Religion & Marriage

[MentalGiant]

Marriage (or some variation on the theme) has been around forever, long before modern religions claimed it. Lifelong pairings (mostly between 2 partners, sometimes more in polygamous/polyandrous societies) have been present in most cultures since the dawn of civilization. People pair off, just like many other species do and it has nothing to do with religion. Religion turned marriage into an exchange of goods (i.e. the father selling the daughter/son in law+family buying her) and claimed it is sanctioned by god to do so. It's a big investment, thus all the classes and fuss surrounding the exchange. Religious weddings have always struck me as business deals. I also think religious or not, a lot of people get caught up in throwing themselves a big party. Sadly, the desire for a fancy wedding more often than not overshadows you actual selection of your lifelong mate (and thus the divorce rate is high, they want a wedding, not a marriage, not a life together).