Defending the institution of Marriage.

The proposal, today endorsed by Bush, for a Constitutional Amendment to protect marriage (read Marital Jim Crow Law) does not defend anything. Exclusion is not defence.
These proposals are nothing more than a sexual equivalent of the Jim Crow laws.



If people really want to protect marriage - enact the following 3 measures:

1) Make it harder to get married - waiting period of living together to determine compatibility

2) Abolish DIVORCE (except for physical abuse) - get rid of it, once married that's it you're stuck

3) Death penalty for adultery - that'll protect the instituition of marriage


Of course I am being facetious but let us at least recognise what this Amendment would be. Not a defence of marriage but a modern day Jim Crow law. How to circumvent equal rights and exclude people who don't affect your lives. As someone once said 'Fundamentalists - people scared to death someone else may be happy'.

1. I agree, the Pastor should feel that the couple will stay together before he marries them. but this is not a State issue and should be up to the Pastor performing the ceremony

2. I agree, it is way to easy to get a divorce, that or people suddenly got bad at choosing mates, or lost the relationship/marital skills of our grandparents and older generations.

3. Maybe not Death, at least not for the first offense. How about a good flogging?

Edit: didn't see the part about you being facetious.

Here we go again. Round 2.

Do we really need to keep dragging up the same subject over and over.

You have to include adultery in rule 2. Otherwise rule 3 is moot.
Then change rule 1 to "your parents will choose your spouse" and what we have is Levitical law.

Thanks for pointing out that you're being facetious. I've found that a sarcasm tag works well also . [sarcasm] comment [/sarcasm]
Some people just don't seem to get it. They think we must be serious at all times in order to make a point. By the way. We just got booted from a thread on this same subject.
Be careful...

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The concept of marriage as a whole being sacred is hilarious. I have seen marriages that are absolutely sacred, but they are few. I have seen people who were dating that showed more love, respect, and faithfullness to one another than the majority of married couples.

There isn't much left to protect but the individuals.

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• Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum. (I think I think, therefore I think I am.)

I'm so profound it hurts.

Here's something that is making the email rounds. I make no claims about how appropriate each biblical reference may or may not be.


Draft of a Constitutional Amendment to Defend Biblical
Marriage:

* Marriage in the United States of America shall
consist of a union between one man and one or more
women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5.)

* Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take
concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam
5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)

* A marriage shall be considered valid only if the
wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she
shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21)

* Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be
forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh
10:30, 2Cor 6:14)

* Since marriage is for life, neither the US
Constitution nor any state law shall permit divorce.
(Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9-12)

* If a married man dies without children, his brother
must marry the widow. If the brother refuses to marry
the widow, or deliberately does not give her children,
he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be
otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by
law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10)

* In lieu of marriage (if there are no acceptable men
to be found), a woman shall get her father drunk and
have sex with him. (Gen 19:31-36)

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"So here we are, wallowing in our dysfunction. Governed -- if you listen to the rabble rousers -- by a black nationalist from Kenya smuggled into the United States to kill Sarah Palin's baby. " Bill Moyers.

The whole concept of the "sanctity of marriage" is a joke. Making marriage exclusive is not protecting it. Selfishly hoarding something out of fear or insecurity does not make it valuable or meaningful. If one really cared to protect marriage, they could...

1. Work towards making pre-marital counseling mandatory. If couples were required to come to terms with individual issues, get to know each other and learn strategies for working through hard times they would have a better chance at a long lasting marriage.

2. Providing marriage classes, so that people have an idea what they are getting into. Many people think marriage is a beautiful ceremony and life-long bliss, and when hit with financial difficulties, ill health, mental problems, etc they have no idea how to cope.

3. Establishing support groups for couples and individuals. Have a weekly night out with the girls (or guys) to talk about stresses in the relationship, problems, to seek advice, etc.

4. Make divorce harder to obtain and perhaps institute a waiting period, except in cases of child or spousal abuse, proven infidelity or severe problems like drug addiction. If couples went through mandatory counseling and reconciliation periods instead of throwing in the towel maybe the marriage would last.

5. Prohibit impulsive "just for fun" marriages like that of Brittany Spears by requiring a six month waiting period, etc.

7. Reduce the amount of infidelity and casual relationships shown on television and push movies/shows that focus on stable, long term wedded couples instead of couples living together, dating couples and people cheating on their spouses.

I really question the motives of those working to "protect" marriage. Do they honestly believe that their marriage will be less valid, less pure, less sanctified if marriage is expanded to include homosexual couples? I question why this is seen as such a threat, but other possibly dangerous relationships are not viewed as problematic. My concern with marriage would be those couples who are very young and perhaps not ready, marriage to a partner with a drinking/drug problem or a perfectionist personality, marriage to someone who has undergone abuse and not received treatment and marriage between those who are uneducated and perhaps haven't learned required social skills to maintain a healthy relationship. Why are people out protesting homosexual marriage and yet doing nothing about the thousands of abusive relationships that are out there??

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“Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Ah, I saw that last night - its origin, as one might expect, is good ole Landover Baptist Church.

But it's endorsed by Skateboarding Jesus!

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• Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum. (I think I think, therefore I think I am.)

I'm so profound it hurts.

Ah. The True Christians....

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"So here we are, wallowing in our dysfunction. Governed -- if you listen to the rabble rousers -- by a black nationalist from Kenya smuggled into the United States to kill Sarah Palin's baby. " Bill Moyers.