Prop 8 is to get a ruling today

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by pshsx1

Why would that go through the courts if the government has nothing to do with marriage?

Alot of stuff the government is suppose to have nothing to do with goes through the courts because it's the final arbitor, not because the government is involved.

If anything, the Facebook gods would have some say over it. Marriage would be just like saying 'in a relationship.' You don't need any documents; it's just a status that you, your spouse, and other people acknowledge.

Why should it be anything more?

Originally Posted by Drolefille

While true, the status of marriage automatically grants all of those rights and benefits onto the spouses. Though they could all be negotiated legally and separately it would create a rather heavy burden on the courts. Which then would be alleviated by creating some sort of status that couples could sign up for... which would essentially be marriage.

Not really.

Conceivably, someone who wanted to get married would just do it. However, if you wanted to grant it legal status (in terms of property, children, etc, etc) then a contract would be drawn up outlining the stipulations in order to duck greater legal issues (a pre-nuptial agreement is the best example of this).

Originally Posted by BluPhire

What those in government and people need to realize that marriage is just another form of a legal entity partnership...like a business.

But here's where you can abolish the governments role in marriage.

As I mentioned above, you can remove the deigning of what is or is not a marriage by simply entering into a legal contract if you want to truly legally legitimize it. Design stipulations, make the legal partnership document living and breathing with changes if need be. Thus, any consenting adult is able to enter into this contractual relationship; however the government is not there to decide whether or not the contract should exist, simply the enforcement of the contract.