Can anyone give solid reasons as to why the government should be involved in marriage at all? Why should the government be concerned that two citizens are joined in marriage and more importantly, why should those citizens be treated differently from unmarried citizens?
Wouldn't it make more sense for marriage to be treated the same as any other legally binding contract, where the signatories to said contract dictate the terms of the agreement and should a dispute arise, this is dealt with through mediation and the courts? In this way, anybody of any belief, sexual persuasion etc can "marry", they can wrap this in whatever ceremony (religious or otherwise) they like and everybody's happy.
As an aside, I can't really understand why homosexuals are so concerned with this topic. Rightly or wrongly, they already have civil partnerships which is marriage by any other name. It seems to me they're making a big whoohaa about something which, to all intents and purposes, is just a word. You could argue that it's symbolic of oppression but is there anything else?
Wouldn't it make more sense for marriage to be treated the same as any other legally binding contract, where the signatories to said contract dictate the terms of the agreement and should a dispute arise, this is dealt with through mediation and the courts? In this way, anybody of any belief, sexual persuasion etc can "marry", they can wrap this in whatever ceremony (religious or otherwise) they like and everybody's happy.
As an aside, I can't really understand why homosexuals are so concerned with this topic. Rightly or wrongly, they already have civil partnerships which is marriage by any other name. It seems to me they're making a big whoohaa about something which, to all intents and purposes, is just a word. You could argue that it's symbolic of oppression but is there anything else?
