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"Brangelina" is ruining everything good about romance
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. . .two names I could never get tired of hearing. They've owned somewhat of a monopoly over most news headlines the past couple years. I can't think of anything more exciting than getting online in the morning to read the top stories, and their pretty faces are posted right in front. Ah, yes, because even in the face of a war overseas and in the midst of one of the most important Presidencies in our nation's history, their celebrity romance is so much more important to get the full scoop on. Heck, there's even a whole website (and plenty more, I'm sure) dedicated to tracking every move these two make, complete with loving photos of the perfect couple hugging and snuggling (www.pittwatch.com).
Ahh, Hollywood romance. Isn't it enough to make you sick?
As has probably been guessed by now, I am in fact very tired of hearing all about "Brangelina" and every microscopic detail of their lives and romance. Some of the tabloids I'm assaulted with include the following:
"Brad & Angelina's Broken Home!"
"Jolie-Pitt Halloween Costumes Revealed"
"Brangie Sex Secrets"
"Separate Bedrooms for Brad & Angelina"
"Brad Pitt's Private Photos of Angelia Jolie"
Aside from the fact that most of these stories are false and exaggerations, I would have no desire to know about them even if they weren't. Some people get excited over celebrity gossip - I am not one of them. I will get excited if a celebrity comes out with a good movie - that is, after all, why they're a celebrity, and certainly not for their personal lives. But my less-than-enthusiastic feelings for Pitt and Jolie go far beyond simple annoyance with the tabloids. My feelings stem from the fact that they have ruined the way this nation views marriage and romance.
Yes, you heard me right. Now of course I do not hold them completely responsible; the sanctity of marriage has been crumbling for a long time. But in recent years, whether intentional or not, Pitt and Jolie have been front-runners in perverting the way Americans view matrimony. They are heroes and idols to many people - people who snatch a tabloid for breakfast and swallow down every detail of their relationship. And if people consume all the details of "Brangelina's" history and hold their relationship as the pinnacle of romance, these are the some of the dastardly life lessons they'll learn -
Leaving your wife is justified, so long as you're "in love" with the other woman
Although both Pitt and Jolie deny having an affair while Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were still married, they admit that they "fell in love" during this time and led to Aniston filing for divorce. After divorce was filed, however, Pitt and Jolie began their relationship and Jolie admitted to being pregnant within three months of the divorce being final. The fact of the matter is that Pitt was still bound to Jennifer Aniston by marriage when he and Jolie began their relationship. By Biblical standards, this was adultery.
In an interview with PARADE, Brad Pitt said, "Just the other night, I heard this TV reverend say that Angie and I were setting a bad example because we were living out of wedlock, and people should not be duped by us! It made me laugh. What d*** right does anyone have to tell someone else how to live if they're not hurting anyone? How many times do you think real love comes to someone in a lifetime? If you're lucky, maybe two or three."
And so, all this is justified because they were "in love". What kind of example does this set to the young people who feast off celebrity gossip? With the media praising Pitt and Jolie, people will become comfortable with the idea that there is such thing as justifiable adultery. This is doing a great deal of damage to our society through the ideas placed in peoples heads about commitment, both to married couples who may face the temptation of adultery and divorce, and to the youth as they learn about love and marriage. The next generation of this nation will be a generation who gives no real regard to the covenant of marriage or even relationships. They will forget the words of Proverbs 5:18 - "May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth." Instead, they will be deceived by the idea that "commitment" only lasts until something "better" comes along.
Marriage is not important for raising a family
Despite having six children, and praised as a picture-perfect family, Pitt and Jolie remain unmarried. Their credentials as a role model family remain unmarred by this fact. So what's the big deal? Couples do it all the time, right? That's actually part of the problem. It's become so common in today's society that Pitt and Jolie's situation seems no different, and is actually setting an example that it's okay. They're viewed with the same honor and credentials of a married couple with children and given the same recognition. I'm not denying that they're not good parents. But they're sending a message to their many fans that marriage is not necessary in today's culture to be a happy couple and raise a family. It is a principle that completely contradicts God's Word and His plan for marriage and family life.
Marriage has no meaning in today's culture. It's a mere formality, if you will. A relationship in which two people live together and have children is viewed with the same merit as that of a married couple. We know from Scripture that marriage is a special covenant, ordained by God, and that raising a family is within that covenant. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have become the leading faces in a culture that defies this idea and instead seeks to establish their own ideas in the place of God's.
If straight people can get married, then gay people should, too
When asked by PARADE about their decision to not marry, Brad answered, "When someone asked me why Angie and I don't get married, I replied, 'Maybe we'll get married when it's legal for everyone else.' I stand by that, although I took a lot of flak for saying it - hate mail from religious groups. I believe everyone should have the same rights. They say gay marriage ruins families and hurts kids. Well, I've had the privilege of seeing my gay friends being parents and watching their kids grow up in a loving environment."
Not only has the whole "Brangelina" thing promoted adultery and contradicted God's plan for family, it is now being used as collateral to bring marital equality to homosexuals. They have already distorted marriage and families enough, and with his statement, Pitt merely pushes it to another level. Not only are they shattering the barriers God Himself created for marriage between man and woman, but now they're attempting to re-define what marriage itself even means. They forget that when marriage was created, Genesis 5 tells us that God "created them male and female and blessed them."
When all is said and done, no matter how religiously you follow the tabloids or enjoy the films these two actors have starred in, there can be no denying that their relationship has been terrible for the way romance is viewed in this country. As young people, and especially as singles, we need to be careful that these ideas don't sneak their way into becoming part of our mindset. If we see marriage the way celebrities do, as a vow that only lasts until you're tired of honoring it, we will never enjoy the gift of a lasting and prosperous marriage with our future spouse. Instead, we will always be on the lookout in case something better comes along. It is vital to ingrain these things in our head, now, while we're unmarried, so that if and when God does bring along our husband or wife we will be understand what true love and commitment mean.
In his article "Are Celebrity Relationships Ruining Your Love Life?", David Zinczenko of Men's Health magazine and Yahoo! Health and Relationships says, "Really, the biggest message we get from celebrity hook-ups is that marriage is the commitment equivalent of dating. Find someone you like, get married. Don't like that person any more, get divorced. . .We see it all the time - quick marriages, quick divorces. And I think that can send the dangerous message that marriage doesn't really matter. . .I think that the message being sent - a wedding is as casual an occasion as happy hour - cheapens a tie that ought to be more precious. The celeb warning: A wedding is more than a party with cake. The positive lesson real couples can take from it: Listen to your wedding vows, and honor them."
It is a lesson everyone - whether married or unmarried - should learn. It will strengthen the marriages of wedded couples, and will prepare the hearts of the unmarried for a lifetime of true marital commitment, as was established by God.
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