I agree that marriage in itself is NOT patriarchal, but I think this is more true in the Jewish tradition than most Christian denominations. Marriage is NOT set up to be patriarchal, but many doctrines make it that way. For example, in many evangelical Protestant circles there is something called Headship of the husband that put the wife in an extremely subservient role and can lead to severe abuse. I would caution not to use Henry VIII and Anne Boelyn as a love match. Henry tossed his first wife out because she did not give him a son. She has something like 7 or 9 children, but only Mary Tudor ( Queen Mary later) lived to adulthood. The others were miscarriages, stillborn, or died within days of being born. The marriage Henry had to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was a valid marriage in the Catholic church. ( I am Catholic). The Pope gave dispensation for Harry to marry Catherine, even though she had once been married to his late older brother, Arthur. While marrying your brothers wife would be a straight line to an annulment in the Catholic Church, the Pope's dispensation covered that. The Holy See refused to grant them an annulment. There is no divorce in the Catholic Church. Henry severed their ties with Rome and created himself as head of the Church of England-- ONLY so he could marry Anne Boelyn. He made little to no chages in the liturgy. Henry for several years PRIOR was sleeping with her sister, Mary. The Boelyns were an extremely manipulative family.. Anne and Mary's father sent his daughters to courts all over Europe to make them more enticing so they could make a match. He knew Henry was trying to get away with divorcing his wife and waved Anne in front of him as much as possible. After their marriage they had one daughter, Elizabeth, who became one of the greatest monarchs of all time and ruled England during the Golden Age for 44 years. Henry did not know this at the time and it is proof that God can make good even from the great sin he entered into and to have such a talented daughter. Henry got angry with Anne and had her beheaded because she had TWO miscarriages after Elizabeth and he made up charges and had her beheaded so he could marry Lady Jane Seymour who eventually bore him a son. Henry was not in love with Anne, it was lust and a desire for a son. For a royal love match, Victoria and Albert are a really good example.
I agree that marriage in itself is NOT patriarchal, but I think this is more true in the Jewish tradition than most Christian denominations. Marriage is NOT set up to be patriarchal, but many doctrines make it that way. For example, in many evangelical Protestant circles there is something called Headship of the husband that put the wife in an extremely subservient role and can lead to severe abuse. I would caution not to use Henry VIII and Anne Boelyn as a love match. Henry tossed his first wife out because she did not give him a son. She has something like 7 or 9 children, but only Mary Tudor ( Queen Mary later) lived to adulthood. The others were miscarriages, stillborn, or died within days of being born. The marriage Henry had to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was a valid marriage in the Catholic church. ( I am Catholic). The Pope gave dispensation for Harry to marry Catherine, even though she had once been married to his late older brother, Arthur. While marrying your brothers wife would be a straight line to an annulment in the Catholic Church, the Pope's dispensation covered that. The Holy See refused to grant them an annulment. There is no divorce in the Catholic Church. Henry severed their ties with Rome and created himself as head of the Church of England-- ONLY so he could marry Anne Boelyn. He made little to no chages in the liturgy. Henry for several years PRIOR was sleeping with her sister, Mary. The Boelyns were an extremely manipulative family.. Anne and Mary's father sent his daughters to courts all over Europe to make them more enticing so they could make a match. He knew Henry was trying to get away with divorcing his wife and waved Anne in front of him as much as possible. After their marriage they had one daughter, Elizabeth, who became one of the greatest monarchs of all time and ruled England during the Golden Age for 44 years. Henry did not know this at the time and it is proof that God can make good even from the great sin he entered into and to have such a talented daughter. Henry got angry with Anne and had her beheaded because she had TWO miscarriages after Elizabeth and he made up charges and had her beheaded so he could marry Lady Jane Seymour who eventually bore him a son. Henry was not in love with Anne, it was lust and a desire for a son. For a royal love match, Victoria and Albert are a really good example.