Page 42 - No Apologies

Dissolving the Marriage Partnership

There is great power in words. George Orwell, in his classic book 1984, gives a chilling
depiction of a government manipulating minds by exerting control over words spoken and
written. Words give rise to ideas in the minds of men. By advocating that certain words be
used and others suppressed, minds can be influenced, or controlled.
Mankind is aware of the power of words. I have been angered on occasion as I have
read of the despotic Orwellian practices of the United States court systems. I have read of
numerous cases where abortion issues came before the court. Whether the court was
sentencing abortion protestors, or ruling on the legality of various abortion procedures,
they have sought to influence the outcome by dictating the language that could be used. I
have read of judges banning certain words from being spoken in court such as “baby,”
“unborn child,” “infant,” and “murder.” It has been mandated at times that the baby in the
womb be referred to as a “fetus,” or “fetal material.” By proscribing what words could be
used, the judge was able to shape opinion and arrive at a ruling in favor of the abortionists.
The media employs similar tactics by describing abortion advocates as “pro-choice”
while labeling defenders of human life as “anti-abortion.” Those who defend the lives of the
unborn prefer the positive descriptor “pro-life.” By disallowing this term, and choosing the
negative prefix “anti” to describe pro-life advocates, the media is able to influence thought.
The term pro-choice, although it is advocating the careless murder of the unborn, appears
positive, while the term anti-abortion evokes a negative image.
I have recently been led to ponder the words “marriage partner.” The word partner
has become ubiquitous, being employed wherever the marriage union of the man and his
wife is spoken of today. Even among Christians, the word partner is used commonly to refer
to one’s spouse. This word never appears in Scripture when the relationship between
husband and wife is mentioned. I can only surmise that it is the cunning of the great
deceiver that has led to this word’s adoption.
Consider what the word partner implies. A partner is a person who shares, or is
associated, with another in some action or endeavor. Common synonyms for the word
partner are “sharer, associate, collaborator.” The word partner is very frequently associated
with the realm of business. To be a partner in a firm indicates that a person has achieved
a certain status. No longer are they merely an employee. Now they have authority and the
perks that go along with it.
Although there are various aspects of the word partner that can be rightfully applied
to marriage, it is the overall image that is evoked that is cause for concern. By referring to
one’s spouse as their marriage partner there is an implicit assertion of equality of roles, of
shared authority, and the combining of the husband’s and wife’s individual goals and
dreams into one corporate vision. On the surface this sounds not only reasonable, but
highly desirable. God’s ways, however, are not man’s ways.
Let us look at the very beginning of God’s thought for the marriage relationship. In
Genesis chapter two we read:

Genesis 2:18
Then Yahweh God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a