This was a very thoughtful post overall.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Knalus
I don't know about most of you, but I find definitions to be important. Marriage has always been between a man and a woman that are not related to each other and who are not married to anyone else. (although in the distant past and/or Saudi Arabia, that last one is iffy).
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I agree with you that definitions are important, but in this statement you have mis-spoken about what marriage "has always been", and seem to think that it is somehow arbitrary. The fact of the matter is that marriage has been culturally shaped since the beginning of time, and this will continue until the end. I believe that marriage is a sacred institution, but my understanding for why this is is most certainly different from what marriage was for many thousands of years in a variety of different cultures.
Marriage in the modern world is an expression of relational affection, and has become a contract to ensure the exceptional status of that relationship. In my mind, this is a much higher ideal than that which we inherited, in which marriage was a contract between families for the purpose of ensuring progeny. You complain about cavalier attitudes that have developed towards the institution of marriage, but I fear that you fail to recognize that this is an unfortunate consequence for how the definition of marriage has in fact changed for the better in time. Ancient divorce rates were low, and marriages were permanent not so because they were so much better, but because their function was much more sustainable, if less noble. By shifting its purpose away from procreation and towards companionship, this has created a considerable amount of instability for the institution itself. Let's be clear here: marriages fail more frequently in the modern world because it is extremely difficult to find, cultivate, and maintain meaningful companionship with just one other person for a lifetime. It is a credit to you and your spouse for surviving modern marriage; the fact that so many others cannot is not a blight on the current state of the institution, but rather a consequence for how lofty an ideal it has become.