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Changing Definitions of Marriage Ancient people used to think of history in terms of regress. In their view, they lived during the Iron Age and before this, there used to be Silver and Golden Ages. The same approach can be applied when we talk about the institute of marriage. There is no doubt that cultural factors play big role on how people view marriage and relations within family. Yet, it is being observed that as our civilization progresses further, the union between two people is becoming more and more deprived of its ideal essence. Even hundred years ago people generally believed that Christian concept of marriages being concluded in front of God, was not just a fairy tale for adults.
Even the most hardcore atheists used to consider marriage to be really a holy union, as it allowed the propagation of our species. Back than, marriage was nothing but a formal recognition of the laws of nature and spouses willingness to follow them. Only when society observes these laws, there is a guarantee that its members are going to possess physical health, beauty and intelligence. Bruce Clemenger in his article Redefining Marriage is absolutely right when he says: Marriage is rooted in the way we are made.
Marriage is founded upon the biological reality that we humans exist in two sexes. It expresses the complimentary nature of the sexes, and therefore requires both sexes (Clemenger). This is an opinion of a Christian, yet he stresses out the biological aspects of marriage only this gives it sacredness that we used to associate with two peoples will to become husband and wife for the purpose of creating family. Yet, the cultural revolution in late sixties marked the beginning of a period when people in western societies started to think of marriage as just some legal formality.
I think it happened because white people gradually began to lose their survival instinct. It used to be very common for family in Europe to often have 5 - 10 children at the turn of the century - now even having one kid is considered, as some kind of heroic deed, on the part of parents. The decline of Christianity has nothing to do with this. Nowadays, people mostly marry for the sake of companionship rather then for making babies. Recently, the majority of our politically correct medias aggressively promote the idea that marriage can be concluded not only between heterosexual men and women but also between gays and lesbians. From being purely a biological issue its becoming the issue of human rights.
In my opinion, human rights are only applicable to individuals, whose physical and mental health cannot be doubted. Legalizing homosexual marriages is not the issue of confronting the outdated Christian morality, like gays want us to believe, it is about reversing the fundamental Darwin's law of natural selection, which enabled the progress of humankind. Thats why majority of atheists whore in favor of free circulation of different ideas in our society, still consider gays being simply sick. This happens on subconscious level.
Politics dont have a chance while confronting the laws of biology. Oswald Spengler in his book Decline of the West suggested that every culture inevitably enters the period of mechanistic civilization, which signifies the beginning of its decline. What had happened with an institute of marriage fits his theory perfectly there is only a ritual left in wedding ceremonies, but its essence is no longer there. I dont think that returning to the principles of marriage, described in Bible, can bring about positive changes.
Christianity, as whole, is actually opposed to people finding happiness on Earth; it encourages them to do so in the kingdom of heaven. Our society emphasizes on the peoples equality, especially when they enter marriage, yet Christianity tries to make a point that women are inferior: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything (Ephesians 5: 22 - 24). I think itll be beneficial for both husband and wife if there is no religion is going to play role in their union.
If both parties are physically healthy and love each other, they dont need priest to bless them, because they were already being blessed by nature Bibliography: Gordon, Cyrus H. The Common Background of Greek and Hebrew Civilizations New York: Harper and Row, 1965 Clemenger, Bruce Redefining Marriage. Canadas Christian Community Online. 2004. 2 Dec 2004 web Erdman, Sara Ancient Greek Wedding. History and Thought of Western Man.
Mare Nostrum. com 29 Mar 2000. 2 December 2004 web The New American Bible. Camden, NJ: Thomas Nelson. 1971
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