Now THAT wold be progress

[rrneck]

http://www.alternet.org/sex/127687/forget_marriage_--_civil_unions_for_all/

Forget Marriage -- Civil Unions For All

Any two people should be able to form legal couples that enjoy the rights, benefits and responsibilities now assigned to marriage.

I believe fervently in the sanctity of marriage, and if you do, too, head immediately to your closest church, mosque, synagogue or flying spaghetti monster chapel, and sign up to procreate, cohabitate and copulate with a sex partner blessed by that holy institution.

But pass city hall and do not collect $200 in tax breaks. In fact, given the intrinsic rewards of sanctity, it's pretty greedy to demand any secular perks from the state. Eternal life at the feet of the old white guy and his hench-angels should be prize enough.

Making your marriage sacred should be between you and your goddy thing.

Making your union legal, on the other hand, should be between you and state-guaranteed legal and human rights. And it should be available to any two people, gay or straight, in whatever configuration: Mother and son, grandparent and grandkid, mother and daughter, and best friends should all be able to form legal couples that enjoy the rights, privileges, financial benefits and responsibilities now assigned to marriage. (Calm down Rev. Rick: Only two people, no pets allowed.)

This has probably occurred to everybody else here but me, but it deserves saying again anyway.

It seems the solution to many of societies ills is to locate and remove the marketing motive from the equation. I was at a bit of a loss as where to post this article since it would fit just as easily in some forum devoted to the economy, finance, GLBT rights, science, personal growth, mental health or damn near anywhere else. Enough of churches branding every fucking thing as their own personal fiefdom for oversight.

And furthermore, lots of people would like to buy alcohol on Sunday. Harumph.

[phantom power]

1. I once proposed this idea.

It didn't catch on. I'm not sure why. Maybe because marriage is so historically intertwined with religion. People have a hard time conceptually separating the concept of civil union from the private religious trappings.

But I still think it's the right answer.

[rrneck]

2. You probably

didn't have the right special hat or feather headdress or $2500 dollar suit or whatever.

Organized religion is, and has been for some time, losing ground culturally of course. Science is replacing most of the solutions it has offered mankind for centuries. It has held on as long as it has through political and economic power, and it uses little more than marketing to delude people into accepting its authority. It's ironic that something like resource depletion, which is going to kick the props out from under capitalism, will unhitch the religion jackass from the power cart. Then of course when enough people are starving and hungry some asshole will find a new volcano to fling virgins into. Lather - rinse - repeat.

[cosmik debris]

3. I oppose the whole damn thing!

Marriage is a contract between a person, a person, and a government.

You don't have to watch Sesame Street to see that one of these things is not like the other ones.

It just doesn't belong.

[Deep13]

4. I don't think I need to believe in sky daddy to have an actual marriage.

I agree that religion has insinuated itself into all kinds of life events that have nothing to do with imaginary friends. Still, I think marriage is more than simply a private contract. It is a publicly recognized institution.