What defines marriage?

Hello faithful readers!

I've been thinking a lot about what defines marriage. I think it's on a lot of people's minds these days given the debate over same sex marriage. People who oppose same sex marriage strive to convince us that it undermines "traditional" marriage. But what, exactly, is traditional marriage?

Marriage traditions mean many different things to different people and cultures. This idea of "traditional marriage" is a fairly new one. Marriage has been around a very long time, right back to pair bonding in the stone age. Native Americans practiced it but in very different ways to us. Here is a link to a fantastic article on native American marriage traditions.


http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/1084

I found it fascinating in that marriage was kept separate from civil and religious concerns. In the many different types of marriages practiced by native cultures, it was between the people involved and no-one else. Women and men had equal say in who they married. If two people wanted to separate, then they did. Since the whole tribe helped in the rearing of youngsters, such separation of partners didn't seem to have adverse effects on the children.

It's the involvement of government and religion in marriage which forces it to have any definition all. In our country and many others there are civil benefits to being married. Tax breaks and the like. Spouses are given the power the make medical decisions for you, etc. Religion merely brings a ceremony, a solemn occasion in which two people are joined. It isn't even necessary in the context of a civil marriage. So long as you have a legal marriage license, you're married.

Americans like to talk a big talk about having rights, but yet consistently deny rights to others they deem different. Marriage isn't exclusive to the bible or any religious text. So why be so hell bent on preserving a narrow religious definition of marriage?

Maybe the solution would be to take government out of marriage entirely? No? I bet people wouldn't  like that, including the same ones who. claim to want less less government in our lives.

My point is, don't be blinded by what defines marriage for two individuals. What it really comes down to is that everyone deserves to be treated equally. We expect to be and so should they. What does marriage mean to you?