What do you think about marriage?

IB, I hope that you didn't think I was suggesting anything about Tarshi's relationship. On the contrary, I was agreeing that abuse in marriage shouldn't be tolerated. I hope that she understood that because I don't judge anyone for their decisions. I was just agreeing with herr comment, and I chose to make other comments unrelated to Tarshi or her relationship.

 

I hope to be one day

 

Id love it if the courts & state weren't involved.

 

i beleive in i,,just not sure about partaking in it again,,,i feel commited without it.

 

This!!!

 

It's a beautiful experience to be able to care for someone outside of yourself. To truly love someone and to be loved by someone you trust.

 

go back to the old days when a woman would just kick the child and the woman out of the house leaving them both unable to fend for themselves....

 

exactly!

people don't realize we make these things for a reason.

those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

 

You really think if that law didn't exists dudes would be kicking their wives and kids in record numbers fam?

 

It would be more likely to increase.

 

History has proven my point for me. Hell, even with the law now you got mofo's doing this. Just leaving.......kicking the wife out, and ain't paying one red cent in support of his wife or his children.

 

Marriage, in of itself, have ALWAYS been about property rights. This has been the case since theocratic governments institutionalized the concept in order to maintain some sense of control and upkeep of the people living on their lands. Fast forward to today and we're still seeing that trend, albeit in a more updated manner. Now we give married couples tax breaks, recognition through government and other perks which may be deemed small compared to other offerings for joining one another in some sort of ceremony.

As for my personal take on the whole matter, marriages are pretty much no different from domestic partnerships and civil unions; as are all relatively the same and serve the same purpose. It's not necessary to be married to someone, unless you're doing it out of religious reasons - which is make it more "meaningful". You can still hold that union with someone and raise a family effectively as long as there some weigh of communication between the couples and that both are in the same line of thinking. And if they can stand strong against certain problems and uncertainties and rise above them, then all the more provable that the term marriage doesn't need to be institutionalized. Rather, it's an internal writ of agreement between peoples.

In short, marriage is still prevalent, but not based on a ceremonial rite of passage.

 

No, I didn't think that at all. To show you I agreed with you, I stated what I said to acknowledge that I too wasn't disagreeing with her either.

 

this is sort of like communism. Look good on paper, but the reality is it doesn't work.

 

The same applies for marriage. And it can work, but only if both spouses are willing to negotiate. But that RARELY happens.

 

I don't know. We might start quibbling over the definition of "rarely" The reality is that "so called" long-term committed relationships fail almost 7 times more than marriages.

...the whole "we don't need to marry each other to show we love each other" while true clouds reality.

I tell women especially. "If you deem him worthy to carry his sperm, he should deem you worthy to carry his last name"

 

AMEN!

 

This is very true.

 

Not true. Why do you think the gay marriage issue is such a big one? There are LOTS of benefits to getting married.

Whether or not you favor marriage as a social institution, there's no denying that it confers many rights, protections, and benefits -- both legal and practical. Some of these vary from state to state, but the list typically includes:

Tax Benefits

• Filing joint income tax returns with the IRS and state taxing authorities.
• Creating a "family partnership" under federal tax laws, which allows you to divide business income among family members.

Estate Planning Benefits

• Inheriting a share of your spouse's estate.
• Receiving an exemption from both estate taxes and gift taxes for all property you give or leave to your spouse.
• Creating life estate trusts that are restricted to married couples, including QTIP trusts, QDOT trusts, and marital deduction trusts.
• Obtaining priority if a conservator needs to be appointed for your spouse -- that is, someone to make financial and/or medical decisions on your spouse's behalf.

Government Benefits

• Receiving Social Security, Medicare, and disability benefits for spouses.
• Receiving veterans' and military benefits for spouses, such as those for education, medical care, or special loans.
• Receiving public assistance benefits.

Employment Benefits

• Obtaining insurance benefits through a spouse's employer.
• Taking family leave to care for your spouse during an illness.
• Receiving wages, workers' compensation, and retirement plan benefits for a deceased spouse.
• Taking bereavement leave if your spouse or one of your spouse's close relatives dies.

Medical Benefits

• Visiting your spouse in a hospital intensive care unit or during restricted visiting hours in other parts of a medical facility.
• Making medical decisions for your spouse if he or she becomes incapacitated and unable to express wishes for treatment.

Death Benefits

• Consenting to after-death examinations and procedures.
• Making burial or other final arrangements.

Family Benefits

• Filing for stepparent or joint adoption.
• Applying for joint foster care rights.
• Receiving equitable division of property if you divorce.
• Receiving spousal or child support, child custody, and visitation if you divorce.

Housing Benefits

• Living in neighborhoods zoned for "families only."
• Automatically renewing leases signed by your spouse.

Consumer Benefits

• Receiving family rates for health, homeowners', auto, and other types of insurance.
• Receiving tuition discounts and permission to use school facilities.
• Other consumer discounts and incentives offered only to married couples or families.

Other Legal Benefits and Protections

• Suing a third person for wrongful death of your spouse and loss of consortium (loss of intimacy).
• Suing a third person for offenses that interfere with the success of your marriage, such as alienation of affection and criminal conversation (these laws are available in only a few states).
• Claiming the marital communications privilege, which means a court can't force you to disclose the contents of confidential communications between you and your spouse during your marriage.
• Receiving crime victims' recovery benefits if your spouse is the victim of a crime.
• Obtaining immigration and residency benefits for noncitizen spouse.
• Visiting rights in jails and other places where visitors are restricted to immediate family.

Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships

If you are in a same-sex marriage in one of the states where same-sex marriage is allowed (Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and D.C.), or if you are in a domestic partnership or civil union in any of the states that offer those relationship options, none of the benefits of marriage under federal law will apply to you, because the federal government does not recognize these same-sex relationships. For example, you may not file joint federal income tax returns with your partner, even if your state allows you to file taxes jointly. And other federal benefits, such as Social Security death benefits and COBRA continuation insurance coverage, may not apply.

 

In that vein, virginity is about "property rights" as well.