The Changing Face of Marriage

I feel that I have benefited from the "domestic church". My dad isn't very religious, but he supported my mother's wish to raise my sisters and I in the Catholic faith and to send us to Catholic schools. When my sisters and I each received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Confirmation, we usually had some type of celebration that brought my family together. Catholicism has provided me with what I perceive to be a strong moral compass. There are many grey areas, especially with the Church and changing cultural beliefs, but what it means to be a good Christian has stayed relatively standard. Because of my positive experiences, I hope to raise my own children in the Catholic Church. 

Not everyone shares my beliefs in the domestic church. The rate of divorce is at an all time high and young couples are wary of marriage and all of the troubles it seems to bring. Two people in love do not need to be married, they can break up and not have to go through messy divorce proceedings. However, as soon as two people have a child, I believe the parents should be married. The child is dependent on his or her parents for support in all aspects of life. Parents who are not married and do not establish themselves as an entity, are not often able to provide the strong foundation for the child to flourish. The parents can easily separate and move apart while the child is left hanging in the middle.