The Nature and Purpose of Marriage
Marriage Across Religions and Cultures
Marriage is recognised in every major world religion and most human cultures as a significant moral and social institution. While the specific ceremonies, requirements and purposes differ, virtually all traditions treat marriage as more than a legal contract — it is a commitment with spiritual, social and ethical dimensions. This lesson explores how Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism understand marriage, alongside non-religious perspectives on committed relationships.
The concept of cohabitation — couples living together outside marriage — is growing in modern Britain. Religious responses to this range from strong opposition (Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, many Muslim scholars) to greater acceptance in some liberal and non-religious perspectives. Understanding this diversity is essential for the evaluation questions on relationships.
Christianity
Christianity generally regards marriage as a sacred institution created by God. Mark 10:6–8 records Jesus quoting the creation account: “At the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female’. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This teaching presents marriage as a divine design for companionship, mutual support and the bringing up of children.
The Church of England General Synod has described marriage as a gift of God in creation, a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. Catholic teaching, expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2360–2363), holds that marriage is a sacrament — one of the seven outward signs of God’s grace — and that its two purposes are the good of the spouses (bonum coniugum) and the procreation and education of children. For Catholics, marriage is indissoluble: once validly made and consummated, it cannot be dissolved. Some Protestant traditions have a more flexible view, particularly on divorce, but all regard marriage as a serious, public commitment before God and community.
On marriage outside the religious tradition, most Christian denominations prefer that members marry other Christians but do not uniformly prohibit interfaith marriages. The Church of England will typically marry couples where one partner is not baptised, with pastoral discretion.
Judaism
In Judaism, marriage (kiddushin, meaning “sanctification”) is a fundamental institution of Jewish life. The ceremony includes the signing of the ketubah, a marriage document setting out the husband’s duties to his wife in matters of support and intimacy. The wedding ceremony culminates in the recitation of the seven blessings (Sheva Berachot), which praise God and invoke blessing on the couple. Marriage is seen as the divinely ordained context for companionship, family and the continuation of the Jewish people. Most denominations discourage but do not absolutely prohibit marriage to non-Jews; intermarriage is a subject of significant communal debate across Orthodox and Progressive communities.
Islam
Islam views marriage (nikah) as a solemn contract (aqd) and a strong religious duty. The Qur’an (30:21) describes marriage as a sign of God’s mercy: He created spouses so that you may find peace in one another, and He has placed between you love and mercy. This verse is central to the Islamic understanding of marriage as an act of worship and a source of tranquillity. The marriage contract requires the free consent of both parties, the presence of witnesses, and the payment of a mahr (dowry) from the groom to the bride as a gift she owns absolutely.
Arranged marriage (more accurately described as assisted marriage) is common in many Muslim communities. Families introduce compatible partners, but the consent of both bride and groom is an Islamic requirement. Forced marriage is explicitly condemned in Islamic teaching as invalid. In Britain, registry office legal ceremonies are typically combined with the religious nikah ceremony.
In Hinduism, marriage is one of the sixteen samskaras (sacred rites of passage) and marks entry into the grihastha (householder) stage of life — the second of the four ashramas. The householder stage is often described as the foundation of the other three stages, because it sustains families, community and religious life. Rama and Sita from the Ramayana are the ideal role models for a married couple: Rama embodies duty, honour and devotion; Sita represents loyalty, virtue and self-sacrifice. Arranged marriage (vivah) is traditional in many Hindu communities, though younger Hindus in Britain increasingly choose their own partners while maintaining family involvement. Interfaith marriage may create tension over which rituals to follow and how to raise children, but views across the British Hindu community are varied.
Sikhism
The Sikh wedding ceremony is called the Anand Karaj (“blissful union”). The couple walk around the Guru Granth Sahib four times as the four lavans (wedding hymns from GGS 773–774) are sung, each circuit deepening the couple’s commitment to God and to each other. The ceremony emphasises that the spiritual journey of marriage is undertaken in the presence of and guided by the scripture. Sikhism understands marriage not merely as a social contract but as a merging of two souls on a shared spiritual path. Arranged and assisted marriages are common in Sikh communities.
Buddhism
Buddhism does not treat marriage as a religious sacrament — it is primarily a civil and social matter. The Buddha did not prescribe a specific marriage ceremony in the Pali Canon. However, the Sigalovada Sutta outlines the mutual duties of husband and wife: a husband should be faithful, respectful, loving and provide well; a wife should manage the household well, care for guests, be faithful and protect the family’s wealth. These five mutual duties form the Buddhist ethical framework for married life rather than a ritual requirement. Divorce is not prohibited in Buddhism, though the dhamma (teaching) encourages compassion and the reduction of suffering in all relationships.
The Qur’an (30:21) teaches that God placed love and mercy between married spouses so that partners might find peace in one another. This verse grounds Islamic marriage in divine design rather than social convention alone, making marriage an act of worship and a reflection of God’s mercy.
Non-Religious Perspectives
For Humanists and secular thinkers, marriage is a meaningful public commitment between partners based on love, mutual respect and equality — but its significance comes from the people making the commitment, not from divine sanction. Humanist weddings (legally recognised in Scotland since 2005 and Northern Ireland since 2018, but in England and Wales couples must still have a separate civil ceremony for legal recognition — a Government consultation began in 2025) celebrate the couple’s values and story without religious content. Humanists typically support the right of individuals to choose their relationship structure, including cohabitation, civil partnership or marriage, without moral judgement. British counselling charities (including organisations such as Marriage Care in Britain, a Catholic-founded charity supporting couples and families of all faiths and none) provide relationship support irrespective of religious background.
Same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, which came into force in March 2014. Religious responses vary significantly: the Church of England and Roman Catholic Church do not conduct same-sex marriages, though the Church of England has introduced prayers of blessing for same-sex couples. Some liberal Jewish denominations, including many Reform and Progressive synagogues, conduct same-sex weddings. Most Muslim scholars oppose same-sex marriage on the basis of Qur’anic teaching. Some Sikh gurdwaras and some Buddhist communities are more accepting. When answering evaluation questions on this topic, present these as legitimate disagreements between communities rather than advocating for one position.