The reason for dating

I agree with mandym. It's something relatively new to "date" your own wife and the intention is to keep the fire going and keep remembering the feelings both felt during the time they spent falling in love while they were initially dating.

I can tell you now that if my husband went on a date with a female, he'd be endangering our relationship. I'd be suspicious that he was cheating. If he went on a date with a man, I'd just be plain skeered!
The reason? It would bring up doubt about intentions.
And that doesn't just hold true for married couples. I see many teens dating, kissing, holding hands, giving a piece of their heart to the person they're dating and quite often they are NOT in the mindset of marriage. Where and what does that leave for their future spouse? It's really not fair to the future spouse to have to walk about running into people their spouse has previously given part of their heart too and possibly kissed and had romantic feelings for.

It's just not appropriate. True, not all dating relationships will work out, but the purpose and intention certainly isn't just friendship. If a single person wants to go out with someone of the opposite sex just for fun and companionship, they still should exercise TONS of caution to prevent gossip, misunderstandings, and other pitfalls. It's just plain old good sense to do such or to simply not do so at all.

I've talked to boys who insist they're just "friends" with one of my girls. Taken away from her and from their friends, EVERY SINGLE ONE has admitted they felt attracted. Every one. (well, except for a couple who are gay and not attracted to girls anyhow)

 

But that is a different context and you are allowed to have romance in that way. single people however have no business having such a thing. "Dating" in the context and understanding that we understand it here in the US should not be done among single folks unless there is the desire to seek out a mate. Jim's idea of dating is not the same thing as what has been previously talked about before he posted. Single men and women need to be careful about going out alone in any situation

 

Maybe I have been gone too long and this is indeed an 'American' thing. When my wife and I go out on a date it has nothing to do with keeping the fire going and remembering the feeling of falling in love. We go out on dates because we enjoy doing things together.

I don't understand why friends cannot go on a date without it being tied to marriage.

 

Exactly annsni. They're allowed to be in a group that includes guys, but they're not going out one-on-one.

So yeah, maybe the term "date" is used differently in the United States. Occasionally people will jokingly call something a date or fathers will make "dates" with their daughters (I personally find it an odd term to use with that) but typically, going on a date in the United States means you are out with someone you are attracted to and if one person is dating another person, it goes without saying that they're not dating anyone else. That's considered cheating. Some agree to not date exclusively, but that's generally not something I see in the Christian population.

 

Ann I would disagree with your friendship thing. If it were my wife I would see it as cheating and so should she if she had any understanding of a marriage..