Courtship Vs. Dating Essay, Research Paper

Courtship – the act of wooing

Woo – to ask in marriage; to court, to solicit eagerly; to seek to gain.

You ask, ?What in the world is Courtship?? Let me start by saying it is our country?s dating problem solution. Not too long ago, Christian parents along with their youth had realized the need to re-map the route to fruitful, God-ordained marriages. The result has been a push particularly among homeschoolers, to return to the more biblical principals of courtship.

Simply defined, courtship is a reformed version of dating under the supervision of parents between a man and a woman who are ready to marry in the near future. In consumer terms, contemporary dating is the equivalent to window-shopping and courtship is shopping w/ cash in hand under the direction of experienced buyers. The term used is not important. What?s important is that courtship bypasses the pitfalls of contemporary dating and provides a much safer, smoother ride to the union of man and wife… not teen girl and teen boy.

I mean let?s face it! The first major problem of dating is that it has very little to do with marriage. The purpose is to just have a good time. All right! Dating may be the best thing that could have ever happened for you to find your spouse… PLEASE count yourself very blessed. Because I?ve noticed a pattern in dating that, I?ve seen in marriages.

Dating much consists of finding a person whom you want to have a good time w/ and them breaking off the relationship, back and forth, back and forth, etc. Which results in hurt feelings, disappointing parents who thought ?you both look right for each other? (but, are they right for each other?).

Good old Webster?s Dictionary defines the word ?break? as to separate into parts w/ violence or suddenness; to collapse or give way; to change suddenly. Where did we lose the thrill of true romance, the excitement of planning for marriage, the anticipation of a family?s wholehearted approval, and the determination to stay chaste until the wedding night? You may say, ?Get real! This is modern age, the ?90?s. Are you trying to take us back to the olden days – you know medieval times??

On second thought, that?s not a bad idea. We like seeing men who are manly enough to work hard to win the hearts of their beloved. We appreciate the tenderness of a moment when our sons and daughters find someone they?re fond of; why not, appreciate the tenderness of the moment when two people realize that God has put them together to raise up another generation in their footsteps. We should applaud planning for a lifetime of whole-hearted commitment to each other.

But then again, maybe you are right. All I know is that I would like to have my parent?s wisdom, direction on how to begin the next chapter of my life. You may say, ?Enough of the facts and things.? Tell me what you think of it all. Well, let me tell you, I will do anything not to become one of those statistics that say 50% of all marriages will end in divorce.