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***cohabiting***
***not condoned***
***physical***
***love***
The focus of my article was on couples living together before they get married. It relates to the course in that it approaches the very center of religious beliefs - if 2 people are living together, are they simply ***cohabiting***, or are they acting as if they are married, sleeping together, which is ***not condoned*** by any faith. The broad topic of marriage and divorce is clearly related to the course, because of its obvious relations to the human person, and the person's beliefs and practices. It can be tied into the "myths" that were studied and performed from Rereading the World, in many different areas. In the myth of the melting pot, marriage often leads to sacrifices on all parts, in areas of culture and religious beliefs. Also, nowhere in the myth of the model family would an unmarried couple be found, except perhaps as an example of the "imperfect family."
Living together can also be related to some of Plato's teachings, particularly in the area of sacrifice for the good of society. A couple "living in sin" is not necessarily causing problems for anybody around them, so should it even be a question of morals? It could be approached as a benefit to society - it could save the public tax dollars that could be spent on a couple that didn't know that they wouldn't get along until they tried it out first. It is feasible that a couple that hadn't known they wouldn't get along could make their disagreements ***physical*** - leading to a necessity for intervention by the authorities, which ulitimately costs the public money. Now, although this situation seems fairly far-fetched, it is not able to be completely denied.
Republic Book 10 and 1 Corinthians 12-14 can be clearly related to the situation of "cohabiting." Both passages discuss ***love***, and the fact that it makes all things possible, and makes all things what they are. In that light, why should two people in love be kept apart? They may not be ready to "take the plunge" of marriage, or they may just be preparing for the wedding, and want to live like a married couple before they techinically are one.
Overall, it has become more socially acceptable for two people to be living together before they have performed the sacrament of marriage. The changes in society are drastic and remarkable, and are good to be discussed in a class such as Honors Senior Religion with ToK!!!
