In the pursuit of getting same sex marriages approved and legalized, the issue of the sanctity of marriage is always being brought up. This is because, if people look at marriage as a sacred vow and commitment, then why is it that divorce has been legalized in several countries? At the same time, if the reason why people get married is because they love each other, then how come gay couples can’t do so too?
This issue has challenged us into coming up with a post of defining what marriage is really all about.
As a generalization, marriage is defined as ‘a social contract between two individuals that unites their lives legally, economically, and emotionally.’ At the same time, ‘marriage gives legitimacy to sexual relations’ between the two people involved.
If you ask any child why people get married, they will answer: “because they love each other.” This only goes to show how innocent marriage should be. If there is no love, then what’s the point of getting married? Does it really matter if the two individuals happen to be the same gender? What if they both just happened to have deep feelings for one another, feelings they do not feel with other people?
Here are other definitions of marriage according to the appropriate parties:
How the Bible Defines Marriage:
Jesus attended a wedding John 2
Despite the lack of specific details on marriage ceremonies, weddings have been mentioned in several incidents in the Bible. However, it does mention how sacred these events are.
‘Marriage is a holy and divinely established covenant.’
With regards to the Bible’s positions on weddings, it simply requires the following:
- The couple is married in the eyes of God when the physical union is consummated through sexual intercourse.
- The couple is married in the eyes of God when the couple is legally married.
- The couple is married in the eyes of God after they have participated in a formal religious wedding ceremony.
Marriage, according to Malachi 2:14, is a holy covenant before God. Even in the Jewish custom, God’s people affixed their signature on a written agreement during a wedding in order to seal this covenant. As such, marriage ceremonies are meant to be a ‘public demonstration of a couple’s commitment to a covenant relationship.’ In any marriage, the ceremony is not the one that’s most important. The biggest part of a wedding is the couple’s covenant commitment before God and men.
How the Law Defines Marriage:
The legal status, condition, or relationship that results from a contract by which one man and one woman, who have the capacity to enter into such an agreement, mutually promise to live together in the relationship of Husband and Wife in law for life, or until the legal termination of the relationship.
Here are some quotes to support the definition of marriage:
“Marriage… is the civil status of one man and one woman united in law for life, for the discharge to each other and the community of the duties legally incumbent on those whose association is founded on the distinction of sex.”
- Black’s Law Dictionary, dating back to 1891
“Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman.”
-Former President George W. Bush
“Marriage has ‘more to do with the morals and civilization of a people than any other institution.’”
-U.S. Supreme Court“We need to protect traditional marriage. We should not allow some States to impose their definition of marriage on other States.”
-Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
“[M]arriage is a gift that society bestows on its next generation. Marriage (and only marriage) unites the three core dimensions of parenthood — biological, social and legal — into one pro-child form: the married couple.”
-David Blankenhorn“When men and women fail to form stable marriages, the result is a vast expansion of government attempts to cope with the terrible social needs that result. There is scarcely a dollar that the state and federal government spends on social programs that is not driven, in large part, by family fragmentation: crime, poverty, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, school failure, mental and physical health problems.”
-Maggie Gallagher
Repeatedly, these politicians refer to marriage as an act between a man and a woman.
How marriages are defined in the US: http://www.clgs.org/marriage/state-definitions
How Does Society Define Marriage:
- It brings significant stability and meaning to human relationships.
- It remains the ideal for the raising of children.
- It plays an important role in transmitting culture and civilization to future generations.
We choose to go with society’s definition as it is more open and accepting to gay couples. As long as divorce is legal, we strongly believe gay couples have the right to be married too.