Pay God to arrange the perfect match for you; a bargain at twice the price?
Mass marriage of couples meeting for the first time. India, 2013. Pardon my finger.
Just in terms of sheer numbers, arranged marriages are probably more common in the world than non-arranged ones. Non-arranged marriages based on people falling in love rather than marrying to consolidate family power or wealth, or to secure some other form of advantage, are only a few generations old. They occur mostly in Western societies, and seem more common among those people descending from northern and eastern Europe and Russia. Perhaps they were also common among the native peoples of North and South America as well. When in India, the guide for the tour I was with said that he estimated that 80-85% of all marriages there are arranged, with an even higher percentage in the northern, less prosperous, area of the country. Most arranged marriages are done by the families of those getting married doing the choosing and negotiating. The ones to be married often have little to say about the marriage, although that seems to be changing somewhat. This certainly takes the issue of "courting" out of the equation in many instances. Courting and sorting through various partners to find the "right one" is something that many people find difficult. Not to say that "dating" is necessarily difficult for many people, but taking the step toward a serious relationship often seems formidable.
Fortunately for Christians in the United States, they no longer have to go through any of the contortions of dating and courtship because there is a company that directly represents God and promises to "Find God's perfect match for you." I hear them advertize every day on satellite radio and I think this is a wonderful service. Apparently they have a charter directly from God (I'd love to see it to see His signature for the first time.) that allows them to charge a fee to people who want to submit their names and profiles directly to God so God can chose the perfect matches for them. In this, they are just the middle man and the Big Guy actually does the choosing while they do the paperwork and collect the money. Although I have never used it or known anybody who has, I assume that, like the mass weddings in India, the matched people don't have to meet until they appear before a minister to be married. After all, it is God's match, so what would be the purpose of meeting someone beforehand?
Of course, only God knows why he matches any two people. I could be that He thinks that some people need to get together with someone with the same flaws so they can work through them together. Some may be chosen to reward them for going to church regularly and trying to live exemplary lives. Some may be chosen because they have good genes and their offspring will be meant for greater things. Some may need to be humbled and taught how to care for someone other than themselves. We can only guess at His choice once we see them together. But at least there doesn't have to be any guessing here. If God chooses the person for you--as "Christian Mingle" promises--then who are you to second guess Him?
I guess that if you don't contract with God through "Christian Mingle" you are just taking your chances that you will find something and that thing will work out. Not much certainty in that, is there? Maybe you should plunk down the cash.