Seems some of the members of Crescat Sententia have been having a discussion on marriage: the idea, the institution, what it is, what it is not, and what it was created for, and whether it was created or not. Here is what I think about marriage, since I have been thinking about the subject for a few months now. [Nothing said here should be taken to mean that I have carefully referenced or even thoroughly read what the Crescat Sententia members have written, since I honestly don’t have that much time to go through all the posts there.]
Society defines marriage to be an institution of society, usually characterized by procreation and sharing of property. However, I think that marriage has come to transcend any definition we would possibly try to “stick” to it. To me marriage is the legalization of two consenting adults desire to share their lives, property, genes, and whatever else they desire to share, while publicly recognizing said desire.
This is no way means that those who engage in the “practice of marriage” must be of childbearing age, or even capable of repeoduction, much less that this people may be considered capable of raising children by the State, or even desirous of children. Marriage can be driven as much by the desire for emotional, physical, financial and/or sexual stability, as by the desire to bring children into this world who will have two parents. [Some people do not deem it necessary to marry in order to bring children into this world; some don’t even see the need for a partner. Furthermore, the guarantee that these children may have two parents after being born is … well, not as likely as previously seen throughout history.]
Therefore, marriage is not necessarily something that can be easily defined. However, being a conservative as I am, I believe that marriage can only exist between people of opposite sexes; and therefore, a partnership can exist between persons of the same sex, but not a marriage.
Whatever definition to want to “stick” to the term marriage, it should not be something taken lightly.