O'Reilly : "Catholic church invented marriage"

[monobrau]

Wow, I haven't tuned in to O'Reilly in ages, and within the first 5 minutes I'm watching, he declares that the Catholic church invented marriage. His jewish guest made a smirking reference to that and moved on.
Comedy gold.

[GainesT1958]

1. Sometimes it seems as though...

Bill O'Really invented hyperbole! :eyes:

Or maybe it was just that he "invented lying"...

At least Al Gore helped to "invent" the Internet!:D

B-)

[BillZBubb]

O'Really--clueless as always!

I wonder if he'll apologize for that? Didn't Jesus preside at a wedding in the Bible? Didn't Jesus predate the Catholic church? Oh, my!

[Tom Kitten]

14. Yes Jesus was there...first miracle at Cana...

But it wasn't authorized by the Catholic Church...because it didn't exist at the time...I hope they enjoyed the party because I'm sure according to the gospel of O'Reilly (see the Bible:Neocon revised Edition) they've been burning in hell some two thousand years now...

[buck4freedom]

17. He was a guest...

But that's only if you're a literalist and don't understand the story.

[Fenris]

2. Ooooooooooo that's a good one. He's wrong as usual.

But that is especially dumb. Did the Catholic Church invent prayer too?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

3. SIR, step away from the TV set......

[shimmergal]

4. What a lame statement.

Like they didn't have marriage in ancient Greece and Egypt? I suspect our ancestors who lived in caves had it too.

[4morewars]

5. I speak for all Irish Americans

that man is an embarrassment

[Adams Wulff]

7. He should be forced to drop the "O' "

[drdigi420]

6. he knows better

but he also knows that his audience doesnt know any better

[brainwashed_youth]

8. so who did invent marriage

:bounce:

[randr]

9. I wish this guy would write the Book of Everything

He could single handedly rewrite the entire history of the world. It would be hilarious.

[skrunch]

10. And this from a guy who brags that...

...he never took a drink of alcohol in his life.

(it must get in the way of his crack buzz)

[Endangered Specie]

11. Could explain a few things.

[Kinkistyle]

12. I wonder what the Chinese and Hindus have been doing all those years.

Oh, I guess those were just "civil unions".

[SoCalDem]

13. Marriage in Ancient Rome

http://victorian.fortunecity.com/lion/373/roman/romarriage.html

The Roman institution of marriage has been lauded as being the first purely humanistic law of marriage, one that is based on the idea of marriage being a free and freely dissolvable union of two equal partners for life. (Schulz, 1951;103) This is quite a simplistic view, as there were many differing forms of marriage in Rome, from the arranged marriages of the elite to the unions of slaves and soldiers. As we shall see, the Romans' actual expectations of married life and the gains they envisioned they would receive from the experience depended greatly on their age, sex and social status.

Unlike our contemporary society, no specific civil ceremony was required for the creation of a marriage; only mutual agreement and the fact that the couple must regard each other as husband and wife accordingly. (Gardner,1986;47) Although not a legal necessity, some weddings, usually the first marriage of elite couples was accompanied by much revelry and song, as featured in one of Catullus' poems. It describes the celebration of the marriage with dancing, singing and the brandishing of torches. Ribald jokes are shouted at the bride and nuts are scattered as she makes her way towards her husband's house. The groom arrives before the bride so that he can personally invite her to come and share his home.

Now married, what does the couple expect to gain from the experience? The young bride is most probably in her early teens, as is the girl described in Catullus' poem with the words, "Young boy, release the little girl's small smooth arm". After marriage she will be transformed from a "little girl" into a respected wife. Elsewhere Catullus assures his readers that young daughters are unloved by their parents until they are married.

"If, when she is ripe for marriage, she enters into wedlock, she is ever dearer to her husband and less hateful to her parents…" (Catullus, Poems 62.57-65)

If we are to take this at face value, then marriage for young girls gains them the affection of their parents. A similar sentiment is found in the funeral eulogy from Rome for a woman named Murdia. It speaks of her dealing with her arranged marriage with obedience and propriety and "as a bride to become more beloved because of her merits…". (Reading 139, Lefkowitz and Fant, 1982;135)

much more

[Paul Hood]

15. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP

Now look, you're distorting what I said. Now of course I know there was marriage before the Catholic church. But they weren't married in the Catholic church so therefore I'm right, of course.
Coming up on "The Factor" why I'm the greatest man who ever lived and how I stay so in touch with my blue collar roots.

[Third Eye]

16. Catholics, marriage...yikes!

I didn't hear or see the diatribe, but for those who read and trust the Bible: the first marriage ceremony was in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. And I like O'Reilly.... what a weird statement.

[the_real_38]

18. And Holy War, too...

... not to mention indulgences, and those cool hats the Pope wears.

[kcwayne]

19. That would make all the apostles bastards wouldn't it?