The Church and Family

The domestic Church has been a big part of my life. My dad was raised Catholic and my mom was raised Protestant. Although, some of their views are different, they instituted that God is the most important person in my life. Through these teachings, I found that family is the basis of church. They teach you how to love, how to understand, how to forgive. Without these elements, you cannot move grow much as a person throughout life. However, domestic Churches are loosing their structure and support as divorce rates are climbing higher and higher. People are not focusing on the structure of family but the fact that they need to put food on the table. I was almost appalled by the survey. Just because you earn a degree does not mean that you know more about how to have a strong relationship with a person. I would think it would be the complete opposite because most people with a degree work longer hours. This would put stress on a marriage. I feel when I am ready to settle down and raise a family I would have a domestic Church. I believe it is important to have a strong family connection and I would also like to pass down the values I have learned from my parents to my children. 

Love has to Start Somewhere...

In a relationship, I seek both self-fulfillment and self-sacrifice. You need to be able to give and take in a relationship. In order for a relationship to work, both partners need to be best friends and sacrifice things for each other. I think when two people are dating, they are looking for self-fulfillment. They need someone who needs them, they need someone they can talk to about anything etc. During the dating period, people find if the other person is right for them. They need to feel comfortable with them about everything. When people finally find the love of their lives, self-sacrifice comes into play, I believe. Marriage is totally different than dating. Two people need to agree on everything from finances to what they are going to have for dinner. People need to sacrifice some of their interests and ideas to help suit the other person. Relationships encourage the growth of ourselves and diminish our selfishness. The thought of marriage for me is scary. Not only because of the high rate of divorces but because it changes a relationship instantly. I believe I need someone in my life that I can always rely on but can't that also be found in a long-term dating relationship rather than marriage. In society, it is frowned upon to have children when you are dating and the couple is urged to get married. For example, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. They were urged to get engaged and married as soon as Angelina said she was pregnant. They finally got engaged last week but it was when they were ready not when society was ready. I believe that that is an important point that people look over. All in all, I believe dating and marriage show an exceptional bond between two people and that they are great model for love in society today.