Dealing With Cohabitation

A woman applied for Church membership once -- but she was living together with a man (cohabiting). It was a 25-year relationship, and they had two children together. We told her that she qualified in every way for membership -- except this, and this could be mended. Why should cohabitation be problematic in a progressive age? Here's why:

• What would we tell our youth if it was fine for others? At the time of this episode, youth in our Church were dying through cohabitation (AIDS).
• The Bible does not condone cohabitation -- for example Exodus 22:16. And
• There are in a Church those who have done it themselves, in the past. Paradoxically, it is these people who feel very strongly about it. One may have an insurrection if one ignores them.

OBSERVATION: There is more to it than this. But as for the woman who applied for membership, she preferred not to change her way of life. The reason, she said, was that she was afraid of marriage after looking at other marriages. We urged her to trust God to bless the right decision. One of her children sadly died of AIDS.