What Is The Definition Of Marr :: essays research papers

What is the definition of marriage? What is marriage? In Webster’s Dictionary marriage is defined as the institution whereby men and women are joined in special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family. The definition states â€Å"a man and a woman not a man and a man†. Some people believe same gender marriages should be allowed. But right now the law doesn’t allow same gender marriages. I guess only time will tell if that law will ever change. Marriage has always been an evolving institution, bent and shaped by the historical moment and the needs and demands of its participants (Johnson 266). The Romans recognized the phenomenon we call â€Å"falling in love,† but they considered it a hindrance to the establishment of stable households (266). Marriages certified by the state had their foundations not in religion or romance but in pragmatics-e.g., the joining of socially prominent households (266). At the beg inning of the thirteenth century, facing schisms and heresies, and seeking to consolidate its power, the Catholic Church institutionalized marriage, confirming it as a sacrament and requring that a priest officiate-a crucial step in the intrusion of organized religion into what had previously been a private transaction (266). So instead of just having any person marry a couple you now have to have a priests officiate the couple. This is another issue that makes a marriage more difficult besides the gender issue. To be an official marriage a couple must have a license and the right person to perform the wedding, like a justice of the peace or a priests. Throughout the U.S. same-gender marriages are illegal. The state of Hawaii tried recently to allow these marriages. However, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Defense of Marriage Act. This act undercut Hawaii’s effort and made it practically useless. The Defense of Marriage Act permitted states not to recognize same-gender mar riages performed in other states. There is a separation between church and state in this country (Sullivan 260). Andrew Sullivan states â€Å"we are asking only that when the government gives out civil marriage licenses, those of us who are gay should be treated like anybody else† (260). Many people just don’t believe marriage should be between two people of the same sex. Throughout history marriage has always been between a man and a woman and that’s the way many want to keep it.