SAC-Wk122 — Is Cohabiting called Marriage?
Marriage is a legal institution that follows due process in anyway that it didn't follow the normal way of bride price been paid ,that marriage can not be recognized as legal marriage. Cohabiting is no longer a hidden thing some people take it as an easiest way to settle down. But is it called marriage? Let's find out from this post .
If someone lives with a woman and bears children without paying her bride price, do we say they are couples or married?
Looking round in our society today, this type of marriage is very common and popular. You will see men and women leaving together to bear children without a proper bride price. To me they are just cohabiting. A man and woman that live together to bear children are called "couples" or "married" only when they are legally married both traditionally and otherwise with the approval of both parents or guardians. In other words, anybody leaving and bearing children with a man without a bride price is not worth calling a married woman or man.
What's your view on cohabiting? Is it a short cut to getting married?
Some people uses it as a shortcut to marriage; sometimes it ends up well, like these people in the future who go back to doing the normal thing of paying the bride price and even doing marriage blessings in church. I have seen a situation whereby money was the problem, but as time went on, the man started getting a good income and decided to go and marry the woman properly. In this scenario I will say that cohabiting is a shortcut to getting married.
Are there advantages or disadvantages of cohabiting?
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| It helps the man and the woman to study and understand themselves before marriage. | One person may feel tired in the long run, which leads to a breakup. |
| They can easily go their ways if the marriage did not work out as planned. | One person can claim ownership of the children if the bride price is not paid after separation. |
| They can plan for the future together if they are leaving together. | One person can run away with the savings of both parties. |
Is it good to sexually test the person you want to marry before considering to marry them?
What's your viewpoint?
I know a lot of people are in support of abstaining from sex before marriage, but considering the rate of infidelity in the world today, I think I support sexually testing the person first before marriage.This testing will help both parties to know their compatibility before deciding if they can go on or not.It will help them to know their sexual behaviors or actions towards one another, which can bring more connections to them in terms of trust.
