife.
Islamic Views
Islam also commends marriage, with the age of marriage being whenever the individuals feel ready, financially and emotionally. Unlike other mainstream religions, Islam views mostly allow polygamy in men, with the specific limitation that they can only have up to four wives at any one time, given the religious requirement that they are able to and willing to partition their time and wealth equally among the respective wives.
Other Religion Views
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) believe that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”
Hinduism sees marriage as a sacred duty that entails both religious and social obligations.
In the Bah’ Faith marriage is encouraged and viewed as a mutually strengthening bond, but is not obligatory. For more information visit to our site at