Marital Sex Is a Ritual Commemorating Soul Rapport of Right Man-Right Woman; Questions to Answer before Marriage: Spiritual, Domestic

5)	From this we can see the mental attitude our original parents had toward each other.  They looked on each other as an extension of self.  Ishah was created to complete Adam and Adam was created to have a soul mate.
6)	A part of their relationship was sexual and in their innocency there was no cause of shame.  They were designed for each other.  Therefore this perfect design and relationship provided no cause for disgrace, guilt, a sense of immorality, a reason for modesty, a desire to turn away, or to feel dishonor.
7)	Further, in the sexual relationship the man, although the authority in the marriage, does not feel his respected position and importance is overthrown.
8)	The woman in the sexual relationship does not feel that she has risked her reputation by engaging in the act. 
9)	Both have no concern that their sexual relationship provides any reason for them to feel shame or dishonor but rather joy, exhilaration, pleasure, and ecstasy.
10)	This thus becomes the ritual that commemorates the rapport and coalescence of souls that exists between the right man and the right woman.
11)	In marriage, the man and woman are free to experience a coalescence of bodies as a testimony to their coalescence of souls.
	37-	There are many things that should be understood before a couple gets married.  The time for discussion of these subjects is prior to the ceremony, not after.  Here are some examples: (1) Who is going to be the final arbiter in the marriage, the husband or the wife? (2) Who is going to be the spiritual leader in the household, the husband or the wife? (3) What “religion” will be followed? (4) If different, how will the differences be incorporated into family policy and modus operandi? (5) Which “religion” will the taught to the children?  (6) What church or churches will the family attend?
	38-	These are questions that are necessarily asked today because of a lack of seriousness about one’s Christian beliefs.  Diversity and multiculturalism may be the current rages among the Progressives but they have no place in a marriage, a fact made clear in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16.
	39-	Here are some other questions that should be addressed before marriage: (1) Will the wife work outside the home or inside the home? (2) Will the children be educated in federal, parochial, or private schools or homeschooled? (3) What type of child discipline will be practiced and how will it be enforced?  (4) How will household policies related to the training of children be developed and enforced? (5) How will monthly income be managed? (6) What policies will determine the kind and amount of debt assumed by the household?
	40-	And since the only legitimate environment for sex is in marriage then there should be some discussion of it before marriage, but no experimentation.  The man needs to discover what his prospective bride is comfortable of doing not what she is willing to do.
	41-	No woman should ever be forced to engage in a sexual activity that is uncomfortable to her, however, to have no desire to have sex is a sign of major psychological problems and marriage should be either postponed or canceled.
	42-	Finally, men must understand that because they have senior- ranking authority in the marriage does not mean the woman has lost her volition.  She maintains her free will and the husband must protect that free will.
	43-	If there are major disagreements among any of these examples or of others that are common to a marriage, they should be discovered, addressed, dealt with, and resolved before marriage or else the ceremony should be postponed or canceled.
	44-	If either the man or the woman cannot come to an agreement about issues that are of high importance to one or the other then marriage should be delayed until they are reconciled or canceled if irresolvable.
	45-	Remember, the examples I have given are not exhaustive but they are among the issues that cause arguments, fights, separations, and divorces, and they fracture the lives of children caught up in their vortex.
	46-	The subject of apples is introduced by the Shulammite in Song of Solomon 2:3 as a way of describing her right man but the apple’s use as a restorative doesn’t come up until verse 5.
	47-	The Shulammite is loyal to the Shepherd but Solomon is assaulting her with pick-up lines in which he asserts she is his right woman.  This causes her to feel faint which we will note later.
	48-	In verse 3, the Shulammite is the apple while the Shepherd is the apple tree.  She next describes how she and the Shepherd first met.
SOS 2:3 b -		[SW]  “In his shadow I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my lips.”