- Find couples in strong marriages to mentor another couple and to share their wisdom of how to have a successful marriage.
- Offer prayer and spiritual support for stronger marriages.
- Encourage people to marry.
- Provide young people with education about the meaning and responsibility of marriage.
- Offer marriage preparation experiences for engaged couples.
- Provide pastoral care for couples during all stages of their marriages, not just when they are having problems.
- Continue offering services to couples in the midst of marital trauma.
- Uphold the institution of marriage within society.
- Cooperate with community efforts in developing marriage policies and programs.
- It could be interpreted as an attack on homosexual couples and as a condemnation of same-sex unions because of the statement describing marriage as "a holy union of one man and one woman" and because it omits mention of same-sex unions.
Where It Stands
There is not much in this document to disagree with. Most everyone wants to help people have stronger and happier marriages so that the pain and heartache that children and adults suffer because of the high divorce rate is lessened.Marriage has not been supported enough in the past by churches or government.
However, we agree with Dr. Edgar in his concern that "this statement meant to support married couples is being misused to attack gays and lesbians."
It is our hope that the original intent of this document which is to "reduce the high rate of divorce in our nation by better preparing people for marriage and supporting them in their marriage vows" is not lost in the midst of the political storm surrounding it.
