Weigh In: Legalizing Gay Marriage

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
I don't believe marriage is the sacred institution it once was. 50 percent of marriages end in divorce anyway, so it's resonable to say the same will be for homosexual marriages.

How many men and women have gotten married and said "well if it doesn't work out, I can just get a divorce". If marriage is going to be taken so lightly nowadays, what's the big deal if a same sex couple feels they want to spend the rest of their life together?

If some people are going to be so blase about marriage, then why don't heterosexual couple just have commitment ceremonies? Why is it necessary to get married?

This is EXACTLY the problem. Marriage doesn't mean anything to people anymore. Marriage is for LIFE. I'm not even religious (I believe in God, but I'm not a member of any particular religion), so it's not that I'm against it because of the bible or whatnot.

My problem with legalizing gay marriage is that people don't value what marriage is anymore. I am getting married in a year and my future husband and I have discussed that we will be married for LIFE.... come what may, divorce is not an option. It is simply not. Even if, heaven forbid, we become morbidly unhappy - we have made our vows and those vows are to work it out. Both of my parents were divorced before they met each other, and remarried to have me. Both of them say that while they are much happier in their second marriage (yay for parents who love each other!!) that they are very guilty over breaking their vows and that they should not have married their first spouses. They taught me to value the vows I will say in front of the Justice of the Peace, and that they are not vows that can be broken.

If we're going to teach children (and adults) to learn to respect the meaning of what marriage is, we need to set limits on who can be married. Marriage is between a man and a woman who love one another and plan to spend their life together. Marriage is not between me and my brother, or me and my sorority sister. I may love them, and want to have them in my life forever, but marriage is not the venue for that. There are other ways to express that love... and it's not through marriage.

edited to add: I'm sure I'm going to get flamed for this.... so flame on. I'm going to be away from the computer until tomorrow morning, so I'll reply to all RESPECTFUL questions/discussion then. I'm not going to reply to flames.