Marriage 'matters to God'

Around 1,000 Christians gathered in Westminster last night to celebrate marriage and reaffirm their support for couples considering a lifelong commitment to one another.

Talk Marriage marked the start of Marriage Week yesterday and was organised jointly by the Evangelical Alliance and Bruderhof, a community of Christians with family at its heart.

Street Pastors founder Les Isaac spoke of the damage that separation and divorce can have on children, as he told of the young men he had met in prison who were "angry" because they did not have a father.

Isaac, who experienced the separation of his own parents at the age of seven, said marriage had the power to transform society.

"Marriage does matter to God," he said.

"It is not just about a piece of paper. The piece of paper gives it legal legitimacy but marriage is deeper than that. Marriage is a transformative act. It transforms people.

"It changes the way people look at each other and treat each other, and it changes their role in society."

In a world that increasingly views sex as a natural part of being a couple whether married or not, Isaac said God was able to give people the courage and the strength to love someone and wait until after marriage before having sex.

Contrary to the popular belief that marriage is a romance killer, he said that he had grown closer to his wife through marriage.

"When you enter into what you know God is entering you into, it builds you up and gives you hope. 'It's ok because my husband is with me, we're going to walk together.'

"It provides commitment to build a life and a family together. It is a place of secure intimacy, of friendship, and it allows it to grow. I love my wife more and stronger, better, deeper today than I did 30 years ago."

Edmund Adamas, Marriage and Family Life Coordinator of the Catholic Diocese of Westminster, called for a renewed understanding of the family as a place where the "education and formation" of children happens – particularly preparation for future marriage.

"Parents are called to prepare their sons and daughters, if that is what God calls them to, for future marriages. In the Catholic Church, we talk about marriage preparation across the lifecycle – from conception, through infancy to adolescence.

"All those experiences - good and bad - that we imbibe as a child are preparing us for future marriage.

"We all have a role to play in a person's development so that they can enter into a commitment of marriage with confidence."

Around 1,000 Christians gathered in Westminster last night to celebrate marriage and reaffirm their support for couples considering a lifelong commitment to one another.

Talk Marriage marked the start of Marriage Week yesterday and was organised jointly by the Evangelical Alliance and Bruderhof, a community of Christians with family at its heart.

Street Pastors founder Les Isaac spoke of the damage that separation and divorce can have on children, as he told of the young men he had met in prison who were "angry" because they did not have a father.

Isaac, who experienced the separation of his own parents at the age of seven, said marriage had the power to transform society.

"Marriage does matter to God," he said.

"It is not just about a piece of paper. The piece of paper gives it legal legitimacy but marriage is deeper than that. Marriage is a transformative act. It transforms people.

"It changes the way people look at each other and treat each other, and it changes their role in society."

In a world that increasingly views sex as a natural part of being a couple whether married or not, Isaac said God was able to give people the courage and the strength to love someone and wait until after marriage before having sex.

Contrary to the popular belief that marriage is a romance killer, he said that he had grown closer to his wife through marriage.

"When you enter into what you know God is entering you into, it builds you up and gives you hope. 'It's ok because my husband is with me, we're going to walk together.'

"It provides commitment to build a life and a family together. It is a place of secure intimacy, of friendship, and it allows it to grow. I love my wife more and stronger, better, deeper today than I did 30 years ago."

Edmund Adamas, Marriage and Family Life Coordinator of the Catholic Diocese of Westminster, called for a renewed understanding of the family as a place where the "education and formation" of children happens – particularly preparation for future marriage.

"Parents are called to prepare their sons and daughters, if that is what God calls them to, for future marriages. In the Catholic Church, we talk about marriage preparation across the lifecycle – from conception, through infancy to adolescence.

"All those experiences - good and bad - that we imbibe as a child are preparing us for future marriage.

"We all have a role to play in a person's development so that they can enter into a commitment of marriage with confidence."