06-20-2003, 02:32 PM
Hi,
marriage is a union whose purpose is to create and nurture new life, not to confer ownership of property or grant tax benefits.
That is a large part at the core of the problem. What you state is still the opinion of many. However, it is not the reality. Many marriages are intentionally sterile, especially in advanced countries and in higher socio-economic brackets. Many children are being raised by single parents, either because of divorce or by being born out of wedlock. So, the historical and traditional Western European attitude about marriage no longer holds in reality.
On the other hand, tax laws and employment benefits put a lot of emphasis on the legal aspects of marriage. And, here too the reality is at variance with the mental image many have. In many heterosexual childless married couples, both partners work. However, the tax laws and the health insurance coverage are based on the mostly obsolete model that the family consists of a male wage earner, a female homemaker and some number (greater than 2) of children.
So, if one is looking for the problems with the laws concerning government, the basis for that search needs to be the reality of what marriage is *at the present*. Basing one's opinions on an outdated model is foolish.
--Pete
marriage is a union whose purpose is to create and nurture new life, not to confer ownership of property or grant tax benefits.
That is a large part at the core of the problem. What you state is still the opinion of many. However, it is not the reality. Many marriages are intentionally sterile, especially in advanced countries and in higher socio-economic brackets. Many children are being raised by single parents, either because of divorce or by being born out of wedlock. So, the historical and traditional Western European attitude about marriage no longer holds in reality.
On the other hand, tax laws and employment benefits put a lot of emphasis on the legal aspects of marriage. And, here too the reality is at variance with the mental image many have. In many heterosexual childless married couples, both partners work. However, the tax laws and the health insurance coverage are based on the mostly obsolete model that the family consists of a male wage earner, a female homemaker and some number (greater than 2) of children.
So, if one is looking for the problems with the laws concerning government, the basis for that search needs to be the reality of what marriage is *at the present*. Basing one's opinions on an outdated model is foolish.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?