I promise to love you for richer for poorer, in sickness as inwe health and to keep myself pure for your sake until death do us part. Recently, Norman talked with a man who lives in an open relationship with a woman. We take issue with his conclusion. In those few moments that we stand before a minister or a justice of the peace or other legally empowered officiant , we make solemn verbal pledges to one another for a lifetime. We should never take those statements lightly.
Disappointment is anticipated.
The Concept of Covenant God designed us to live with each other as husband and wife in a monogamous relationship throughout our mutual lifetimes. Because our culture has traditionally honored Judeo-Christian moral values, the most successful marriages in our society are those in which both marriage partners are chaste when they marry. Although the defenders of monogamous fidelity are caricatured as fanatics of the religious right, many secular students of marriage come down hard on the practice of infidelity. In her book, Ten Stupid Things that Women Do , she noted the results of a survey among 13,000 adults. According to the survey, those who cohabit prior to marriage are one third more likely to separate or divorce within a decade.