The viral video of a Christian woman sharing the rules and regulations she has set up for her marriage with her husband is viewed by millions.
California-based couple Bailey and Zac McPherson have been married for three years and have a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and Bailey says that they maintain their marriage by having firm rules governing who they can be friends with.
But she admits that the rules make other people ‘angry’ — which is certainly the case, as one of her videos has been watched 2.1 million times and earned plenty of passionate comments.
Ground rules: Bailey McPherson and Zac McPherson have shared their ground rules to keep their Christian marriage intact
Everybody is a danger! They can’t have spouses or friends in the same sex, and they cannot text each other without their permission.
Bailey insists, “It isn’t a lack in trust as much as it’s just the boundary of respect we feel is right for both of us.”
Her first video was introduced by her husband with these words: “Rules that I and my Husband have for our marriage which make people angry.”
They can only have “no friends with the opposite sex.”
They’re also banned from having ‘work gfs/bfs’, ‘being alone with the opposite sex,’ ‘texting the opposite sex without the other knowing,’ and ‘lusting after others’ — including following ‘scandalous pages’ on social media.
They must also ‘always put each other first (even over parents).’
Finally, they have placed a ban blanket on the viewing of pornography.
With over two million views, the video only received 88,700 likes — but plenty of critical comments. Bailey decided to turn off the commenting function after the backlash became so severe.
Her husband and she are not the only ones who should have companionship.
No thirst traps: They’re not allowed to follow ‘scandalous’ social media pages that induce lust
Porn is strictly forbidden. Children must not put their needs first.
According to The Independent however, some commentators called her “absolutely crazy”.
‘Tell me you don’t trust your partner without telling me you don’t trust your partner,’ wrote one.
One person said that it sounded like insecurities.
Bailey explains that it’s not about trust, but about setting boundaries.
According to her, it wasn’t about a lack in trust but a border of respect between the two of them that is best for them.
‘Because I feel that as a married wife, I do not need companionship with any man other than my husband. My husband does not need to have companionship with any woman other than his wife.
‘At the end of the day, I don’t expect non-Christians to understand Christian marriages,’ she captioned a follow-up video
The couple has been married for three years and they have a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter
“And I believe that if you feel that you need companionships with someone other than your spouse, or others of the same sexual orientation, then that is a problem.
“It would be a red signal to me and my husband if my spouse could not respect these boundaries,” she stated.
‘At the end of the day, I don’t expect non-Christians to understand Christian marriages,’ she captioned a follow-up video.
Bailey also went on to defend the no-porn rule, insisting that when people give up porn they ‘gain a healthier sex life, have ‘stronger intimacy in your marriage/relationships,’ have ‘healthier self/body image,’ and ‘form stronger connections and create better habits.’
She stated that they must also maintain their emotional and mental health. [an]Industry that promotes sex traficking and rape. This will reduce ‘the demand for porn’ and help to ‘change world’.