Why Is It A Sin For A Couple To Live Together Before They Are Married?

[beaverman]

Are there exceptions and what is the teaching on this? - Thanks

[CatherineM]

It's not the living together that gets you in trouble, or the divorce, or the getting married outside the church, or whatever. It is the sex with someone who is not your sacramentally married spouse. Living with someone before marriage, if you aren't having sex, is technically okay, but very dangerous.

Sex is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. Like any precious gift, it is respectful to treasure it and use it in an appropriate manner. If my Dad gave me a beautiful silk gown, I wouldn't work on my car wearing it. I wouldn't slide into second base wearing it. Our sexuality is glorious and pure when it is given to us. Many of us treat it like an old sock we use as a cleaning rag.