The number of marriages in Canberra this year fell by more than 6.8 per cent as church influence continued to lose ground.
ACT Office of Regulatory Services data issued yesterday showed there were 1605 marriages in the ACT in 2008. By December 22 this year, only 1495 marriages had been recorded.
A comparison between civil and church marriages was unavailable.
But the Anglican Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Stuart Robinson, said his church had performed significantly fewer baptisms, marriages and funerals over the past decade.
He said the decline of marriages showed people were electing to enjoy partnerships without any Church involvement or marriage celebration.
”People are not connected with communities which take marriage seriously,” he said.
The Darren Fernandes who is one half of the couple interviewed is almost certainly of Goan descent, which means in turn that he is almost certainly from a Roman Catholic background. Goan people are usually strongly Catholic, so it is sad to find such secularism eroding their family life too.
Of course, the logic used by the young woman can be turned on itself. She says that there is no reason to get married because marriage would not change anything in their partnership. But if marriage would not change anything then there is also no reason not to get married. This makes me wonder whether deep down such apparently insouciant couples know subsconsciously that marriage does indeed change a good deal. It deepens a relationship, it makes demands on both husband and wife, it is a way of sacrifice – and of fulfilment. It takes courage and faith.
[blockquote] “Bishop (Stuart) Robinson said the reduction of pastoral offices was alarming, as it meant the Church had missed two generations.
Since the 1970s, the Church had failed to address a very significant decline in attendance, he said.
‘The reality for us is a decline of about 40 per cent in children’s ministry,’ he said.
This meant the Church was losing traction in the community.
‘I am certainly pondering what one needs to do.”'[/blockquote]
Oops! We missed two generations!
I am glad to see that the finger pointing is not at society, or culture, but back on us.
Staurt Robinson is an evangelical with an eye to mission in Australia’s capital.