Marriage:
DUring the meeting
Questions
to guide group discussion:
1. What is the primary purpose of marriage? Is it just a piece of paper, a validation of love, or is it more?
2. Do you think “chick-flicks” are a helpful or harmful thing in terms of what they teach about romance and marriage? What do “chick-flicks” train society to believe?
3. Do you believe in the concept of “soul mate”?
4. The reasons that people give for getting married have changed over the last few decades. In what ways has it changed, and what effects have those changes had? (Review graph: “Mate Preferences in 37 Cultures”- Supplemental Reading)
5. What is the sequence of success when it comes to marriage?
6. Why would stable mother/father marriages provide the best platform for children to do best in life? (Consider things like education, physical health, mental health, upward mobility, etc.)
7. How does the current redefinition of marriage affect children? How does it affect our future?
8. Should marriage be viewed as a cornerstone or capstone? What are the pros and cons of each?
9. Which comes first, your spouse or your children? Which should come first?
10. Is this good advice?
“Most relationships are destroyed with one really critical, mean sentence that could have been prevented by walking away until you are calm. Don’t be overly honest with your partner.” -Lynda L. Hinkle, Attorney, New Jersey
11. One of the purposes of marriage is that it helps to “civilize” people, particularly men. If fewer people are getting married, what impact has that had, if any, in terms of societal “civility”?