We often look at marriage through the eyes of the western style of living and thought, but the world is much more complex than the customs of western ideology, same-sex marriage is really taboo except in the west. The engagement ring, which symbolizes a betrothal to an individual in western customs, dates to ancient Egypt and is not the norm in other societies. The cultural reform of morality deemed that marriage was the appropriate way to justify procreation. In Hinduism, “marriage rites and rituals as the Rig Veda, appear to have been very simple.
The actual marriage was symbolized by the act of taking of the hand, and the pre-nuptial bath of the bride, or the bride’s sitting on the red bull’s hide after the marriage” , are rituals not found in other societies, but still important rituals in Hindu. The “Suhag Raat” is when the bride and groom come to the marriage bed, both, are presumed to be virgins, the bed is covered with flowers meant to bring good harmony.
” ” Marriage is by far, the most important religious act in Hindu society.
Even in a society where celibacy is a religious virtue, to become a celibate ascetic without first having experienced marriage and parenthood is to act contrary to social and religious norms. Marriage to a Hindu usually means that marriage is arranged along caste and clans early in the individual lives, People seldom stray from marrying strangers for love, so as not to destroy their lineage. Sex and marriage are one of the three goals in Hindu; to be wealthy, to seek pleasure, and virtuous living, a fourth was added later, it was to seek enlightenment.
North 2. When we examine the Ramayana, it is obvious that the model for marriage is exemplified by Rama and Sita. Sita is virtuous, obedient, she remains faithful despite the perils she faced even the death by fire to prove her virtue. This is the role model that most Indian women try to emulate. Therefore, a woman is portrayed as Mother earth. Now in Buddhism, we see that the aim is to steer clear of earthly desires, but procreation is a must to extend future generations. Procreation surely is not a problem since the population explosion is in the Asian demographic.
Even the Buddha left his princess wife and son seeking to enlightenment, becoming a renouncer, so how can a marriage fit into Buddhism? Some friction in Buddhism is seen as okay, but being a true Buddhist takes the young men away from the family, and village. “Likewise, marriage and sexuality are often positively viewed among Buddhists; sexuality tends neither to be seen as sinful nor something to be justified only by reproduction; However, sexual activities, representing human desire, often stress the “middle way”, where too little or too much procreation should be avoided since it could lead to poverty and distress A common belief among Buddhists is that they should focus on spreading the joy of enlightenment to others while transmitting their genes to subsequent generations or extending their family .lineage.” Buddhism seems to be in everything and then not in anything. The life of Buddhism is a life of reunification and not that of raising a family, the rhetoric of this life is seen in the way buddha lived; Don browning wrote “Consequently family life is not only judged detrimental to spiritual development it also is condemned as a deleterious environment that can North 3. only encourage negative patterns that will bind one in the cycle of birth and death and keep one from making progress toward nirvana.” Marriage life is considered a determent in Buddhism, but in Judeo- Christianity it is the essence of life.
“Thomas Aquinas wrote that marriage is a lifelong union sanctioned by God between one man and one woman, whose primary purpose is oriented toward survival of the human species.” This idea seems to be in jeopardy as new ideas assert that marriage can be a union between two women or two men. Christianity does not recognize such marriages. The marriage idea is usually a virgin(ideally) dressed in white to showcase her purity, who would not want a virtuous woman. Marriages between Christians might or might not be about the same religious belief and might be no beliefs. But in Judaism, it is imperative to marry in the same belief. It is frowned on to marry anyone other than a Jew, it is stated in the Torah “And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.” Marriage in a Christian society usually is the attraction between a male and female, mostly lust, but other things besides the physical is considered. This is not to say the same doesn’t happen in Jewish societies, David fell victim to lust when he saw Bathsheba nude taking a bath, it is imperative that the two be from the same lineage. Judaism sees marriage as a sacred segment of the kiddushin and the nissuin.
The former is a betrothal and the latter is the wedding. The same virtuous, virgin woman is also seen in Hindu marriages parallel each other. Christians over the centuries have gravitated toward more North 4. liberal types of marriages. Very few men look for virgins, not to say that women are not pursuing the virtuous lifestyle, but the culture put so much pressure on sex appeal through all forms of media that sex experiments at a very young age. Therefore, marriage is justified for sex and procreation. “Judaism has a positive attitude toward sexual pleasure, as long as it occurs in a marital context, but the bride must be immersed in a ritual bath(mikveh).” In Christianity, two people meet, date a few months or years and most indulge in sex before the marriage. In some instances, cohabitation occurs as a trial period to see if the couple are compatible, this has never been a sure-fire test. Contrasted with the Upanishad’s it states, “the true sexual union is the union of the supreme Shakti (cosmic power) with the Spirit (Atman); other unions represent only carnal relations with women.” Liberal conduct before marriage never line up with the teachings of the Torah, The New Testament, nor the writings of Hindu sages, nor the principles of Buddhism.
Notwithstanding there are indications that like Christianity, there is cohabitation and intermarriages that results in divorces among Jewish couples; Mark Goldsmith wrote, “Jews of my generation in Britain typically marry later, and a larger number either never marry or live in long-term relationships to which Jewish marriage does not presently apply. Jewish marriages that end in divorce is greater and the proportion of Jews who marry outside the faith is vastly increased.” Marriage, then in a say Christian environment is not committed to marrying only other Christians, they might or may not marry someone with no beliefs. The marriage then may North 5. become somewhat of a union of conveniences if love and common interest is not present. The physical soon lose its’ appeal and nothing is left to cohere the couple together save the children’s. This can be seen In the Confucian societies, although this is not a religion, it is still a powerful tradition that dictates a way of living; marriage was the most important ritual to perform, in that marriages were made by parents, usually at a young age.
The parties had little to say about the arrangement and love was never a principal part, sometimes the bride was considerably younger in her early teens. Marriage is the vehicle for women to be mothers, the reason why they were made; be fruitful and multiply. Up until recently western thoughts were to look in disdain at a woman without a husband or children. Old maid as they were called are in most societies seen as a failure to live up to the expectation that were given to her. The same theme of virtuous, obedient women is in all the great traditions, a ritual that brings families joy and happiness for generations. Marriage transcends the foraging of roots and berries, the sale of the innocence to royalty, the insurance of certain lineage, it is the affirmation of the family rooted in the love of God and fidelity, despite feminists and other radical thinking.
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