Marriage

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Marriage and Family

64 questions

• QI cannot make up my mind regarding a marriage proposal. Could you please advise me?
• QBefore Adam and Eve sinned, did they live a celibate life? Were they ordained by God to have children anyway, even if they had not sinned?
• QIf an orthodox gets married to an unorthodox in court only as in the case of my friend, how does the church regard this marriage? What if rumors have it that one cheats…
• QWhy aren't we allowed to date? Why can't we get married to someone who isn't Orthodox? Is it a sin, and if yes, why?
• QWhat if a wife is spiritually more mature than her husband who is supposed to be the high priest of the home?
• QWhat is a man's role vs. a woman's role in a truly Christian marriage? Nowadays we live in difficult financial times and women have to work both inside and outside the…
• QI am not able to achieve peace of mind. I so desperately seek guidance. I have a friend from our church that I have known and cared deeply for since I was 15, almost 10…
• QHow does the church view marriage of a woman to a man younger than her?
• QDoes the Coptic Orthodox Church view marriage outside it as adultery?
• QWhat does "The man being the head of the wife" mean?
• QMarrying a woman much younger than a man seems to be the fashion these days. Does the church have a comment on that?
• QHow does the Coptic Church handle cases of remarriage with members, whether within or outside the Coptic Church?
• QWhat is the church’s teachings concerning sexual relation between husband and wife? What is right and what is not wrong?
• QWhen two people do not get married to each other because it was not God’s plan for them to do so, should their relation be doomed to lifetime ruin or destruction?
• QI have a question on virginity and the church. If a woman is required to state whether she is a virgin or not before marriage, and a man is required to state whether he…
• QAm I right or sinful in choosing to leave my husband after twenty-three years of marriage because he abuses me physically for no reason and before my only twenty-two year…
• QHow can I have a marriage relationship that does not distract me from our Lord Jesus Christ, and how would I know that this person is the one that the Lord has chosen for…
• QEven after truly repenting for and confessing the loss of virginity, does the church still need to know about it before marriage, although in God's eyes this sin is…
• QI am not sure if I want to get married or not. However, I have a friend, my age with whom, for the last five years, I have been in touch via email and phone calls. I do…
• QI am a student in pharmacy, second year. I met a wonderful girl who has changed my life drastically. I started to go to church, serve as a deacon, pray, read the bible…
• QShould I kill any strings to this relationship, because this relationship just came out of no where? It wasn't planned, or maybe it was not sent from God and it is not…
• QWhat is Your Grace's opinion concerning marrying outside one's race? My daughter wants to marry a man from another race and color. Although I do understand that before…
• QIs there anything wrong with using the Internet to get to know women in order to search for a future wife?
• QCan a Mormon marry a Catholic to rectify their mistake of having had a child before marriage?
• QWhy has marriage to be at Church? When a believer marries a non-believer, how should the relatives of the believer react to such a marriage?
• QWhere in the Holy Bible is it stated that a believer should not get married to an unbeliever?
• QCan a marriage between a Copt and a Jew be conducted at the Coptic Church in the presence of a Jweish Rabbai? If not, would a Coptic Bishop be willing to preside over the…
• QI have been baptized into the Coptic Church since April 2003, my studies finally leading me to believe that Orthodoxy is the way I want to follow Christ, the closet way.…
• QFour years ago I met a wonderful person. For the past year he and I have had the intention of getting married but of course the issue of rebaptism has been our primary…
• QA sixteen year old high school boy asked me if it is alright for him to get to know a girl who is two years older than him, although he is not considering getting married…
• QMy girlfriend lives in another part of my country, we speak mainly on the phone. We like each other a lot and are taking one day at a time. She has 3 children from…
• QWhat are the most important factors for maintaining a successful, spiritual, satisfying married life?
• QI've been introduced to several Coptic Orthodox men, but there is always something that seems not to work out. I always pray for God to reveal His will to me; but I'm…
• QI am a 25 years old Copt. I came to the U.S around this time last year. I am engaged to a Greek Orthodox girl who was married before; but go divorced because of her…
• QI just turned 29 years old. I'm being pressured by my family to marry and that is one of the reasons I feel discouraged and impatient. None of my attempts to get to know…
• QShould a woman marry a man just because he is highly recommended by his spiritual father; even if she does not have any feelings for him? In 'On Marriage and Family Life'…
• QFor an unmarried couple in love with each other and hoping to get married, why is it not Christian for them to satisfy their body need?
• QI would like Your Grace's opinion on the verse: " But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart "…
• QWhy can't a couple live together before getting married? Isn't it a good way of getting to know each other?
• QIs there only one life partner for us and is God the one who chooses him/her?
• QDo we believe in "meant to be"? In other words,God has a certain someone whom we "are meant to" marry?
• QI am not sure if I should live with two faces, one in the Church and another outside. My husband thinks that life has more to it than just God, Church, fasting, and…
• QI am planning to get married this year, yet I have been wondering about the meaning of, and aim behind marriage and having kids. Does this mean I do not love the person I…
• QWhat does the church mean by wanting to know if a couple, about to marry, is virgin or not? Who else apart from the father of confession, who is the priest marrying the…
• QWe are taught not to worry about earthly things but focus on spiritual things. " Seek ye first the kingdom of God " (Matthew 6:33). In that respect, is marriage…
• QHow do we know when a person is emotionally mature and ready for marriage?
• QWhat are the criteria by which emotional readiness can be measured?
• QI have in front of me 3 women in the church in whom I am interested. From their conduct with their friends, their attendance in church, their families, and their…
• QI hear many people and sermons saying that most people get married without being prepared for it, causing many marital problems later. How do I prepare myself for…
• QHow does the Church interpret 1 Corinthians 7 where St. Paul contrasts the married life to the single life?
• QI've been in this relationship for about two years and engaged for a little over half a year. My fiancé and I are in the process of planning our wedding and we bought an…
• QIn the Old Testament, Book of Leviticus, it says that marriage between relatives or same blood is forbidden. Why is it ok in the Coptic Church for cousins to marry? Also,…
• QI am born and raised in America and I am engaged to a man in Egypt who has never come here. He recently got his degree and wants to apply his education to get a…
• Ql had been practicing sexual immorality for about 15 years, but now l have hope in the Lord and started repenting by Lord's grace. I want to marry someone but who she was…
• QMy husband and I got married through the court without having a church wedding. My parents do not know at all, but I wish to tell them. Is a church wedding/blessing still…
• QCan an Orthodox deacon marry a girl who lost her virginity?
• QHow can we know we are ready for a real Christian marriage? Also, how can I work on myself so that I can become the best partner?
• QCan you explain this verse? "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord" (Proverbs? 18:22, NRSV).
• QIs it okay for a deacon to marry a non-virgin girl? Is it part of our culture or our belief (faith), because there is a fine line between culture and belief?
• QI was recently baptized in the Coptic Church and will soon marry a Coptic man, the love of my life. Unfortunately, a very close relative in his immediate family just…
• QEvery week, after the youth meetings, my father asks me which girls were there and which of them are pretty. I do not want to answer the question because I feel that it…
• QWe have gotten mixed answers on this question. First, are you allowed to get married during fasts other than the Great Fast? If not, why is every other sacrament allowed,…
• QWhy can I not marry someone from another church or an atheist? Many friends ask me, but I do not know how to answer them biblically and logically.
• QCan marrying the wrong person destroy your chances of salvation? If only one person in the relationship seeks the kingdom of heaven, will that person be judged for it,…

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.