The Death of Marriage I

MensNewsDaily.com ^ | February 5, 2004 | Roger F. Gay

[dr_lew]

What are the moral issues in the institution of marriage?

Here is my take on what is at stake:

Marriage is above all a social institution, above and beyond, that is, a merely personal arrangement. This idea was impressed on me by contemplation of a strange and superfically trivial circumstance. When reading Rabelais' Gargantua, I found a humorous account of how a "bum-baliff" is beaten half to death at a wedding under the guise of "exchanging blows". Did you you ever, when you were younger, exchange perhaps-not-so-playful punches to the shoulder as a form of greeting? As Rabelais alludes, this is a hoary peasant tradition. Being illiterate, these punches would be exchanged literally to "impress" the memory of the occasion on the community. The wedding, as the establishment of a new family unit, was in this way acknowledged by all, and the couple was in their turn reminded of their important role by the community festival held in their honor.

I have felt that wedding receptions continue to fulfil this role, even absent the exchange of blows, and I have felt a sense of betrayal when, as has happened, the couple so honored has split up within months.

This brings us to the problem of "the death of marriage". This court ruling in favor of "gay marriage", is only possible because we have already lost the sense of importance of marriage as a social institution, and in fact society has largely already been restructured along totalitarian lines.

"Bear with me, my heart is in the coffin there with Caesar ..."

[BikerNYC]

It preserves mankind from mayhem. All nations that tinker with marriage are in the dust.

As only a little over half of the adult population is married, we should be having pandamonium on the streets.

[inquest]

Su-weet!

Too bad I can't "compliment" you (Gargantua-style), but that was a great description of what marriage is.

[RogerFGay]

You're right that it's the time to act. But you seem to have missed the point of the article. Marriage and family were murdered by Congress. The MA court merely ruled on a constitutional question in the context of the new marriage and family -- purely a government invention -- that exists today.

[RogerFGay]

I see your point. I agree with Stephen Baskerville that the family was attacked by attacking fathers and fatherhood. It has not been my preference however, to refer to fathers as "the weakest link." Note that Stephen Baskerville is actually quoting someone else -- so to get the full perspective on what that description is supposed to mean, it would probably be best to go to the source that he cites and read what that author has to say.

[RogerFGay]

Did I ping you on this? I've posted a few of my own articles related to this topic lately.

[RogerFGay]

ping