|
|
|
Every human in
our world experiences moments of self-reflection, doubt and skepticism.
We search for answers that help us define God's role in our lives and
our relevance to the universe and beyond. These are not new questions.
The Urantia Book can be a valuable source of enlightenment and comfort
when a soul is faced with Life's Toughest Questions. Click on a question
you've struggled with and discover The Urantia Book's perspective on
some of life's most difficult and frequently-asked questions.
|
Q:
Are
Marriages fixed in Heaven and taking place on Earth, as per the
creator's will?
A: Thank
you so much for your note to us here at Truthbook.
It
is a sweet idea, isn't it - this belief that two people are somehow
divinely
ordained to be together? And it could be that having this belief can
influence two people to work harder than they otherwise might to make a
marriage work. But we learn in The Urantia Book that marriage is a
strictly evolutionary social institution, and of purely human sanctity
-
it evolved in response to the need for the stability and progress of
humanity. Out of the marriage institution the family was created, which
The Urantia Book teaches is the "master civilizer." Marriage allowed
for stability of the family unit.
I
suggest that you read HERE
for more
information regarding Urantia Book teachings about this vital
development in human civilization. And in the meantime, here is a
partial
section from Paper 83 - "The Marriage Institution" which clearly
addresses your question :
(83:8.2)
The likening of human associations to divine associations is most
unfortunate. The union of husband and wife in the marriage-home
relationship is a material function of the mortals of the evolutionary
worlds. True, indeed, much spiritual progress may accrue consequent
upon the sincere human efforts of husband and wife to progress, but
this does not mean that marriage is necessarily sacred. Spiritual
progress is attendant upon sincere application to other avenues of
human endeavor.
Neither can marriage be truly
compared to the relation of the Adjuster to man nor to the fraternity
of Christ Michael and his human brethren. At scarcely any point are
such relationships comparable to the association of husband and wife.
And it is most unfortunate that the human misconception of these
relationships has produced so much confusion as to the status of
marriage.
It is also unfortunate that certain groups
of mortals have conceived of marriage as being consummated by divine
action. Such beliefs lead directly to the concept of the
indissolubility of the marital state regardless of the circumstances or
wishes of the contracting parties. But the very fact of marriage
dissolution itself indicates that Deity is not a conjoining party to
such unions. If God has once joined any two things or persons together,
they will remain thus joined until such a time as the divine will
decrees their separation. But, regarding marriage, which is a human
institution, who shall presume to sit in judgment, to say which
marriages are unions that might be approved by the universe supervisors
in contrast with those which are purely human in nature and origin?
Nevertheless,
there is an ideal of marriage on the spheres on high. On the capital of
each local system the Material Sons and Daughters of God do portray the
height of the ideals of the union of man and woman in the bonds of
marriage and for the purpose of procreating and rearing offspring.
After all, the ideal mortal marriage is humanly sacred.
As
you can see from the above quote, marriage is not "fixed in Heaven,"
nor is it necessarily the "creator's will."
However,
I think it is safe to say that marriage is the highest estate to which
one can aspire
for the purposes of creating the family, and fostering those Godly
ideals of love, loyalty,
devotion, forgiveness and tolerance that are
so vital to a
successful marriage and a successful society. When two people are
mutually united in this
endeavor, and most especially when when they have God at the head of
their union and the resulting family, this
marriage can be surely an example of a "sacred" union, and this kind of
union is well-worth pursuing.
Vast
numbers of people desire this kind
of ideal close relationship when they enter into marriage, and yet
unfortunately, we can see
how many marriages are dissolved when the going gets tough or
intolerable. A great many marriages do not even rise to the level
of
the sacred, but are entered into in a quite secular way - for any
number of reasons.
One may surmise that a marriage
that is fixed in Heaven
would be highly likely of success. There can be many reasons for the
great number of failed marriages, but it is simply further
evidence of
the purely human nature of mortal marriage.
Thank
you again for writing to us - I hope that this response has been
helpful to you.
|
|
|
