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Marriage and Family
America is constantly changing, becoming, and leaving an impact on society for either
the better or for worse. Family and marriage have a become a hot topic as society tries to change
the way that family and marriage look. Family and marriage used to be seen as a sign of loyalty
and commitment but today these two-family units are not as valued has, they should be. Process
philosophy has been a big influence on this social idea and dynamic of the nature of
relationships.
Marriages today tend to be taken advantage of by the people within the dynamic.
Marriage typically has predetermined roles and expectations for the man and women involved in
the relationship. When process philosophy starts to transform society the predetermined roles
and expectations now do not play a part in the relationship anymore. Process philosophy
suggests that marriage is influenced by changing needs, desires and circumstances that are within
the relationships, so it is always changing.
Americans viewed marriage as tradition and fixed norms, but this dynamic has had a shift
in views lately and now marriage is being viewed as adapting to the individual and the way that
society wants marriage to look. The physical look of marriages has certainly changed over the
years going from the biblical look of a man and women within a marriage to same-sex marriages
and other marriage dynamics. Within the Bible we can see a clear view of what God wanted
marriage to be in Matthew 19 verses 4 through 6 Jesus tells us “Haven’t you read,” Jesus
replied”, “that in the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’, and said, ‘For this
reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become
one flesh?’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let
no one separate.” (New International Version, Matthew 19:4-6. ) Jesus is telling us exactly how our
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creator wanted marriage to be and American society has very much drifted from that.
The concept of family has also changed beyond traditional families. Family units look
very different as the concept of marriage as changed. Families can be blended, single-parent
families and chosen family made of people who are family but no by blood. All these forms are
identified as serious family units. People and relationships come in different forms and families
and marriages reflect this change in dynamic.
The institution of marriage has undergone important changes due to process philosophy.
One of the major changes was the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015. This law shows the
evolving nature of marriage and intimate relationships. Marriage is becoming more flexible
which reflects the way that people are beginning to see society. This concept is making it harder
for Christians to follow God because the world is trying to pull God out of marriage which is
supposed to be a convent between a man, a women and God.
The emphasis on relationships in process philosophy has also led to a better recognition
of the importance of communication, mutual understanding, and empathy in maintaining healthy
relationships. There are things that couples can do to help their relationships such as couple
therapy which can help a marriage get through conflicts and can help create an open dialogue as
well as problem solving.
In conclusion, the idea of marriage and family have been heavily impacted by process
philosophy; with this impact American’s society understanding of family and marriage have
changed as well. American’s have embraced the idea that relationships are constantly changing
and shaped by ongoing interactions. Christians need to be especially careful with the changing
society and ensure that they are following the word of God and not the world.
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References
Johnson, L. N., Miller, R. B., Bradford, A. B., & Anderson, S. R. (2017). THE MARRIAGE
AND FAMILY THERAPY PRACTICE RESEARCH NETWORK (MFT-PRN):
CREATING A MORE PERFECT UNION BETWEEN PRACTICE AND RESEARCH.
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43(4), 561-572.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12238
The biblical basis of marriage: Matthew 19:4-6. (1973). .
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